New compactors using solar power are expected improve collection efficiency, saving money, time and fuel.

Allentown, PA - The city of Allentown is using the power of the sun to keep its streets clean.

The first of 250 BigBelly solar-powered waste and recycling stations was unveiled Wednesday at 12th and Hamilton streets, outside the Allentown Public Library. The city will install the BigBelly solar compactors in high traffic areas and city parks in a bid to get a handle on litter and improve the city’s trash collecting efficiency.

The solar compactors can hold about five times more than a regular trash can, so they won’t have to be emptied as much. The kiosks will be paid for, installed and maintained by Waste Management, the city’s trash collection contractor, and emptied by city solid waste crews.

“We are here to make Allentown a cleaner and greener city,” Mayor Ed Pawlowski said Wednesday as the solar compactors were displayed at 12th and Hamilton streets.

The receptacles are powered by solar cells and 100 of them will be coupled with a recycling kiosk that will allow passers-by to toss in bottles, cans and paper. They include sensors that use mobile technology to contact the city when they need to be emptied.

Mayor Pawlowski said a unit was tested recently at the corner of Sixth and Turner streets and made a significant dent in the litter problem.

“I was shocked,” he said. “That corner in those three months was the cleanest I have ever seen it.”

City Recycling and Solid Waste Bureau manager Ann Saurman said the solar compactors are far better than the small, blue, pole-mounted litter baskets the city now relies on. The baskets fill up too quickly and can actually contribute to the litter problem as residents overstuff them and they spill onto the street.

Waste Management will help the city educate residents on how to use the new system. It’s one of the largest deployments of the technology in Pennsylvania, behind Philadelphia, which has about 1,000 of the waste & recycling stations.

Bill Eddy, sales director with Newton, Mass.-based BigBelly Solar, said the system will cut collection frequency by as much as 70 percent and could save 3,300 work hours and up to 10,000 gallons of fuel.

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Mass High Tech, The Voice of New England Innovation, today introduced the 15 recipients of its 2011 MHT All-Stars Awards. The All-Stars Awards recognize driven and influential leaders of New England’s innovation economy. This is the 16th year of the awards program, and the first time the All-Stars program is being combined with the Boston Business Journal’s Rising Stars honorees — 15 innovative leaders under age 30 in Greater Boston businesses.

The 2011 Mass High Tech honorees represent a broad range of technology and service sectors, including robotics, software, economic development, ecommerce, entrepreneurship, medical devices and cleantech. They were selected from more than 100 nominees recommended by the technology community.

“These All-Stars have a proven record in leading not only their own companies but in helping their industry thrive,” said Mass High Tech publisher Douglas Banks. “By combining this year’s awards program with the BBJ’s Rising Stars in Business, we are offering our All-Stars another opportunity for mentorship while giving the younger generation access to innovative role models.”

The All-Stars will be profiled in a special report on MassHighTech.com, and will be recognized at an evening awards celebration and networking reception on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at the House of Blues in Boston. More information about the event and registration are available online.

“We have an opportunity to highlight the achievements of proven leaders in the technology space — tech luminaries — and the outstanding talents of a new generation of leaders — Rising Stars — who will provide the innovation that will help their businesses to reach new levels of success for years to come,” said Chris McIntosh, publisher of the Boston Business Journal.

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The 2011 MHT All-Stars are:

Mohamad Ali, president of Avaya Global Srvcs & chairman of the Mass Technology Leadership Council
Jeffrey Burbank, CEO of NxStage Medical Inc.
Jennifer Camacho, shareholder at Greenberg Traurig LLP
Bobbie Carlton, founder of Mass Innovation Nights and Carlton PR & Marketing
Emily Nagle Green, chairman of Yankee Group
Lou Guercia, president and CEO of Scribe Software
Jean Hammond, principal of JPH Associates and member of Golden Seeds and Hub Angels
Diane Hessan, president and CEO of Communispace Corp.
Geoff MacKay, president and CEO of Organogenesis Inc.
Mick Mountz,CEO of Kiva Systems Inc.
Kevin O’Sullivan, president and CEO of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives
James Poss, founder and CTO of BigBelly Solar Inc.
David Rose, CEO of Vitality Inc.
Paul Sagan, CEO of Akamai Technologies Inc.
David Stone, CEO of CashStar Inc.

