The solar-powered smart cans at EPCOT have moved beyond their original test home in the Germany Pavilion. While visiting EPCOT today, we noticed that the trash cans that were piloted back in late 2024, are being rolled out around World Showcase. Walt Disney World has also added solar-powered recycling cans to the mix. Here’s a look!
Disney Expands Solar-Powered Trash Cans at EPCOT
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Where the solar-powered cans have spread beyond the Germany Pavilion
- What the new solar-powered recycling cans add to the mix
- How the compacting and smart-alert technology works
- What the expansion signals about a parkwide rollout
- How the cans fit Disney’s wider sustainability push
Expanding beyond the Germany Pavilion
When we first reported on the solar-powered smart trash can, the test stayed inside the Germany Pavilion in World Showcase. That held true even as the count of trash cans grew. By May of last year, we counted roughly 10 of the cans along the pavilion’s main walkway and seating areas. Still, the footprint had not yet crossed the pavilion’s borders.
That has now changed. The cans have appeared in new locations around EPCOT, pushing past the Germany Pavilion that has served as the testbed since 2024. As of today, all of the outdoor trash cans in the Mexico, Norway, and China pavilions have been converted. It seems like Walt Disney World has plans to roll out the new solar-powered trash cans to the entirety of World Showcase.
New solar-powered recycling cans join the lineup
Alongside that expansion, there’s a new addition worth noting. EPCOT has added solar-powered recycling cans, extending the compacting technology to sorting. Until now, the solar cans handled regular trash only. The recycling units give guests a place to sort their waste at the same spot.
For guests, the result is a matched set. A solar-powered trash can and a solar-powered recycling can now stand together, both running on the Florida sun. And for guests who were concerned about the World Showcase trash can medallions disappearing, there are now twice as many medallions. The death of the World Showcase trash can medallions has, predictably, been exaggerated.
How the smart cans work
The cans are built by Big Belly, a company with thousands of solar compacting units in cities across the country. Each can uses solar power to run an in-can compactor, so it holds far more before filling up. Big Belly says the compacting lets the cans hold up to five times more than a standard can. A backup battery keeps the compactor running for weeks if Central Florida sunlight ever runs short, which is a rare prospect.
The cans are also “smart.” They alert the custodial team when a unit needs to be emptied. As a result, Cast Members can take a targeted approach rather than walking the park to check each can by hand. That efficiency matters most at EPCOT, the resort’s only festival park. On festival days, guests generate far more trash than usual as they move between food kiosks.
What the expansion signals
The move beyond the Germany Pavilion lines up with what we understood the plan to be. After the limited pilot, the cans were always likely to spread through World Showcase and possibly the whole park. With the cans now expanding to multiple pavilions, it stands to reason that the pilot went well.
A small piece of a wider sustainability push
The solar cans are a small, ground-level part of a much larger effort. Walt Disney World is now capable of running 100% on solar power during the day on a sunny spring or summer day. That capacity draws on several large solar projects, including the “Hidden Mickey” array near EPCOT. The trash and recycling cans work on the same principle at a far smaller scale, running on the same Florida sun.
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!