Tampa exploring solar-powered trash compactors

They don't spill, don't stink and can hold up to 180 gallons of trash that has been compacted, nearly five times more than a regular garbage can.

It's the latest technology in solid waste disposal - solar-powered, self-compacting trash cans - and the new garbage receptacles could soon be sprouting up in neighborhoods throughout the city.

Tampa officials are weighing a proposal from Waste Management to place nearly 100 solar-powered receptacles in sections of Davis Islands, Ben T. Davis Beach and Ybor City, replacing the city's old-fashioned, 32-gallon curbside trash cans in those areas.

Under a pilot project, which is still being discussed by city officials, the city would lease the eco-friendly trash cans from the company while it conducts a cost-benefit analysis.

"We're still reviewing the proposal," said Tonja Brickhouse, director of Tampa's Solid Waste & Environmental Program Management. "The biggest issue is funding."

The bins - which resemble a large green mailbox - would save the city money in labor and fuel costs while reducing carbon dioxide emissions, said Bryant Johnson, Waste Management Inc. of Florida's manager of community and municipal relations.

"Instead of city workers emptying the bins several times a week, they're only coming by once or twice a week," he said. "That will result in a substantial savings for the city."

The company's proposal estimates that replacing the old bins with solar compactors would save the city nearly $200,000 a year. It would also reduce emissions of carbon dioxide - the primary gas linked to global warming - by more than 100 tons a year.

The city would pay about $83,000 a year to lease the bins, according to the proposal, a figure that doesn't include labor and fuel costs, estimated at about $62,000 a year.

Because the compactors hold more trash, they require less servicing and that means less carbon emissions from city trucks driving around emptying bins, Johnson said.

How does it work?

The devise is powered by a solar panel on top that recharges a 12-volt battery. Trash fills up the container until it reaches the level of an electric beam near the top, which in turn triggers a ram that compacts the garbage until it reached the maximum volume.

In one of the more whiz-bang aspects of the technology, the device sends an e-mail to the operator indicating when it's ready to be emptied.

When they get the email, city workers come by to remove the compacted trash bricks instead of trying to manhandle the messy contents of an overflowing can or emptying giant trash bins.

The trash receptacles can also be equipped with a 60-gallon recycling bin.

The technology emerged several years ago and solar compactors are now found on street corners, in parks and on beaches in several cities, including Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York. They're also being used in many state and national parks.

Overseas, the compactors are being deployed in Canada, Australia, Israel and France.

Still, the high-tech gadgets don't come cheap; they range in price from $3,195 to $3,995 each. Most cities try to get state and federal grant money to cover the costs.

That's how the city of Philadelphia, which is facing a $1.4 billion, five-year budget deficit, replaced 700 trash bins in its high traffic downtown with 500 of the solar compactors.

Boston first got the solar-powered compactors in 2006 and now has more than 160, using them everywhere from Faneuil Hall to Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox.

"People really love them," said Dot Joyce, a spokeswoman for Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "They're very efficient, good for the environment and save us a lot of money."