Ames, IA - Ames Tribune:
Go, go, sustainable gadgets
October 3, 2009 11:26 AM
Solar trash compactor, vending machine sensors help Iowa State University conserve energy
Buying a soda and taking out the garbage aren’t necessarily universally viewed as “sustainable” activities, but some new gadgets on the ISU campus might change that perception.
The new devices have been introduced as part of the Live Green! Initiative to provide ways to conserve energy and promote green living, Director of Sustainability Merry Rankin said. ...
The BigBelly Solar Compactor is a trash receptacle fitted with a solar panel and a self-contained compactor that compresses garbage as the can is filled. According to the BigBelly website, the container needs to be emptied only once for every five times a similar-sized traditional trash can would be.
Les Lawson, manager of facilities maintenance, ... said the city of Philadelphia replaced all of its traditional trash cans with the BigBelly compactors, and the city estimates it will save millions on garbage removal in the long run.
Facilities planning and management decided to invest in just one solar compactor as a trial run, and placed it in a high-traffic area on campus just outside of Curtiss Hall. The results already have been positive, as Lawson said his department used to empty the can once or twice a day, but now empty it only once or twice a week.
Lawson said despite positive feedback, his staff is going to wait and see how the machine holds up through the winter before it decides to invest in more machines.
Rankin said both the Vending Misers and the BigBelly Solar Compactor are both sustainability success stories, and she hopes that cities and businesses will catch on to the use of these technologies, as well.
“It just goes to show that in all of our activities, we can make a sustainable difference,” Rankin said.