‘Big Belly’ Arrives, Ready To Eat Trash – Or at Least Crush It

The Big Belly has arrived, and it’s hungry for New York’s litter. The city’s first mailbox-size solar-powered trash compactor has been placed in TriBeCa, waiting to squish 350 gallons of litter into two manageable cubes for easy pickup. The unit, lent to the city by the Seahorse Power Co. for testing, arrived 10 days ago.The inventor of the Big Belly, James Poss, said the units can save the city money on trash pickups, as well as spare the air some of the diesel emissions of garbage trucks, which would need to make fewer stops. Those benefits won’t be realized immediately, because, according to a spokeswoman for the Sanitation Department, Taryn Duckett, the collection schedule will not be altered during the test. She could not say how long the testing period would last.The dark-green unit at Church and Chambers streets was made by Seahorse, a small, privately owned company based in Westborough, Mass., that was founded in April 2003.The first Big Belly had its debut in February 2004 in Vail, Colo. The devices have since been used in Boston and Orlando, Fla.In Vail, the devices have been a success, according to the editor of the newspaper the Vail Trail, Tom Boyd. He pointed out, however, that Colorado, unlike New York, has an average of 300 days of sun a year. Mr. Boyd also said the units have been a welcome addition at the Vail ski resorts, which tend to embrace green technology.The units cost $4,500. Seahorse estimates that a Big Belly pays for itself within a year. The Big Belly can accommodate an average of between 300 and 350 gallons of trash, or an average of eight normal trash cans full of garbage. The system can sense when the trash in its belly needs a squeeze, and the end result is two 35-pound cubes of compacted trash.Because the compactor is powered by solar energy, it is important that it be as efficient as possible, Mr. Poss said.“It’s really quiet,” he said. “If there’s breakable stuff inside, like glass bottles, you’ll hear it breaking, but otherwise, it’s about as loud as a remote-control car, and you probably won’t even hear it on the street.”According to Seahorse, the compactor has many benefits besides reducing litter, costs, and diesel emissions. For one thing, the mailbox-like setup with a pull-down drawer is said to keep litter in and animals out. The collection drawer is only large enough to fit trash roughly the size of a tray of food, which is one of the features that the Sanitation Department liked, Mr. Poss said. There are warning stickers on the unit threatening a $100 fine for disposing of household or commercial trash in the compactor.The units can be outfitted with optional wireless notification systems, which can send an e-mail or text message reporting a full bin.Ms. Duckett said the city is considering a proposal to order 50 more Big Bellys, pending the test results. So far, the testing hasn’t been going so well, according to the president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, Harry Nespoli. He said he heard the unit hasn’t been functioning because of the recent lack of sunlight. But Mr. Nespoli said he would like to see how the unit fares in other areas, and during other seasons, where sunlight is more available.“There are a lot of great ideas all over the country,” Mr. Nespoli said. “But when it comes into New York, there’s a tendency for it not to work.

‘Big Belly’ Arrives, Ready To Eat Trash – Or at Least Crush It

‘Big Belly’ Arrives, Ready To Eat Trash – Or at Least Crush It

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