A company named Solar Bins Australia is offering a bin which uses solar power to self-compact rubbish. They then inform the waste contractor when they’re full and need to be emptied. Maybe not the most glamours application of solar power we’ve seen lately, but certainly something which proves some of the more lateral benefits that solar power can have!
Solar Bins Australia
The BigBelly ‘smart city platform’ was developed in Needham, Massachusetts and offers multiple eco-friendly solutions, including their solar bin (which is resold in Australia by Solar Bins Australia) – it has a reasonably high initial cost but the benefits are vast and will save a lot of money in the long run:
- The bin has 600L capacity and automatically compacts when it’s full (this is 5 times the capacity of standard 120L wheelie bins)
- Partners with ‘Smartbelly’ so you can connect with it to see how full it is, offer wi-fi, and much more.
- According to their website, it’s proven to reduce street bin collections by 86% on average.
- Highly customisable – you can include side panels, an ashtray, a security shield, a foot pedal, or personalise it with wraps and stickers.
- The bin sends an email and a text when it’s 85% full, so there’s no wasted time going to empty bins that are only 20% full (and conversely, bins won’t overflow, attracting vermin and scattering rubbish around the place).
- As such, these are great not only for the council (where they have been installed in Cairns), but large private workplaces, universities, or anywhere that has a large number of rubbish bins.
Solar Bins Cairns
According to the Cairns Post, solar-powered recycling bins are now installed on the Esplanade at Cairns beside the Muddy’s Playground. The council’s water and waste spokesman Cr Richie Bates said he was ‘pumped’ about the installation, and it’s great to see another example of councils utilising solar power and minimising their carbon footprint:
“The council is being smart about embracing new waste management technologies.” said Cr Bates.
Have you had any experience using one of these solar powered bins? How was it? Let us know in the comments!
