Bigbelly Smart Bins of New York

Waste management is a major problem affecting large urban centers. If cities do not
provide adequate trash bins and pick up the trash on time, they risk having dirty and smelly
streets. Thanks to technology developments, there are now various tools that cities can use to
effectively carry out their waste management functions. One of these technology tools is Big
Belly trash can. The trash cans are currently in wide usage in New York City.

Who the Service Impacts

Waste management using Big Belly trash cans impacts visitors and residents of New
York as well as the New York City government. Residents and visitors of the city benefit by
having beautiful public spaces that are devoid of smelly and overflowing trash cans. In
particular, pedestrians and store owners benefit from having the cans around because of their
potential to keep large amounts of dirt and prevent it from overflowing into the streets. They,
therefore, keep the streets cleaner and more attractive to people visiting the stores.
As for the New York City government, BigBelly smart bins allow the government’s
department of sanitation to make fewer trash can pickups because the trash cans have a
compacting system that allows them to hold five times more waste than conventional trash
bins (Noel, 2011). Making fewer pickups is important for New York City because of its
traffic jams that limit the number of pick up sessions that the trash trucks can make. The
whole city also benefits from having a lower carbon footprint as the Big Belly smart bins are
powered by solar energy.

What the Technology Offers

BigBelly trash bins are smart waste machines that are solar-powered. Each bin is
equipped with a wireless sensor that monitors the levels of trash in the can. Data about the

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bin’s trash and smell levels is communicated to the department of sanitation officials in real
time thus allowing them to make timely and efficient collection of the trash bins (Noel,
2011). Additionally, the trash bins have a compacting system which allows them to hold five
times the volume of trash that conventional bins hold. Their high capacity for holding trash
allows the department of sanitation to make fewer pickups.
Where the Service is Located

The service is located in New York City, the biggest city in the USA. The city’s over
8 million residents produce tens of thousands of pounds of trash daily. Annually, the city
handles close to 14 million tons of waste. Picking and disposing off this waste costs around
$2.3 billion yearly (Galka, 2016).

Why the Technology Enhances or Improves Services

The technology enhances service-delivery because it allows the New York City
government to pick the trash bins on time. The sensors in the trash bins alert officials any
time the trash bin gets full (Noel, 2011). Therefore, the trash bins get picked on time before
they start overflowing and dirtying the streets where they are located.

Cost Estimates

Each smart bin costs $4,000 (Noel, 2011). Outfitting the city’s streets with the cans is
also expensive. On average the cost of outfitting the smart cans in the cities is 30 times the
cost of installing conventional green trash bins. However, the solar-powered trash bins also
save the city a lot of money. One way in which the solar-powered smart cans help to save
money is through reducing trash pickups. In some places, trash pick ups per week have been
reduced by more than three times thus allowing the city to save money used for fueling the
trucks that pick up the trash (Noel, 2011).

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References

Galka, M. (2016, October 27). What does New York do with all its trash? One city’s waste-
in numbers. The Guardian
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/cities/2016/oct/27/new-york-
rubbish-all-that-trash-city-waste-in-numbers
Noel, J. (2011, February 24). Solar-Powered Trash Cans Munches Garbage. NBC New York
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/park-slope-
embraces-the-big-belly-trash-can/1938130/%3famp