The 2011 BBJ Rising Stars in Business are:

Francy Ronayne of InkHouse Public Relations
Stephen Nash of Boston Web Marketing
Lynette Correa of Career Coaching 4Kidz
Annie Wang, Windsor Hanger and Stephanie Kaplan of Her Campus Media
Jeff Seibert of Crashlytics
Philip Tepfer of LiveProud Group*
Michael Laskin of Latham & Watkins LLP
Nadine Lubowitz of Day2Night Convertible Heels
Jay Tuli of Leader Bank N.A.
Janelle Woods-McNish of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Vanessa Green of OnChip Power
Jesse Horowitz of EnerNOC
Mike Salguero of CustomMade
Manjari Malaiya of Suffolk Construction
Dinesh Wadwani of ThinkLife LLC
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*Phil Tepfer is a former employee of BigBelly Solar.  He and Jim Poss are both Babson College alumni.

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Boone, NC - Solar-powered trash compactors are now part of the Appalachian State University campus thanks to the student-led Renewable Energy Initiative (REI).

Four solar compactors have been located in the center of campus along Sanford Mall and near Belk Library and Information Commons and D.D. Dougherty Hall, areas of high student, faculty and staff traffic.

The compactors were purchased with funds generated through a $5 a semester REI fee paid by students. The fee has funded several sustainable or renewable energy focused projects on campus …

“REI’s mission is to reduce Appalachian’s carbon footprint by replacing the university’s existing energy sources with cleaner forms of renewable energy,” said Caitlin Stepp, REI vice chair and a senior sustainable development and political science major. “The compactors are one way to reduce carbon emissions by reducing the frequency in which trash collection vehicles are used around the center of campus.”

She said the compactors are a more hands-on use of solar energy technology than other systems on campus and a good way to educate students about the university’s focus on sustainability.

The trash container automatically compresses its contents when a certain height is reached. The unit also contains a recycling container for plastic and aluminum beverage containers to encourage more recycling on campus and decrease the amount of trash taken to the landfill.

The compactors have a small PV system that converts sunlight to energy that then is used to compact the trash. A 12-volt DC system stores the energy to operate the unit on cloudy days.

“The solar compactors are common on college campuses across the U.S., and can be found internationally,” Stepp said.

The units at Appalachian were selected for their efficiency and reliability. “They use about the same amount of energy on an average day as it takes to make a piece of toast,” she said.

Katie Cavert, a recent Department of Technology graduate student and former REI member had seen similar units in downtown Boone and proposed purchasing the BigBelly units, which were installed on campus prior to the beginning of fall semester.

See the Article

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Kirkland installs solar trash compactors
KING5 Seattle

Kirkland, WA - Kirkland turns to the sun to keep the city clean and green.

The city installed 46 solar-powered trash compactors in downtown Kirkland last month.  23 of those compactors also have recycling receptacles.  The compactors provide 5 times the garbage capacity of those old 32-gallon garbage cans.

The mayor of Kirkland wants her city to be a strong model for creating a sustainable community.

“This is using technology truly for the public good.  It will keep our city better; it sends a message to our youth and to our visitors.”

The compactors also reduce operating costs, fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent.

Watch the Video

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Here’s a related article….

Solar powered trash compactors installed in downtown Kirkland

Installation of 46 “BigBelly” compactors help to lower costs and increase capacity.

On Wednesday, Kirkland Mayor Joan McBride and dozens of kids from the Parks Department summer camp witnessed a presentation of downtown’s new solar powered trash compactors by Jeff McMahon, District Manager for Waste Management. Forty-six of the “high tech” trash and recycling bins, known as “BigBellies,” were installed throughout downtown Kirkland in the past few weeks. The new cans increase garbage and recycling capacity and reduce costs by compacting waste as needed and wirelessly signaling Waste Management when they need to be emptied. This new system not only reduces the frequency of garbage pickups, it also reduces the chance of animals removing garbage from the cans — an all too frequent occurrence in downtown on weekends when garbage from over-stuffed trash cans littered the sidewalks.

Garbage by the numbers

Forty six “BigBelly” compactors were installed in key locations in downtown Kirkland, WA in July 2011; 23 were paired with recycling receptacles.

• The compactors provide up to five times the garbage capacity of the existing 32-gallon garbage cans. The internal compaction ratio dial can be adjusted from the default 3:1 up to 5:1.
• The recycling receptacles will increase the public recycling capacity to almost seven cubic yards per week.
• The compactors reduce operating costs, fuel usage, and greenhouse emissions by up to 80 percent.
• Each unit is equipped with wireless communication hardware which enables Waste Management, Inc. and City of Kirkland staff to recognize in real time when a compactor is full or nearly full and needs to be emptied. This wireless monitoring significantly increases overall operational efficiency and reduces the number of collection trips.
• The 46 new compactors are provided to the City and its residents at no cost as part of the solid waste contract between Kirkland and Waste Management that went into effect on July 1, 2011.

Read the Article (with photos)