Solar Powered Trash Compactors

How great would it be to see a city free of litter? How amazing would it be to not have to worry about overflowing trash cans?

This may seem a near impossibility in today’s go-go world, where people are more concerned about getting from point A to point B than actually cleaning the path on the way. Well thanks to a company based in Massachusetts, this may very well be a reality in every city. The company has created solar-powered trash compactors. The units resemble mail boxes, and have a separate bin attached for recyclables. It can hold 5 times more trash than a traditional trash can. It has sensors to tell it when it’s time to compact the trash, and since its solar-powered they can go virtually anywhere outside. Once the unit is full it notifies the proper officials so they can come and empty it.

This in turn cuts the cost of several programs, so it’s both economical and environmentally friendly. Philadelphia has been using the units for a couple of years now. In 2009 their trash program was emptying 700 traditional trash cans 17 times a week. This took 33 employees on 3 different shifts. One year later, after they installed 500 units they are able to pick up trash only 5 times a week, using 9 employees on one shift. This in turn has saved Philadelphia tax payers around $900,000.