What's With Burlington's Solar-Powered Trash Cans?

Solar-powered trash cans in City Hall Park
Photo: Ken Picard

In recent years, Vermonters have grown accustomed to seeing solar panels almost everywhere. Acres of formerly agricultural land have been repurposed into shimmering solar farms, while photovoltaic panels have proliferated on the roofs of houses, businesses, schools, hospitals and airports. It's now common to see solar-powered traffic message boards along Vermont's highways; the Agency of Transportation plans to install more solar panels at its rest stops, maintenance garages and rights-of-way.

But the purpose of some solar-powered devices — notably, Burlington's solar-powered trash cans — isn't immediately apparent. Take a stroll through City Hall Park, on the Burlington waterfront or along downtown Main Street, and you'll spot more than a dozen trash and recycling receptacles, each with a photovoltaic panel on top.

Do these high-tech gizmos open their lids automatically? Spritz the air around them with floral-scented deodorizer? Shoo away seagulls, squirrels and bees? Given their hefty price tag of $5,000 apiece, shouldn't these garbage receptacles perhaps also serve as free Wi-Fi hot spots? WTF?

In fact, the 21st-century "smart bins" are reducing the Queen City's carbon footprint, saving its maintenance staff time and money, and keeping parks, sidewalks and the waterfront cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing and free of pests (other than the human kind).

Read more: https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/whats-with-burlingtons-solar-powered-trash-cans/Content?oid=5823440