SOLUTIONS

San Diego has found a new way to recycle municipal flotsam--old manhole covers, water meters, street signs: Sell it. “Our gross profit the first four weeks was in excess of $58,000,” says Nikki Maxwell, manager of the San Diego City Store. The biggest seller is a sign invoking Black’s Beach--”Swimsuits Optional Beyond This Point.” “No Surfing,” “Caution: Slippery When Wet” and “No Shooting Within City Limits,” are also popular. For $100, you can buy a traffic signal; for $40, a parking meter. Profits go to the city, the contributing city departments and the retail firm that runs the store. Some of the city’s profits fund a variety of youth programs.