While visiting EPCOT recently, we stopped by the Germany Pavilion to take a look at the new smart solar trash can. Walt Disney World appears to be testing the new trash can at the moment before a possible widespread implementation. The smart trash can is solar powered and has a backup battery that can power the trash compactor for a few weeks if sunlight somehow becomes rare in Central Florida.
New Smart Solar Trash Can at EPCOT
The smart solar trash can is made by Big Belly, a company that has thousands of compacting solar-powered trash cans in public spaces in larger cities. According to Big Belly, the trash can is super efficient, compacting trash 5x a regular trash can and running off of solar power. The trash can is also “smart”, able to send notifications to a hub to let custodians know when it is getting full.
While the compactor feature is good for Disney, guests will love the hands-free nature of the trash can. A foot pedal on the bottom of the can easily opens the mouth, removing the need to pull a handle or push a flap. This is particularly useful at one of EPCOT’s numerous food festivals, when hands can be full of empty plates.
Going back to the compactor functionality, this is a 2-for-1 win for Disney. Not only will each trash can be able to hold more, but the smart alerting feature means that custodial Cast Members will have a better sense of which trash cans need to be attended to. Instead of walking around and checking how full trash cans are, they can have a more targeted approach to keeping the theme parks clean.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!