Tampa will try solar-powered trash compactors

It's the latest technology in waste disposal - solar-powered, self-compacting trash cans - and they soon could be sprouting up in neighborhoods across the city.

Tampa officials are entering into a pilot project with Waste Management to place four solar-powered receptacles in sections of the city's downtown along Franklin Street. The new receptacles will replace the city's old-fashioned, 32-gallon curbside trash cans.

The bins, which resemble a large green mailbox, will cut labor and fuel costs and lower dioxide emissions by reducing the number of city vehicles on the roads, said Bryant Johnson, Waste Management'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, adding that the receptacles can hold up to 180 gallons of trash compacted into a brick, nearly five times more than a regular city garbage can.

Waste Management had asked the city to enter into a much larger pilot program that would have placed nearly 100 solar-powered receptacles in sections of Davis Islands, Ben T. Davis Beach and Ybor City. But city officials opted to go with a small project.

The device is powered by a solar panel on top that recharges a 12-volt battery. Once trash reaches the level of an electric beam near the top, it triggers a ram that compacts garbage until it reaches maximum volume. When the receptacle is ready to be emptied, an electronic message is sent to a Website monitored by city sanitation employees.

Two of the trash receptacles are equipped with a 60-gallon recycling bin.

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

The compactors are in Canada, Australia, Israel and France.

Still, the high-tech gadgets don't come cheaply. They range in price from $3,195 to $3,995 each. Tampa officials bought the receptacles for the pilot program and will study their effectiveness over the next few months to determine if they want to expand.

Johnson said he believes the city will ultimately be pleased with the results.

"If they're not saving money, they're not worth having," he said.