WM installs solar-powered trash compactors in Collier County, Florida

Waste Management of Florida recently installed an order of 24 solar-powered waste and recycling compactors throughout area beaches and marinas in Collier County, Florida, the Naples Daily News reports.

The compactors, which are roughly the same size as a normal trash receptacle, can hold five times as much waste thanks to their compaction ability. Additionally, the compactors are enclosed, which prevents birds and other animals from scavenging food or other waste throughout the surrounding area.

“We can’t affect the volume of waste, but what we can help with is litter from birds or raccoons foraging in there and pulling stuff out,” Stephanie Kissinger, the public sector solutions manager at Waste Management Inc., says.

The compactors’ locations were chosen based on areas near the beach with the most sunlight that also offered a spot to secure the container.

“The county wanted solar compactors (on the beach), but you can’t just put (them) free-standing on the sand. They have to be bolted to cement or wood,” Kissinger says. “You don’t want one of these sitting out on sand in a hurricane.”

The compactors can be monitored remotely, with alerts able to be set when operators are ready to resume collections.

The containers are expected to help the city cut down on its waste collection frequency while keeping refuse off the beach, helping to save the local environment in the process.  

“Our goal and mission in solid waste management is to ensure that the environment is protected," Kari Hodgson, the director of the county's Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Division, says. “That’s why they’re at the beaches because that’s our main access to our water, our ocean."

The county’s 6-month trial period, which began in May, will be assessed following its completion by the Solid and Hazardous Waste Management and Parks and Recreation divisions in fall.