Halifax, Canada - Nestlé Waters Canada and Waterfront Development Corporation Limited (WDC) recently announced that the recent pilot public spaces recycling program on the Halifax waterfront resulted in a 95 percent diversion rate for beverage containers and a combined container, paper diversion rate of 83 percent.

Public spaces recycling captures the “last mile” of recyclables — items typically captured through Nova Scotia’s deposit-refund and curbside recycling programs that are abandoned by consumers in park spaces, recreational facilities like arenas, street scapes, transit stops, bars and restaurants, elementary and secondary schools, convenience stores and gas stations.

The waterfront program targeted waste, recyclables, paper and organics.

Considered one of the greenest initiatives in Canada, it aligned with Halifax Regional Municipality’s bylaw requiring four-stream waste collection and reinforced Nova Scotia’s reputation as a recycling leader.

The highly successful program deployed 15 four-stream receptacles, manufactured by BigBelly Solar, along the Halifax Harbourwalk, from the ferry terminal to Tall Ships Quay. The eco-friendly receptacles feature a solar-powered waste compactor that reduces collection frequency by up to 80 percent according to the manufacturer, saving time, money and reducing pick-up emissions. The 15 receptacles replaced 51 standard garbage bins on the Halifax waterfront.

“The public spaces recycling program along the Halifax Harbourwalk has been highly successful and we are proud to engage in this progressive, green initiative,” says Colin MacLean, president and CEO, Waterfront Development Corporation Limited. “The visitor experience has improved and recycling makes our waste management incredibly efficient. It is a model we are looking at adapting for our other waterfronts.”

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Cambridge, UK – The so-called BigBelly Bins use solar power to crush rubbish and can hold up to eight times as much as a regular bin.

This means they need emptying less often, resulting in fewer rubbish collections and therefore work towards reducing the city’s carbon footprint.

Operations manager for streets and open spaces at Cambridge City Council, Bob Carter, said the bin is capable of holding 800 litres of rubbish and needs little daylight to operate.

He said: “It literally gets to a certain level and then a sensor cuts in and crushes the rubbish.

“There are a few more going into the area shortly.”

Councillor Clare Blair, member of Cambridge City Council for East Chesterton and portfolio holder for climate change, said: “We’re trialling the solar bins which are new to the UK but are very well used abroad, particularly in America.”

The BigBelly solution has been embraced by a number of customers in the UK and Ireland, including the City of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin, and Bournemouth.

“These bins mean the city council can cut fuel costs and carbon emissions bringing benefits to taxpayers and the environment,” said Councillor Blair.

“The bins are also compatible with a SIM card which can send a text or email to a number when they are full.”

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As part of the recent Green Community designation by Governor Deval Patrick, Lowell has received seven (7) BigBelly Solar Compactor kiosks. While BigBelly compactors are the size of regular “pedestrian litter trash receptacles” and are completely self-powered, with 100% of their energy needs coming from solar power (using less than 5 Watt-hours per day), each unit can provide a capacity five times greater than the typical trash receptacle. Increased capacity means reduced collection trips, potentially cutting fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions by 80%.

BigBelly recycling kiosks, which are the companion units paired with each solar compactor, make recycling initiatives more effective. The integrated design, with a hopper for trash and front-access openings for recycling of “Bottles & Cans”, helps encourage proper separation of trash and recyclable materials, reducing cross-contamination and increasing the value of the separated materials. The visible commitment to a cleaner environment is a magnet for more environmentally-responsible waste disposal habits by citizens.

“The solar powered compactor kiosks are strategically installed, throughout the downtown, to help the City increase cost efficiency from labor and maintenance, fuel cost reductions, reduce instances of litter, and provide environmental benefits” said City Manager Bernie Lynch. “Their implementation is another example of the many steps taken to improve energy efficiency citywide, reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and improving air quality; the kiosks are a welcome benefit of being designated a Green Community.”

The City recently installed the solar powered compactor kiosks at the following locations: City Hall, at the Pollard Memorial Library, and downtown Merrimack Street.

This round of BigBelly deployments was funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, Green Communities Division.

Safe, easy to use, and designed to keep out pests, BigBelly compaction systems are helping to keep communities clean and efficient in 48 states and 30 countries worldwide; locally, they are in use in Newton, Somerville, Boston and throughout the State, at DCR facilities.

Fun Facts about BigBelly solar compactors

• The first BigBelly compactor was installed at Vail Resorts, Colorado in February 2004.
• The BigBelly side panels and front hopper cover are made from 100% post-consumer recycled car bumpers.
• Compaction ratio: each BigBelly compactor can hold up to five times the volume of ordinary trash receptacles, reducing collection demand up to 80%.
• Capacity: each BigBelly compactor can hold approximately 160 gallons of trash, compacted into a single 32-gallon inner bin.
• Force: the BigBelly compaction mechanism exerts up to 1,200 pounds of force.
• The BigBelly intelligent waste collection system is made in the USA.
• BigBelly solar compactors are so energy efficient they can operate:
  • for a day on the equivalent energy it takes to make a piece of toast,
  • for a week on the equivalent energy it takes to brew a pot of coffee,
  • for four months on the equivalent energy it takes to drive a Prius one mile,
  • for eight years on the equivalent energy it takes to drive a garbage truck one mile

See City Manager, Bernie Lynch’s  Blog

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UNT stays true to its green commitment as it treks down the recycling path and into new solar-power receptacles.

This semester, the University Union purchased four solar-powered receptacles, giving students a new way to keep the campus green.

