Themed Solar Trash Cans Expand to Asia Section of Animal Kingdom

Solar-powered trash cans have expanded into the Asia section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We found the new units along the Maharajah Jungle Trek and at a handful of other spots within the land. All were themed similarly to how the old trash cans in the area were. Here’s a look around!

Solar Trash Cans Arrive in Asia at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

New solar-powered trash and recycling cans have shown up throughout the Asia section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We spotted pairs of the units along the Maharajah Jungle Trek. More pairs sit near the Discovery Island bridge and throughout the western portions of the land. Coverage isn’t complete, though. Older brown-finish cans still stand in some spots in the land, including toward Expedition Everest.

Each new pair follows the same layout guests have already seen elsewhere in the park. A dark green trash bin sits beside a matching recycling bin. Both carry a curved solar panel on top, keeping an internal compactor running. Guests can drop trash through a mailbox-style slot above a labeled “TRASH” or “RECYCLE” panel. A foot pedal near the base allows hands-free use. Sensor technology alerts custodial Cast Members once a bin is nearly full.

The new units carry over the red triangular decal found on Asia’s previous trash cans. Inside that triangle, a gold tiger prowls above a set of stylized clouds, a design tied to the land’s theming. Guests will find the decal on the outward-facing side of each new can.

Asia’s older trash cans use a solid brown finish, with the same tiger triangle on the front of the trash can and a printed recycling symbol on the other. Those units remain visible in the areas the rollout hasn’t yet reached. By comparison, the new solar units stand taller and boxier, with a curved lid replacing the old cans’ flatter, riveted top. Despite that shift, the core tiger artwork carries over largely unchanged.

Asia’s rollout mirrors what we found when the solar cans first reached Animal Kingdom’s entrance plaza and The Oasis. That debut kept the park’s design language through a Tree of Life decal. Asia’s new units follow the same approach, holding onto existing land-specific branding rather than switching to a generic look.

We also spotted a few trash cans performing magic tricks. The internet is convinced that the slightly curved dome covering the solar panel will make dining on top of the trash cans impossible. We already proved that it is possible to use the new solar trash cans as a dining table, should you feel so compelled. Now, we can see that tray stacking is also possible. We spotted the gravity-defying magic trick at some of the new solar trash cans near grab-and-go food spots near the Feathered Friends in Flight theater.

Since you made it to the bottom of the article, here’s a photo of a tiger enjoying a shaded pool day in the Maharajah Jungle Trek.

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!