Tucson, AZ - KVOA News 4:
Solar Tech Shines in Tucson
November 26, 2008 11:28 AM
Tucson, AZ - Solar technology is being used throughout Tucson, sometimes in the oddest of places.
"What is this thing? What does it do? Does it talk back?" one might say looking at a bizarre trash can downtown.
If you've strolled through Presidio Park, you may have asked that about this Star-Wars looking trashbin. It's not R2D2, it's actually a solar trash compactor.
Peg Webber with Tucson Parks & Recreation says, "We also have a trash problem and we want to squash trash down and we don't want to pick it up as often as we usually do".
In fact, the county only picks up the trash here once a week, which is a far cry from the daily pick-up at other Tucson parks. The solar panel powers a compactor, allowing more trash to fit. This saves the city gas, by only having to pick it up once a week.
City officials also use it as a learning tool, telling people the city builds green.
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