Did you notice the sudden disappearance of trash cans along the peninsula last month? By now, you have probably noticed their replacement – and there’s a lot more on the inside than you would think.
These solar-powered Bigbelly garbage containers are smart waste + recycling systems that increase waste management efficiency, cut costs + keep public areas cleaner. 🗑️
The insides of these cans are equipped with smart technology that allows them to work their magic. Sensors detect when the bin is getting full, and a compactor smashes the trash down to make room for eight times more trash than a standard bin could hold. Once it is at max capacity, wireless signals are sent to garbage collectors to indicate that it is time to be emptied, eliminating waste overflow.
Before the introduction of Bigbellies, the city saw an average of 17,863 bags of trash a month. With the implementation of this technology, it estimates that number will drastically decrease to 2,812 – which will be tracked by the system’s analytic report feature.
There are currently 120 Bigbelly bins downtown.
