Springfield, IL - Chicago Tribune:
Trash compactor holds 5 times more waste
August 18, 2009 03:01 AM
A solar-powered trash compactor at the Illinois State Fair is crushing garbage in a container that holds five times more waste.
Waste Management is introducing the WM Solar Compactor, about the size of a standard, 35-gallon bin, which holds 180 gallons of compacted waste and reduces hauling trips by 80 percent.
The unit is at the corner of Brian Raney Avenue and Main Street, outside the governor's tent. It includes a bin for recyclables.
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director Doug Scott called the compactor "doubly green" -- using renewable solar energy to operate and compacting waste so it can be handled more efficiently.