Looks like the trash cans a McDonald's, except they cost $5500 apiece.
Posted on 11/02/2011 5:05:56 PM PDT by Brilliant
It sits there in the sun, looking like the covered trash can that it is. But this receptacle is more than it seems.
Costing $5,500, the "BigBelly" is a computerized, solar-powered compactor that, supporters say, can dramatically reduce garbage-collection costs.
And that's the hope of Lynx, the bus service that serves Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties.
Lynx has purchased four of the devices and is in the midst of a three-month test to see how well they work. The $22,000 bill was paid with federal-stimulus dollars.
One month into the trial, Lynx officials say they like what they see.
Doug Day, Lynx customer-amenities manager, said trash cans usually have to be emptied twice a week. Only one of the four solar units has been emptied so far.
That performance could be a big deal if it holds up because Lynx spends $18,000 a month on garbage pickups.
The key is that the compactors hold five times as much refuse — at 150 gallons — as the containers now at Lynx's 550 covered stops. The covers on the compactors also eliminate litter blowing in the wind.
"Everyone preaches green initiatives," said Lynx spokesman Matt Friedman. "This is just another way for Lynx to add a green initiative."
Lynx might seek to buy enough of the devices for its whole system if the compacters continue working well. Ordering 200 would cost more than $1 million — an amount the cash-strapped agency does not have.
Friedman said Lynx likely would look for a state or federal grant to pay for the compactors...
So far, the compactors are relatively scarce, though they appear to be gaining popularity. Philadelphia bought 500 for its downtown, plus another 210 solar-power recycling units, at a cost of $2.1 million in 2009. A state grant covered the cost...
(Excerpt) Read more at articles.orlandosentinel.com ...
Looks like the trash cans a McDonald's, except they cost $5500 apiece.
I’ve seen a couple of these around Atlanta and the first thought that came to me was that whoever is making them must be politically connected to the socialist regime.
If they work as advertised, it’s a good use of public dollars, for a change.
Less trash pickups means less people hired to do a job.
That might be true if they are serviced by a private hauling service.
If it’s muni employees, don’t bet on it.
A solar-powered trash can subsidized with millions of dollars of taxpayer-funded stimulus bucks is actually a pretty good metaphor for the Obama regime.
The better question, though, is that if it’s such a good idea, how come they don’t use their own money to pay for it?
The first time someone puts a dead dog or cat in one of these the smell is going to drive all potential users away.
No users = stays half full and never gets emptied.
Now that’s a nasty idea. I would be surprised if they don’t monitor door openings as part of their diagnostics. They already have the wireless communications and level sensors in place.
I think vandalism is going to be a problem especially with bums looking for stuff to hock or sell to junkyards.
We’re way ahead of the Chinese in $5,500 solar-powered trash cans. Obama’s dream is coming true.
...or a live kid.
"Honest, we just stuffed him in there because he doesn't fit inside his locker any more. We didn't know it would crush him."
150 gallons of compacted trash. Who did they hire to empty those things, Les Brockner?
What a waste - both literally and figuratively.
Wrong. There will still be the same number of public trash haulers along with the requisite layers of public bureaucratic management. In fact, I'll bet that there will be even more people hired to monitor the project and write reports.
Only some halfwit in the government could think up something this stupid. Just think how dangerous they would be if they had the other half!
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