By Leslie Church
Buffalo, NY – Buffalo's trash cans could be getting dumped. The city's Department of Public Works is looking to replace the city's trash cans with solar-powered compactors called the "Big Belly."
The new receptacles use solar power to compact the trash. That means less garbage pick ups and more efficient removal of the city's waste.
There would also be recycling compactors next to the Big Belly trash cans. Mayor Byron Brown hopes these will help with his goal of increasing recycling in the city.
"Increasing our rate of recycling is an important way to reduce our carbon footprint," said Mayor Brown. "We will continue to explore ways in which to increase recycling across the city and examine systems such as the BigBelly(r) to help us accomplish that goal."
The containers look like UPS mailboxes in which user open a hatch and drop garbage in. The compactors would keep the cans from overflowing with trash and littering the streets.