“It’s good for taxpayers, and it’s good for the city’s air quality, and it’s good for the people who come here every day, every night.”

– Michael Bloomberg, Mayor

“What better venue to show the public and everyone around the world what New York City is doing on recycling. It’s an education tool that people can see every day.”

– John J. Doherty, Commissioner of Sanitation

“This technology will save taxpayers money, introduce sidewalk recycling and keep our streets clean. This is one more important step towards achieving our sustainability goals.”

– Michael Nutter, Mayor

“The wireless monitoring system has made it very easy to manage our inventory all across Center City. The ability to sort through historical data by collection route and discover collection patterns gives us valuable and actionable information.”

– Scott McGrath, Recycling Coordinator

“The solar trash receptacles have to go citywide. It will give us a more productive work force because you don’t have to pick them up every day.”

– Thomas Menino, Mayor

“It has a ton of benefits – it will save the city time and money, keep litter from overflowing, and discourage illegal dumping of trash. This will save us a lot of time for guys to fill potholes, fix sidewalks, and do other things.”

– Tim McCarthy, Principal Assistant to Commissioner of Public Works

“The BigBelly Solar solution gives us an efficient way to manage our on-street waste collection that demonstrates the City’s overall commitment to sustainability. The management console will enable us to improve operations and deliver tremendous efficiencies by significantly reducing collections – with no risk of overflow or litter.”

– Victoria O. Johnson, SWS Director

“As we focus on being the most sustainable city in the country, initiatives like this will not only keep our streets cleaner but greener as well. The solar-powered compactors provide our community with many economic, social and environmental benefits.”

– Greg Fischer, Mayor

“Instead of stopping at 100 trash cans every day, our workers only have to stop at 3 or 4. Everything from gas to man power turns into savings.”

– Dan DiLillo, Assistant Commissioner of General Service

“This system is helping to save on the carbon footprint of Albany. Our goal is that hopefully more people walking down the streets with empty bottles and cans will put them in the recycling bins as opposed to the trash.”

– Frank Zeoli, Director of Recycling

“This is going to reduce fuel, because it uses a lot fuel for us to run a garbage truck down there every single day, sometimes twice a day, because these litter baskets get so filled up.”

– Ellen Lythe, Director of Environmental Services

“There’s a savings to be had because they require less frequent pick-ups. They were very successful and they were very well received, and because they can accommodate more trash they result in less garbage around the trash cans.”

– Margaret McAustin, Councilwoman

“I don’t think we send the right message to the public if recycling is difficult but garbage is easy. The message we want to send is … let’s make recycling easy and garbage difficult. Not only are you saving your operational costs, your manpower, your trucks you’re saving on carbon, you’re giving the proper messaging.”

– Claudia Marsales, Senior Manager of Waste and Environment

“We are very excited to be able to add more opportunities for citizens and visitors to recycle, especially in this highly visible and environmentally friendly way.”

– Shirlene Sitton, Recycling Manager

“Somerville is a densely populated city with a tight budget – so we are always seeking ways to do more with less. We had a number of constantly-overflowing trash cans in our squares that City staff were visiting four times a day or more for collection. We did a several-month test trial with five BigBellys, and they made a big difference. We’ve now dropped to one collection per day at our busiest spots, saving valuable staff time. The BigBellys eliminated unsightly and unhealthy trashcan overflow at each site they were placed, even at our Dunkin’ Donuts/Bus Stop location, and our residents have noticed with approval.”

– Michael Lambert, Aide to Mayor

“With all 80 installed, we should save about $48,000 a year in truck expenses, such as fuel and maintenance costs. On top of that, by not having to pick up the garbage as often, we will save $61,000 in labor that can be diverted to the maintenance and operation of the parks.”

– Eric Baker, Special Projects Director

“BigBelly Solar helps the City save time and money while increasing our recycling efforts and reducing our carbon footprint. Servicing existing containers is expensive and requires a lot of energy and fuel. With these units, Santa Clarita can efficiently track its waste flow as well as reduce the amount of time and fuel needed for trash trips.”

– Bob Kellar, Mayor

“The placement of five BigBelly recycling stations here in Newport goes hand-in-hand with our environmental goals and will boost our recycling rate.”

– Harry F. Winthrop, Mayor

“I’ve noticed much more bottles and plastic cups in the containers. It’s been a big boost for recycling.”

– Jennifer Wilster, Environmental Communications Outreach Manager

“BigBelly compactors have been a good addition for our trash management. They have reduced our tipping frequencies, kept animals out of the trash, and best of all, students like to see and use them.”

– Les Lawson, Manager of Campus Services

“We like the BigBelly [compactors] because they can hold four times more litter than a non-compacting barrel. That means no unsightly, pest-friendly litter spilling out of the barrels. It also means that Harvard produces 1/4th the greenhouse gas from vehicle trips to service the barrels, less vehicle noise and air pollution, and fewer times that a truck has to disrupt pedestrian traffic. Most gratifyingly, the new set-up will give Yard visitors the chance to recycle their cans, cups, bottles and papers all across the Yard.”

