Around Osceola
Home Rifes Market
City trying to save green by going green with BigBelly PDF Print E-mail
Around Osceola
Wednesday, 07 July 2010 00:00
By Brian McBride
Associate Editor
Going green in Kissimmee’s sanitation department with a solar-powered trash compactor already seems to be saving some green for the city.
A first for the city in a pro-environmental initiative, the sanitation department will use the BigBelly solar trash compactor, located on Dakin Avenue in downtown Kissimmee near City Centre, for about eight months and then make a recommendation to the city on whether more of the units could be beneficial.
It’s been at the location for more than a month.
And right now, it seems to be working, according to Acting Superintendent and Sanitation Foreman Jody Kirkendall. A garbage truck has only had to unload the receptacle once in about two weeks, while a regular trash bin often requires more trips in that period.
“We pick it up once instead of four, five, six times,” Kirkendall said. “It compacts it that well.”
The BigBelly’s built-in solar panels generate the power needed to operate its compactor. About the same size as a standard 35-gallon trash barrel, each BigBelly provides five times the capacity of a traditional trash receptacle. When the unit reaches capacity, sensors trigger an internal compactor that flattens the contents, compressing 180 gallons of waste into easy-to-collect bags. A wireless system then signals that the unit is ready to be emptied.
The BigBelly compactor cuts the need for trash pickup by up to 80 percent, which reduces collection costs, fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions, according to a Waste Management press release. The compactors also include receptacles for collecting plastic bottles, newspapers, glass and other recyclables.
“It’s going to cut down on labor costs,” Kirkendall said.
The sanitation division oversees the commercial solid waste collection services in the city limits, provided by the franchised hauler, Waste Management. It was Waste Management that contacted the city to see if it wanted to try out the solar-powered unit at no extra cost to the city.
“We know busy intersections, public parks, city streets, sporting events and other public spaces can be magnets for trash,” stated Dave Aardsma, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Waste Management, in a press release. “Ordinary trash barrels can easily overflow and become eyesores. The Waste Management solar-powered trash compactor can provide a number of solutions in those uses, by reducing waste collection frequency, lowering costs for our customers and ensuring a greener, cleaner environment.”
It also helps with aesthetics as well, Kirkendall said.
“The other benefit with it is there is no garbage flying all over the street and there are no animals getting into it,” he added.
Waste Management entered into an agreement with BigBelly Solar, which is headquartered in Neeham, Mass., under which Waste Management will provide the compactors to its customers, including municipalities and high-traffic facilities in 2009.
“We’re very excited to bring the benefits of on-site solar compaction to such a wide group of customers nationwide,” said Richard Kennelly, vice president of marketing for BigBelly Solar in a press release. “These compactors are made from recycled materials, and even work in areas that don’t receive direct sunlight.”
Kirkendall said the division in October would likely report to city officials on the impact BigBelly had. Could it mean the start of purchasing the green receptacles?
“It’s possible. Very possible,” he said.
For more information, visit www.bigbellysolar.com.
 

Please register
or log in to post comments.