Publicly funded solar-powered trash and recycling compactors ā one option costing $43,000 ā are under consideration for purchase or rental by Evansville and Vanderburgh County officials.
The Vanderburgh County Solid Waste Management District, a board comprised of elected city and county officials, hasĀ asked district director Joe Ballard to investigate potential alternatives to renting four dual containers ā a litter container on one side and a recycling container on the other ā for $43,000 over five years. There is also an option to buyĀ from another company for about $29,500.
Ballard said he will spend the next several weeks canvassing manufacturers of similar devices in hopes of finding cheaper alternatives.
āI donāt know if āneedā is the right word ā we ‘like’ this,ā Ballard said, noting that local officials suggested it after seeing a public presentation on the subject.
Two of the dual containers would be placed in as-yet undesignated public spaces in unincorporated Vanderburgh County. A tentative decision has been made to put the other two in the city at Haynieās Corner, which Ballard acknowledged doesnāt generate large amounts of trash.
Ā āI guess we could (put the containers in an area that generates more refuse),ā he said. āThat was just an area we had talked about. Itās kind of a newer area. Thereās a lot going on there. Itās pretty busy during the summer. Iām open to change if we do this.ā
The solar compactors would not replace traditional trash cans currently in place, Ballard said, but would add to them.
The $43,000 rental option, Ballard said, would be āvery cool ā and very expensive.ā TheĀ containers are manufactured by Massachusetts-based Bigbelly withĀ compactors for trash and recycling. The bins compact the waste and create more room using energy from the sun. That way, theyĀ canĀ hold up to 150 gallons of trash, requiring collection no more than once a week.
Canada-based Ecovision would sell fourĀ solar-powered dual containers for slightly more than $29,500.
But there are potential stumbling blocks.
In both cases, the Solid Waste Management District would be responsible for maintenance. City CouncilwomanĀ Missy Mosby, that body’s representative to the solid waste board, said people inevitably would put things in the trash compactors thatĀ the devicesĀ couldnāt compact ā and that would generate repair bills.
āThe city and the county would be responsible for any maintenance,ā Mosby said. āThereās a history of people putting stuff in these things just to see it compact and see what it does —Ā and it breaks them and youāre responsible for it.ā
Buying the solar-powered trash compactors from Ecovision would be cheaper, Mosby said, ābut once again we have nobody that works on them.ā
County Commissioner Bruce Ungethiem, also a member of the solid waste board, bore down on the maintenance issue during the boardās Nov. 14 meeting.
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