Solar Powered Trash Cans in Philadelphia - The Big Belly

When I heard of these, the first thing I wondered was "Solar powered garbage cans?" Then I thought "Would the cost of such a thing really be better than a can with a bag lining it?"

Well, the answer is, yes, there are solar-powered garbage cans. They're also compactors and have a wireless communication signal to tell passing garbage trucks whether they're full enough to bother emptying.

Whether they're most cost-effective than their more primitive counterparts? I couldn't tell you. The City of Philadelphia bought some, but you can't judge economic viability by what governments do.

The cans use solar power to operate, accepting garbage of different kinds. When garbage amounts reach a certain level, they compact it. This is important, since compacted garbage takes up less landfill space. Of course, most modern garbage trucks compact garbage themselves, but that's besides the point.

The cans are also designated for recycling, so I guess compaction is kind of a bonus.

They're solar powered, though looking at this photo I'm thinking someone needs to inform the City of Philly that placing a solar panel under a tree isn't exactly efficient.

Anyway, each can holds 150 gallons of trash, thanks to the compaction, and are powered 100% by sunlight. Philadelphia plans on getting 500 total Big Bellies.