Solar powered BigBelly trash cans are already saving Somerville, Massachusetts taxpayers an estimated $14,000 per year in the Davis Square park area alone. These cans, whose solar panels power a trash compactor, can hold 180 gallons of refuse versus 30 gallons for a conventional can. The New York Times reports that the savings come from cutting labor and trucking costs associated with emptying heavily used bins. For instance, the Davis Square bins went from thrice daily emptying to twice a week.
Next up, the cans will have a texting feature added that will notify the city when it\'s time to empty, further reducing unnecessary trips.
Think twice about adding these around the home. Each unit costs over $3,000.