This is my third logbook entry for my Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) course.
A few years ago, Philadelphia replaced many of the garbage cans with BigBelly Solar trash compactors.
2 recycling bins and a solar compactor in Penn Park
I’d first seen Big Belly at a park in Chicago. It seemed like a great idea: the smart trash can compacts refuse so that it needs to be collected less frequently, and even sends out a signal to the grounds crew when it is full, so that there’s never an overflowing trash receptacle (the latter was a big problem in Philly, especially on weekends).
Time Magazine recently ran an article on BigBelly (“Trash Talk“), particularly citing their success in Philadelphia. I still think the solar compactors are a great improvement over the overflowing trash cans of years past. The streets are cleaner, and they save money. But from a resident’s perspective, I think they have room for improvement.
Continue reading Big Belly Trash Cans and Usability