Trash compactors aren’t exactly new in public places, but how many of them are actually environmentally friendly like the BigBelly? This solar powered trash compactor might look like a standard issue trash can from the outside, but in reality, it is more than capable of holding anywhere between 4 to 6 times as much trash as standard units. In addition, the BigBelly is less prone to the overflow problem which translates to less food for our avian friends such as seagulls. As a consequence, there will definitely be a decrease in bird droppings (good news for folks who tend to wash their car every other day) that ultimately is the main contributor to high levels of deadly E.coli bacteria in the water.

Solar-powered trash cans might be available for some time now, but it is still an interesting gizmo that can be installed virtually anywhere due to the fact that they aren’t restrained by a lack of electricity as the sun provides all the juice it possibly needs. The BigBelly comes in handy when cleaning up public places such as beaches, parks, cities, and other high-traffic areas. Not only that, the BigBelly is one tough nut as it can be custom-built to be bear and raccoon-resistant for use in places such as National Forests and State Parks.

Using the BigBelly is dummy-proof – all you need to do is give the pull-down handle a nudge to place the trash in. Whenever the solar panel on top charges the 12-volt battery to its maximum level, the ram will be triggered, compacting the rubbish at the same time. The process will happen several times until the maximum trash volume is reached – currently numbering at 200 gallons of garbage. A single unit of the BigBelly retails for approximately $4,000, but that relatively high cost shouldn’t put people off since it reduces collection requirements by up to 4 times, helping corporations save both time and money in the process. Not to mention it being solar powered, the system can pay for itself over its lifetime.

Source: Primidi