2:08 While a litter problem is not new to Pismo Beach, city officials said the pandemic has exacerbated the situation, and now they are seeking new solutions. In recent meetings, the Pismo Beach city council has been talking trash—literally. Ben Fine with the Pismo Beach public works department said the city has been facing an unprecedented trash problem ever since the start of the pandemic, and overflowing trash bins have been giving people the emotional permission to litter. “So even if I’m not a litterer, once I see that a trash can is full, it kind of gives me the permission to either set my trash right next to the trash can or put it on top or just not deal with it properly,” Fine said.