by Dan Burgess
A few months ago while on a run around the city, I stopped and took notice of a new addition to the Boston-area neighborhood in which I reside: trash cans. I normally wouldn’t think too much about this development, but these waste baskets were different. They weren’t the ordinary receptacles I am accustomed to seeing around the city.
These plastic containers were big, plastic, and resembled a post office mail drop box that you see on city curbs. Upon further investigation, I was thrilled to realize I was looking at the next generation of trash cans: a solar Cordless Trash Compaction System.
These systems, manufactured by BigBelly Solar in Needham, are the newest and greenest trash can to hit the market. According to the company's website, they are the only solar-powered cordless compaction system in the world and have a capacity 5 times that of normal cans. This diminishes the number of collection trips, reduces fuel consumption for city vehicles, and can cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%.
Boston is one of the first cities in the world to use these systems and they can be found throughout the city including at Fenway Park, Faneuil Hall, and Harvard University. Recently, the town of Somerville has added around 50 BigBelly cans that have the ability to text message the town to alert it when they are full (text messaging trash cans!).
While some detractors point out the potential negative consequences of the BigBelly Systems (initial cost, maintenance, and potential job losses due to increased efficiency), these are far outweighed by the potential positive outcomes. The cordless trash compaction systems should be seen as an important, worthwhile investment for any city or town and serve as an example to all green entrepreneurs.
Take a look around the BigBelly Solar website for more information, encourage your representatives to consider the solar cans, and make sure to keep an eye out for these ingenious systems the next time you are walking around the city!
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