Home News

News

Apr 22 2010

Trash compactors powered by sun

A southern Indiana city is turning to the sun — and computer power — to help round up its trash.

Crews in Bloomington installed 10 solar-powered trash compactors last week for downtown pedestrians with waste to discard. City sanitation director Shelby Walker says each compactor is activated when the trash reaches a certain level inside the unit.

His department can use a computer to remotely check on how much trash is inside each compactor to know when it's time to empty them.

Walker says that so far users like the compactors, which resemble green mailboxes.

He says the city eventually wants to install more of the units. Federal stimulus money was used to pick up the $4,000 cost of each trash compactor.
Bookmark and Share


Date Title
4/27/10 Oyster project endangered
4/27/10 Calif.'s costly trout recovery effort criticized
4/27/10 Utica accidentally issues $300,000 in checks
4/27/10 State: Lockheed failed to field most appliance calls
4/27/10 Pavement upgrades not welcomed by city property owner
4/27/10 KMOX Investigates: Stimulus request steered toward Dooley campaign manager
4/27/10 Defunct company fined for ditching equipment
4/27/10 Up in the air, New Mexico style
4/27/10 Solar array powers tennis company
4/27/10 Fight to prevent Medicare fraud turns violent
4/27/10 Vegas mob museums, set to go to the mattresses
4/26/10 DHS gets poor marks in managing employee performance
4/26/10 Wyoming senior center gets new $18,000 sign
4/26/10 Dellums downplays stimulus funds audit
4/26/10 Oversight of Des Moines schools drops after auditor cut
4/26/10 East St. Louis schools spend $3.1 million on consultants
4/26/10 Student test scores drop after first year of education improvement project
4/26/10 Coburn questions need for OPM campaign to boost feds' image
4/26/10 SEC porn problem: Officials surfing sites during financial crisis, report finds
4/22/10 Museum refurbishing former city trolley
4/22/10 Depot deal might come Friday
4/22/10 Sausalito's Bay Model still moving water, visitors
4/22/10 State wants embattled ND group to share in grant
4/22/10 Current record
4/21/10 GAO: Food programs need to trim the fat
4/21/10 Resident get cash for flood input
4/21/10 Hill's aides in 'bully' crystal
4/21/10 Apple removes teaching app from app store, and educators complain
4/21/10 St. Vrain Valley using iPods to close achievement gap
4/21/10 School boards group awaits final word on signed name as investigation of finances continues
4/21/10 Old Athens opera house reaches a Crossroads
4/21/10 Memphis hair school owners charged with fraud
4/21/10 Pizza ploy: CUSD hopes Italian treat will entice more students into cafeteria
4/21/10 $830,000 in job funds to Oakland questioned
4/21/10 As public sours on government, OPM aims to ‘re-polish' federal image
4/19/10 Favorability of federal agencies plummets
4/19/10 Poll: One third of Americans say own govt a threat
4/19/10 Poll: 4 out of 5 Americans don't trust Washington
4/19/10 Portsmouth woman defends mailbox from ‘stimulus’
4/19/10 EPA contest seeks videos promoting government regulations
4/19/10 Airports give free flights
4/19/10 Tensions rise over earmarks
4/19/10 FEMA faces own fiscal emergency
4/15/10 Federal money to be used to rehab warehouse
4/15/10 Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby picked for $1.5M grant
4/15/10 Tapping ‘Black Liquor’ offset leaves other bills high and dry
4/15/10 OMB raises cap on executive compensation costs in federal contracts
4/15/10 Poetry drives home message at zoo
4/15/10 GAO: Food programs need to trim the fat
4/15/10 Taxpayers foot State Department's stiff liquor bill
4/15/10 Agency accused of abusing funds
4/14/10 Agents raid Kingston business awarded $38 million in federal contract
4/14/10 900 tickets issued in campaign against distracted driving
4/14/10 SLED investigating missing equipment, bulletproof vest in Ehrhardt
4/14/10 County to study best uses of ExpoPark
4/14/10 A look at the impact of the Spanish horse
4/14/10 Murals to show Lincoln Highway of the past
4/14/10 Miami man admits guilt in $60 mln healthcare scam
4/14/10 County clerk, deputies collected thousands in bonuses
4/14/10 International Travel and Logistical Management Services
4/14/10 Members fly free abroad
4/13/10 Report: Public officials' business expenses add up
4/13/10 Crews try to save Coffee Island from washing into the sea
4/13/10 A laptop for every student
4/13/10 Insignia engineer hopes to buy vacant Kingston plaza
4/13/10 Florida stimulus spending: DVDs, buses and more - reporters notebook
4/13/10 Some Muskogee County Residents Angered Over Stimulus Funding For Sidewalks
4/13/10 Botox injection 'leads to rejection'
4/7/10 Charleston County finds $5M for intersection work near Boeing site
4/7/10 Panel selects artist for federal courthouse display
4/7/10 Group seeks probe of travel spending by lawmakers
4/7/10 After shuttle, NASA to pay Russia $56M a seat for rocket rides
4/7/10 CRS: Health law may allow Viagra coverage for sex offenders
4/6/10 State audit finds $118.8 million weatherization program lacks oversight
4/6/10 Hazleton Area considers upgrades to high school auditorium
4/6/10 MCS health director to be moved after audit finds funds misspent
4/6/10 Houston man convicted in $1 million adult diaper scam
4/6/10 Federal official admits embezzling $60,000
4/6/10 The federal jobs a Maryland town doesn't want
4/6/10 Vermont awards $150,000 for critter crossing
4/5/10 Shakespeare Festival receives grant from NEA
4/5/10 No ordinary Apples: 24 S.A. teachers get free iPods
4/5/10 Stimulus money used to plant flowers and trees in Idaho, no jobs created
4/5/10 Denver County to repay state $82,788 after audit questions spending
4/5/10 Knik Arm Bridge to be placed on short-term list of projects
4/5/10 Millions of H1N1 vaccine doses may have to be discarded
4/5/10 Congressman cries poor, but lifestyle may disagree
4/5/10 Going Lean: Legislative staff are being cut around the country, but some lawmakers worry the fiscal trims are going too far
4/5/10 Offices, agencies seek a modest budget bump