Davis Square has gone "green."
The Somerville city government has replaced Davis Square's trash cans with six new solar-powered trash compactors.
Each new trash can, called the BigBelly, has a capacity of 150 gallons, almost four times the volume of an average city trash can.
Photovoltaic cells on top of each BigBelly generate the energy needed to compact trash. They are energy self-sufficient and can be placed almost anywhere.
According to the Boston Business Journal, "each unit...uses in one day the amount of energy that a hair dryer consumes in twelve seconds."
Installed on Aug. 20, the Somerville city government is currently leasing the six units from the manufacturer, Delaware-based Seahorse Power. While the lease costs are not available, each individual unit costs approximately $4,700 to purchase.
Seahorse Power developed the BigBelly and according to its Web site, "applies proprietary energy management to develop, manufacture, and sell innovative, energy-efficient products."
But not everyone approves.
Senior Aditya Nochur, a member of Tufts' Environmental Consciousness Organization (ECO), thought that while the project has good intentions, the plan is misguided.
"They are neat technology, but they are very expensive and might not be the best way [to go green]" he said.
Nochur suggested that Somerville take a different route by more efficiently using its resources and deploying public recycling bins.
According to Tom Champion of the Somerville Environmental Department, early tests of the BigBelly were conducted at a Vail, Colo., ski resort. The systems have also been tested in Boston, New York, and Orlando.
The Boston Globe reported that the city has placed 50 of the machines in neighborhoods. They were deemed successes after initial tests.
Champion explained that the BigBelly's large storage capacity helps reduce the number of staff hours required to collect trash.
"Crews might respond to the BigBelly only once a day," he told the Somerville Journal. Since its lid closes, wind can't blow trash out.
Seahorse Power claims the units "save time, fuel, and truck costs, demonstrate a commitment to communities and the environment to incorporate clean, solar energy into operations, and align with green goals and anti-litter campaigns."