“It would allow all students to see that this is the way that we recycle on campus because it would be the same everywhere,” said Wendy Key, the assistant director of operations for the Office of Sustainability. “You wouldn’t have one type of dumpster in one place, one type of recycling bin in another place, which sometimes causes confusion.”

The locations of the solar compactors were pre-selected and placed where the majority of students walk, said Mike Flores, the associate director of the Union.

H O W   I T   W O R K S

The solar compactors contain a battery that charges from sunlight, Flores said.

The compactors are only dumped out once a week, on Friday or Saturday, Flores said. “And in time, it pays for itself.”

Key said it reduces the amount of work on the custodial staff, so it saves time, cost and work effort.

The solar compactors also have a paper receptacle attached on its left side for bottles and cans.

“Right now, we’re really trying to engage the interest and the participation level of everyone on campus to figure out ‘what do we need to do to get people on board,’” Key said.

Spanish and history senior Matthew Foulk, one of two recycling assistants, is passionate about recycling, Foulk said.

“[The solar compactors] fit into wider efforts here to recycle whenever and wherever possible,” Foulk said.

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BigBelly trash cans compact the trash they receive and call for pickup when they are full. Fewer pickups means savings on truck fuel and maintenance staff time.

Providence, RI – Stroll across the College Green or stand outside the Sharpe Refectory, and you may notice a squat, silver container with a solar panel on top that bears a faint resemblance to the lovable Star Wars character R2-D2.

It’s actually a special trash can created by a company called BigBelly Solar. Supporters say the containers handle garbage more efficiently by periodically compacting the trash inside, creating space for more garbage. That’s especially important in high-traffic areas like the Ratty, where warmer weather will mean more people eating lunch outside. The BigBelly is also outfitted with sensors connected to a computer server that can call for trash pickup when the unit is full.

Brown has purchased three BigBelly solar compactors and may buy as many as 20 more to spread around campus, according to Ginger Gritzo, energy and environmental programs coordinator in Facilities Management. “Once we saw for ourselves that the unit really was saving fuel and time, we developed a campuswide implementation plan,” Gritzo wrote in an email.

Kai Morrell, a senior concentrating in environmental studies, has been involved in the project since her freshman year. She joined Gritzo at Facilities Management in spring 2008 as a student recycling coordinator after answering a job listing. Soon they were talking trash and looking at the possibilities of economizing on garbage disposal. “Ginger and I get excited about trash cans, but others don’t,” said Morrell.

In 2009 before classes started in the fall, Beppie Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration, spied the solar-fueled trash cans while on a trip in Ireland. She reported her finding to Facilities Management, and last spring, BigBelly made its première outside the Ratty.

“Trash cans are something that are so commonplace,” Morrell said. “People don’t often think about them as (generating) a carbon footprint. I think rethinking that is great.”

Gritzo credited Morrell with getting students interested in garbage disposal (a naming campaign for the solar compactors begins this month as part of “Recyclemania”) and other environmental initiatives on campus.

The BigBelly solar compactors have gotten a lot of use and are justifying their price. They also fit in well with Brown’s vision of adopting more sustainable practices.

“I feel people feel really good when they’re doing good things. That’s the same with the trash compactor,” Morrell said. “You feel good about participating in it, about being part of positive change.”

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Boston, MA – You’ve seen them in Boston and Cambridge: those stand-alone, green, sturdy, solar-powered trash compactors. Built by the Newton-Mass. based company BigBelly Solar, these compactors put open-topped trash baskets to absolute shame, holding four to five times the waste of a normal trash can and passing along cost savings of up to 80 percent to municipalities.

The company recently announced that it’s full of something else: sales success. In 2010, the company boasts 2X revenue growth and staff increases of 30 percent. From the moment of idea genesis to today, when it can call the City of Boston one its biggest customers, the company, which now has compactors in nearly every U.S. state and 30 countries across the globe, has had a big impact on Massachusetts. Without doubt, 2010 served as a tipping point for the company as it strives to cast its net much wider in the upcoming year.

Impact on Massachusetts

Right here in Massachusetts they have deployed almost 1,300 compactors in 149 towns and other entities. The City of Boston has been their largest customer to date, with over 220 units installed and another 70 on the way.

Other city departments benefitting from BigBelly installs include the MBTA, MassPort, MassDOT, Mass Agricultural, the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, and the Dept. of Energy Resources. Massachusetts towns where you can find BigBelly compactors are spread all across the state from Cambridge to Lowell to towns all over Cape Cod.

BigBelly’s 2010 Growth

The company has been busy this past year, selling enough units to double year over year revenue. What’s remarkable and promising about the growth is that it includes half repeat and half new customers — meaning on top of expansion, those municipalities who have purchased these cutting-edge trash compactors in the past have realized the cost savings and green benefits BigBelly offers, and are coming back for more.

Alongside the solar-powered trash compactors, BigBelly offers software so municipalities and other facilities management can track and monitor trash compaction and collection. Dubbed CLEAN (Collection Logistics Efficiency And Notification), the software’s real-time monitoring optimizes collection based on things like historical patterns and changing conditions on the ground like special events and seasonal usage.

“More than half of the solar compactors purchased during the year were paired with complementary recycling capabilities,” shared VP Marketing Richard Kennelly in an announcement this morning. “Demand for the CLEAN wireless software solution rose even more dramatically on a year-over-year basis, with over one-third of new customer deployments capitalizing on the benefits of the on-demand monitoring and operations planning capabilities — a percentage that is expected to continue to grow rapidly.”

Adding to the environmental and cost impacts, BigBelly compactors are manufactured and assembled in Vermont and Kentucky, with domestic-made materials. Keep your on eye on the company as they expand in 2011!

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