Bigbelly was originally a solar powered trash-compacting bin, manufactured by U.S. company Big belly Solar Inc for use in public spaces such as parks, beaches, amusement parks, universities, retail properties, grocery industry and food service operators. The bin was designed and originally manufactured in

Needham, Massachusetts Needham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 at the 2020 U.S. Census. It is home of Olin College. History Early settlement Needham was first settled in 1680 with the purchase of a ...

, by Seahorse Power, a company set up in 2003 with the aim of reducing

fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels m ...

consumption. Due to the bin's commercial success, Seahorse Power changed its name to BigBelly Solar. Although solar power is still an important feature, the company has since created self-powered stations for use where sun may not be available such as under a convenience store's dispenser canopy and AC powered stations for applications such as corporate cafeterias.

The bin

The bin has a capacity of 567 litres. Its compaction mechanism exerts 5.3 kN of force, increasing the bin's effective capacity by five. The compaction mechanism is chain-driven, using no

hydraulic fluid A hydraulic fluid or hydraulic liquid is the medium by which power is transferred in hydraulic machinery. Common hydraulic fluids are based on mineral oil or water. Examples of equipment that might use hydraulic fluids are excavators and backhoe ...

s. Maintenance consists of lubricating the front door lock annually. The mechanism runs on a standard 12 volt battery, which is kept charged by the solar panel. The battery reserve lasts for approximately three weeks. Wireless technology-enabled units report their status into the CLEAN (Collection, Logistics, Efficiency and Notification system) dashboard that gives waste management and administration insights for monitoring and route optimization. BigBelly Solar also provides companion recycling units that allow cities, parks and universities to collect single-stream or separated recyclable materials in public spaces. The first machine was installed in

Vail, Colorado Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the num ...

, in 2004. The city of

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

installed 70 of the "smart" garbage bins in 2018. In July 2023 the city of

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...

in Germany began an eight-week test of internet-connected BigBelly garbage bins.

References

*{{cite magazine , date=April 2008 , title=News: Technology Briefs , magazine=Eureka Magazine , volume=28 , issue=4 , page=8
Solar Compactors Make Mincemeat of Trash

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

, July 17, 2007

External links

BigBellySolar.com
- Manufacturer's website American inventions Solar-powered devices Waste treatment technology