Trash compactor

Eating its way to the forefront of the green movement, the BigBelly trash bin is the world’s first and only on-site solar-powered trash compactor.

BigBelly is used in busy places around the world like shopping districts, food courts, and entertainment venues, or in remote places such as parks and beaches.

Standing at 127cm tall and weighing 136kg, BigBelly uses only the sun’s energy to compact and store five times the amount of garbage as receptacles of the same size.

The machine uses up to 567kg of force to compact trash periodically until it is full. Municipalities and city parks that formerly emptied rubbish cans twice a day can now empty BigBelly once a week, reducing fuel costs and carbon emissions from rubbish truck trips.

The unit, which stores energy even on cloudy days, can operate for a full day with the equivalent energy it requires to toast a slice of bread. It can operate for eight years on the equivalent energy it takes to drive a garbage truck one mile.