Montclair Embracing Solar-Powered Trash Bins

MONTCLAIR, NJ — There are more Bigbellies in Montclair. And if you’ve been walking around Watchung Plaza, Upper Montclair, South End or Walnut Street, you’ve seen them in action.

In an effort to promote environmentally friendly and efficient waste collection practices, the township recently installed 30 Bigbelly smart disposal units at strategically placed, high-foot traffic locations in each business district throughout Montclair.

According to a municipal news release, the purchase of the 150-gallon solar-powered trash compactors follows an initial rollout of 40 units in Montclair Center last February.

Municipal officials stated:

“The solar-powered units provide greater efficiency since they run motorized compactors which greatly reduce waste volumes. The units allow for up to five times the capacity of traditional trash bins. In addition, the receptacles have built-in cloud computing technology which sends out an alert when a bin needs to be emptied.”

Craig Brandon, Montclair’s Supervisor of Solid Waste Services, said that with the new units, workers can track and measure operations to optimize collection routines by location-based waste patterns.

“The technology has helped us minimize how often we collect waste from the bins which saves on human labor, use of our trucks and fuel,” Brandon said. “Plus, overflowing trash cans are no longer an issue with the smart bins.”

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Photo: Montclair Township