https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Smart Cities & Technology


Solar-powered trash compactors deliver savings in Philadelphia

Solar-powered trash compactors deliver savings in Philadelphia

Replacing 700 wire wastebaskets throughout Philadelphia's Center City with 500 solar-powered compactors and 210 single-stream sidewalk recycling cans has helped cut transportation and labor costs for city solid waste operations.
  • Written by Michael Keating (michael.keating@penton.com)
  • 23rd November 2010

Replacing 700 wire wastebaskets throughout Philadelphia’s Center City with 500 solar-powered compactors and 210 single-stream sidewalk recycling cans has helped cut transportation and labor costs for city solid waste operations. City truck crews had been making 17 trips each week to empty the wire baskets. With the solar units in place, which are from Needham, Mass.-based BigBelly Solar, the city empties them five times a week, at an annual operating cost of about $720,000, which represents a 70 percent savings.

Performing the 17 collections each week required 33 workers on three shifts, while performing the five collections per week under the new program requires nine workers on a single shift. The other workers have been re-assigned to other tasks, including recycling pickup, which helps keep Philadelphia discards out of landfills.

Philadelphia spent about $3,700 to purchase each compactor and $800 for each recycling unit, said Streets Commissioner Clarina Tolson. A U.S. Department of Energy grant funded the replacement program, starting in April 2009, she added. “Philadelphia will save $13 million in cumulative collection [costs] over the next 10 years,” Tollson said.

The solar units crush trash using ambient daylight without electric power or direct sunshine, said Richard Kennelly, BigBelly Solar’s vice president of marketing. The compactors work in a variety of locations, he told Govpro.com: “They function well in northern climates, where it’s cloudy in winters, cold and frequently dark. They also work in Phoenix or Los Angeles, where a lot of trash receptacles might be near tall buildings and on the north side of the building where they never get direct sunlight and are always in the shade.” An electric motor that uses the same amount of energy as a small Christmas tree light bulb generates 1,200 pounds of compacting pressure, Kennelly added.

Because the solar units require fewer trips to empty them, waste fleets require less fuel and produce less carbon emissions and congestion. Less wear and tear on trucks and roads are other benefits of shifting to solar compactors, said Kennelly.

Wireless technology alerts managers when the solar units are becoming full, added Kennelly. “The units are networked wirelessly so that each machine knows when it’s getting full, and it communicates that status through a text message to a central computer server. That way, city officials can log in from any computer and see in real time how full all of the solar units are in the system. Fleet managers can schedule routes and collections based on real-time information. The solar compactor is really a robot that’s self-powered and communicates in real time how full it’s getting.” A case study has more information on the Philadelphia solar compactor installation.

Related Stories

  • Partnerships aim to boost recycling in California rest areas, beaches and parks
  • City sends less waste to landfill, thanks to incentives-laden recycling program
  • Solar-powered compactors
  • Wireless waste compactor monitor
  • Recycling containers
  • Compactor

Tags: News Public Works & Utilities Smart Cities & Technology

Related


  • Using data to improve emergency response resources
    The ability for a COVID-19 outbreak to swiftly consume emergency response resources has emphasized the need for accurate and timely data reporting as a central component of the pandemic response effort. Continuous analysis of data collected is producing concerning results for response leaders, as new variants of the virus are discovered, and the United States […]
  • How small cities are tackling lead service line replacement
    “We move Heaven and earth,” says Montana Birt. A transplant from Georgia, Birt is a pastor in a local church in Thorp, Wisc., the smallest of cities with a population of just more than 1,600. His more earthly endeavor, however, involves digging up and replacing lead pipes that threaten to poison his neighbors’ water in […]
  • COVID-19 and pivoting into a new year: It may be 2021, but did we really leave 2020?
    As we continue to navigate 2021, many issues will require continued tech leadership and support to carry everyone through
  • Six tips for making sure your dispatch is doing all the right moves
    Planning, design, construction, maintenance and waste disposal are a few aspects public works departments deal with daily. It seems like a great deal of specialized work and reporting because it absolutely is. And all of it routed through a dispatch center. Without the right tools in place, a dispatcher cannot keep things running smoothly. Nor […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Local governments in Texas respond to cold snap, power grid failure
  • Pennsylvania county will light up its buildings with hydro-electric power
  • Hi-tech sewers can help safeguard public health, environment and economies
  • Cooperative agreements and other tools can help lean-staffed procurement squads

White papers


Discover How Public Sector Officials are Monitoring and Managing Overtime in This New White Paper

22nd February 2021

How to Assemble a Successful Government Grant Proposal

5th February 2021

The Rise of Procurement’s Next Normal

5th February 2021
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

American City & County’s 2020 Exemplary Public Servant of the Year Award dlvr.it/RtZbX2

26th February 2021
AmerCityCounty

American City & County’s 2020 Crown Communities Awards dlvr.it/RtZbVz

26th February 2021
AmerCityCounty

2020 Crown Communities Awards winner: Rock Hill, S.C.’s My Ride dlvr.it/RtZSFp

26th February 2021
AmerCityCounty

Three communities hosting Augmented Reality Developer Challenge competitions dlvr.it/RtZ94D

26th February 2021
AmerCityCounty

Using data to improve emergency response resources dlvr.it/RtVSc0

25th February 2021
AmerCityCounty

How small cities are tackling lead service line replacement dlvr.it/RtV9G8

25th February 2021
AmerCityCounty

COVID-19 and pivoting into a new year: It may be 2021, but did we really leave 2020? dlvr.it/RtQRcr

24th February 2021
AmerCityCounty

Six tips for making sure your dispatch is doing all the right moves dlvr.it/RtQBvl

24th February 2021

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X