Queens, New York
In April 2005 Queens, NY, installed 50 BigBelly units as part of an innovative environmental pilot to improve air quality. This pilot has been very successful, yielding: 70% reduction in collections; 99.78% uptime; and a 4.5 rating out of 5 points in a satisfaction survey. Some testimonials follow:
Marie Torniali, Executive Director, Steinway Street BID, Queens NYC:
"We have to collect trash from the older cans three times for every time we empty the BigBelly machines. The supervisor, was skeptical at first, but has found that the machines are quite beneficial and a real time-saver." (June 2006)
"The BigBelly units have much greater capacity, and they don't overflow as the regular cans do. A local restaurant manager, says the old trash can in front of her restaurant was constantly overflowing and a real eyesore. The BigBelly has really cleaned up that corner."
"The main thing for a Business Improvement District is you have to make it look neater. New benches and planters are nice, but you have to get rid of the litter. The BigBelly has been terrific for our beautification efforts: you can see all the trash with the other cans, which is quite unsightly; but the BigBelly creates a much nicer look. Some store owners don't want a trash can in front of their store, because the cans overflow and attract litter. But the BigBelly doesn't overflow — and people sometimes dump garbage next to the other cans, but that doesn't happen with the BigBelly. We're very pleased, especially with the visual improvement the BigBelly units have made in the BID — there's less litter, and they look beautiful."
Janet Barkan, Executive Director, Jamaica Center BID, Queens NYC:
"We love it — we only have to empty the BigBelly units every three days, while we have to empty the regular receptacles once or twice a day. We have about 85 cans in the BID, but the 10 BigBellies are making a difference. The summer is much busier here — more pedestrians and more traffic. The BigBelly lets the cleaning crew spend more time sweeping, which helps. It is particularly helpful during our summer festival in August when we have more than 100,000 people coming down to the Avenue." (June 2006)
"Our workforce really like them. We've had no breakdowns or service problems. They're working great. We were surprised that the bags are not heavy — it's no problem to pull out and replace the bags; very quick and easy."
"The guys love it — and these are not men that talk much. But when they talk about the BigBelly, they smile. It's an attention-getting device; they like it because they are proud of what they do to keep the district clean, and the BigBelly draws attention to their work. They like the attention, and are proud to show people how the BigBelly works."