Photo credit: http://www.phillydesignblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/bigbelly.jpg
The old moniker ‘filthydelphia’ may soon be a thing of the past for the City of Brotherly Love. Philadelphia has recently implemented a ingenious way to reduce costly trash pick-up and become greener at the same-time. 500 Big Belly trash compactors have been installed all over the city in an effort to save on waste desposal and become the Greenest City in America. These trash compactors can store 5 times the amount of garbage because a solar panel on top of each unit powers a compactor that crushes the garbage when the unit fills up. Over 10 years, the 500 cans are expected to save the city $13 million because trash pick-up has been reduced to 5 times a week from 17! This is not only a financial savings to the city but a way to reduce carbon emissions. Accompanying many of the units are 230 recycling bins which will allow Philadelphians to recycle curbside as pedestrians for the first time. For more, check out this great video from Good Magazine about the compactors.
