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Get in My Belly- My Big Solar Belly, That is- Knoxville Goes Green with Solar Trash Compactors

By
Real Estate Agent with Great Life RE 313389

Yesterday, we were fortunate enough to have an almost full day off of work (a rarity- for this Knoxville, TN REALTOR team that has been kept busy due to all the 1st time homebuyers out in force and taking advantage of the 1st time Buyers Tax Credit).

We decided take advantage of the beautiful weather and to to pay a long over due visit Knoxville's Market Square.  While downtown we feasted on some amazing sushi from Nama sushi bar (a local Earth friendly sushi bar), visited Mast General Store to stock up on their amazing gourmet gummy bears,  enjoyed a tasty treat from Marble Slab Creamery, and had an enjoyable afternoon sitting in Market Square listening to local live music and watching the kids play in the fountains.

When it came time to dispose of my napkin left over from my ice cream, I was greeted by a strange contraption- a solar powered trash can.  The "Big Belly Solar Trash Compactor" is a new technology that is desigend to harness the powers of the sun to make trash cans much more efficient.  These compactors are used to increase the amount that trash cans can hold and decrease the amount of times it has to be emptied. 

Benefits of the Big Belly Solar Trash Compactor:Big Belly Solar Compactor in Downtown Knoxville

  • Capable of holding about 5 times as much trash as conventional waste bins
  • Unique design keeps trash inside the can and from spilling all over the ground
  • Designed to contain smells and keep trash out of site
  • These units can be customized to match surroundings
  • Greatly reduces the frequency that it needs to be emptied- therefore, saving time, money, and energy.
  • Naturally compacts the trash by harnessing the sun's powers via the solar panels on the top of the trash can.

Click here to read about how the city of Philadelphia, PA has implemented the Big Belly Solar Compactors as well.

Interested in learning more "Green Tips" and "Green Inforamtion"?  Check out our other Eco-minded Blogs:

Composting 101: What is Composting and Why Should Everyone Do it?

How to Exorcize the Vampire and Monsters in your Life- the "dangers" of phantom energy sources

WARNING: Read This Before you Upgrade Your Windows in Attempts to Cash-In on the new Energy Tax Credits.

Color me Green- The In's and Out's of Low VOCs Paints

I Am Proud to Say That Our Future Looks Greener, Thanks To Our Little Earth Stewards!

CAUTION- Read Before you Dispose of Household Chemicals: Homeowners Guide to Trash, Recycling, and Disposal- Household Hazardous Waste

Go Green with Sustainable Landscaping Techniques

  

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Office: (865) 694-5904
Christine (865) 237-5289 and Jennifer (865) 621-3658
Mail to: McIn-Kowski@HomesForSaleKnoxville.com

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Comments(11)

Michael A. Caruso
Surterre Properties - Laguna Niguel, CA

I am lovin the news across this country that GREEN is the answer to a sustainable lifestyle.  Good luck with this project and I hope to see many more.

May 25, 2009 04:32 AM
Greg Nino
RE/MAX Compass - Houston, TX
Houston, Texas

Solar trash compactors? Wow... very interesting, but not as tantalizing as the sound of some yummy sushi!!

May 25, 2009 04:42 AM
Li Read
Sea to Sky Premier Properties (Salt Spring) - Salt Spring Island, BC
Caring expertise...knowledge for you!

Interesting!     The green revolution is clearly past the mid-point!

May 25, 2009 04:52 AM
Shoshana Shay
St. Pete Realty - Treasure Island, FL

Wow -- that would be great in sunny FL!  I read the article from Philadelphia, too, and love the idea of recycling stations in downtown.  My only question that isn't answered is: how heavy is the trash when it's been compacted into one of those?

May 25, 2009 05:00 AM
Christine McInerney
Great Life RE - Knoxville, TN
The McInerney Team, Knoxville TN Homes For Sale

Shoshana- the big belly website says that the weight of the trash is not an issue- there is a FAQ section on the website link I provided above.

Greg- the sushi was amazing!

May 25, 2009 05:27 AM
Konnie Mac McCarthy
MacNificent Properties, LLC - Cobb Island, MD
Broker/Owner - VA & MD "Time To Get A Move On!"

what a brilliant idea.... I would love to own such a thing... Going green is where it's at.

May 25, 2009 01:40 PM
Leander McClain
North East, MD
Cecil & Harford County Realtor

Christine,

This is an interesting idea.  I have been composting for years...way before the term "green" became popular.  My gardens have always benefitted.

Thanks for sharing

Have a great day

Make This YOUR Best Year Ever

Leander

May 25, 2009 10:48 PM
Lisa Udy
Platinum Real Estate Group - Logan, UT
Logan Utah Realtor

Hi Christine!

Wow, those are pretty awesome trash cans. I think I need to attend a town meeting and see if it would be possible to implement a similar strategy here in my little town. 

-Lisa

May 27, 2009 05:24 AM
Christine McInerney
Great Life RE - Knoxville, TN
The McInerney Team, Knoxville TN Homes For Sale

Konnie- it would be great if they could incorporate this into home trash cans- you could not out garbage pick up to 1/month rather than every week.

Leander- I am jealous of your garden- I want one myself but have 4 very curious dogs that will not allow it.  Short of an electric fence I can't figure out a way to keep them out of a garden.

Lisa- these trash cans have been in many citys and there is a pretty good amount of press on them.  They are somewhat entertaing as well- almost everyone that walked by stopped for a few minutes to check them out.

 

May 28, 2009 08:40 AM
Tiffany Wilson
eReal Estate Corp - Redondo Beach, CA
SFR, First Time Home Buyers & Investors

Heh heh...  I like the title of your post.

May 31, 2009 11:33 AM
Anonymous
Trash Compactors for Home

More and more homes are using trash compactors for home because they vastly reduce the amount of space taken up by trash. You can save money on bags as well as save yourself the effort and amount of trips out to the trash can.

Feb 24, 2011 10:59 AM
#11