Chicago, IL – Move over, wide bodies: There’s a new BigBelly on Chicago’s beaches this summer.
The BigBelly, a solar-powered garbage bin, periodically crushes the refuse inside. With fewer pickups required, Chicago Park District officials hope the solar panel-equipped containers will reduce trash collection costs and cut garbage truck pollution.
Twenty-five of the boxes will be anchored at four lakefront locations: beaches at North Avenue, 31st Street and 63rd as well as Queen’s Landing near Buckingham Fountain. In April, the city’s Streets and Sanitation Department installed three boxes downtown.
San Antonio, TX – In an effort to take advantage of the benefits of solar technology, the City recently installed two Big Belly solar-powered trash compactors in Alamo Plaza as part of a pilot program to reduce the frequency of collecting waste in the downtown area.