The City of Santa Clarita is installing 34 new solar-powered, compacting bins at heavily used public areas and parks, offering residents a new way to keep the community clean while increasing efficiency.  The units are for recycling bottles and cans with four of the units also providing for regular trash disposal.

The BigBelly Solar trash bins compact waste using electricity produced by built-in solar panels, which allows each receptacle to hold five times more trash than traditional bins. The compactors also include a wireless system that allows the City to monitor recycling over the Internet, which limits trash and recycling collections by only visiting locations that need to be serviced.

“BigBelly Solar helps the City save time and money while increasing our recycling efforts and reducing our carbon footprint,” said Mayor Bob Kellar. “Servicing existing containers is expensive and requires a lot of energy and fuel. With these units, Santa Clarita can efficiently track its waste flow as well as reduce the amount of time and fuel needed for trash trips.”

High traffic areas that feature the City’s new solar compactors include: Central Park, Heritage Park and the Santa Clarita Sports Complex.

In addition to eliminating overflow and reducing frequency of garbage collection, the Big Belly Solar bins are custom wrapped with a distinctive Santa Clarita design, making the units unique and highly visible.

In April 2012, the City was awarded a competitive grant through the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) to fund this innovative recycling program. The City of Santa Clarita joins other cities in implementing this new technology, including Philadelphia, Boston and Salzburg, Austria.

For more information on Santa Clarita’s sustainability efforts or the Big Belly Solar bins, contact Mark Patti at (661) 286-4173 or visit GreenSantaClarita.com.