Philadelphia, PA - Philadelphia Inquirer:
New city trash bins are smart, green-friendly
May 1, 2009 06:01 AM
It's big. It's brainy. Officials say it will save money. And it's solar-powered to boot. ...
Instead of having to be emptied 19 times a week - like the current wire bins - the BigBellys are expected to hold out for more than a day and require emptying only five times a week, saving staff time, fuel costs, and greenhouse-gas emissions.
By July, 500 BigBelly "ecostations" are to be installed between South and Spring Garden Streets from the Schuylkill to the Delaware.
Of those, 210 will have companion recycling bins - marking the debut of on-street recycling in Center City. This, too, could produce savings because landfilling is more expensive than recycling.
"We're very excited," said Streets Commissioner Clarena W. Tolson. "We're saving taxpayer dollars."
Richard Kennelly, vice president of marketing for BigBelly Solar, in Needham, Mass, crunched some city numbers, coming up with $12.9 million in savings over 10 years.
The Center City litter baskets required 33 workers to empty, Tolson said; the BigBellys will need just eight. The others will shift jobs.