An Australian company has made that vision a reality, employing the sun to give bins the power to self-compact rubbish.
Leon Hayes, the founder and managing director of ‘Solar Bins Australia’ bought the service to the country after discovering that innovation in the waste industry had been largely neglected.
“Waste collection has been the same way, without any real innovation, since the black plague days in Europe,” Mr Hayes said.
“The issue is, most waste baskets whether it be a 240 litre bin or a general waste or recycling bin — nobody knows how full they are and when they need to be collected.”
This ‘blindness’ is what ‘BigBelly Solar Bins’ sought to overcome.
“We have a container and a compactor inside that’s powered by the solar panel on top. It harnesses the sun’s energy, and stores it within the battery, and when it reaches a certain level, the compactor initiates and will compact everything inside that waste basket,” said Mr Hayes.
But Mr Hayes said it is the next step that really brought waste management into the 21st century.
“From any smart phone, the waste contractor can actually see how much rubbish is inside their bin and know when they need to go and empty it.”
(abc.net)