– Rob Gogan, Recycling & Waste Manager

“The BigBelly units are spearheading the University’s movement towards a three-stream waste system at UCSB: commingled recycling, landfill and compost. The combination of these three units together will allow the UCSB community to dispose of all waste in the proper receptacles. The Courtyard Café — a large producer of recyclable, landfill and organic waste — is now serviced twice a week instead of twice a day thanks to the units’ ability to compact and send notifications when they are full.”

– Matthew O’Carroll, Facilities Management

“I was skeptical at first, but to my amazement, the machines are working great for the university. They’re very attractive and people really use them. We only have to empty them intermittently, and there’s no maintenance – we don’t have to worry about them at all. I’m a believer now.”

– Ted Woods, Refuse Coordinator

“The idea of collecting trash on a college campus is always a challenge; the receptacles were often overflowing, squirrels were getting ahold of stuff and sometimes wind would blow trash around. But these are self-contained units, so the wind won’t be a problem… I’ve had no complaints. One comment has been that they stand out a little bit, but I think that’s OK, we want them to be noticeable.”

– Chris Roellke, Dean

“It has gotten a lot of attention and helps educate the campus on the total cost of creating and handling waste.”

– Ezra Delaney, Assistant Dean of Capital Projects and Facilities Services

“The results have been nothing short of incredible, with waste collection being reduced from seven times per week to two.”

– Bill del Vecchio, Recycling Director

“These solar compactors reflect a team effort across all aspects of our campus. Sustainability is a marathon, not just a sprint. As such these new compactors increase the ability and reduce the cost for recycling over the long term.”

– Dr. Greg Gunderson, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

“This is a major step forward in access to recycling on campus and achieving the kind of clean, green campus we want.”

– Larry Cook, Recycling Coordinator

“With the time savings from using the BigBelly system, our trash collectors will be reassigned to other tasks, creating opportunities to do work that was not being done for lack of resources. There is always lots to do – painting buildings, cutting grass, fixing our 60-mile trail system, and so on. Using the BigBelly, we will have more time to do other important tasks – tasks that make us do our jobs better.”

– Gerald Checco, Superintendent, Cincinnati Parks

“The machines are working magnificently. Normally we would be emptying the cans twice a day, but we empty the BigBellys once a week. They are better than advertised.”

– Jim Burkhardt, Regional Manager, Cincinnati Parks

“Last year in our heavy-use areas, we started using solar-powered trash and recycling compactors. Before, people would toss their trash into the recycling container, but with the BigBelly, recycling has almost 100-percent compliance. It is really helping us out with recycling in the park. We’ve been able to cut down the number of trips we use our vehicle and time we spend dumping trash. We can then use that time to do more general maintenance and general preventative maintenance around the sites.”

– John Kowlok, Chief of Maintenance

“The BigBelly has cut collection frequency by 66% at the visitor center marina. The BigBelly units are great for saving space and reducing manpower.”

– Steve Newman

“I’ve been doing waste services at the Oregon Zoo for 12 years, and the BigBelly machines have changed my life for the better. I have to make less frequent trips, it’s easier on my back, and it even makes me take more pride in keeping the area clean. They’ve been great.”

– Mark Newberg, Custodian

“Keeping the bus stops clean is very important for our riders and for the communities we serve. These innovative compactors are the perfect solution.”

– Kevin Hoyt, Facilities Maintenance Manager

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“We had issues with animals, wind, household trash. Now it’s out of sight, out of mind. We know it’s compacted and not blowing around.”

– Jeff Reine, Capital Improvement Project Manager

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“We knew we had an issue with trash collection, so we started looking at what was out there, what we might do differently. And we found these compactors… A trash can that tells you when it’s full. How cool is that?”

– Sibyl Pappas, HRT’s chief engineering and facilities officer

“In general, the area around the bus stop has much less garbage around it. This is attributed to the crows not being able to pick the garbage out of the can as well as the BigBelly never overflowing. Our custodian says he doesn’t spend nearly as much time cleaning the surrounding area as he used to. It’s all good!”

– Monica Adams

“Our city centre bins are emptied 5-6 times per day and after installing Big Belly Compactors they reduced that requirement to once every two days. The Big Belly Solar Compactor will form a major part of our street bin strategy going forward.”

– Andy Crofts, Nottingham City Council

“Keep Britain Tidy is proud to be associated with Big Belly solar litter bins. We have studied the technology and witnessed the impressive results and see Big Belly as a revolutionary step forward in managing street litter – efficient and effective. Keep Britain Tidy has also reviewed the substantial operating cost savings which Big Belly can generate. At this time of stringency I would strongly encourage Councils to evaluate the positive financial returns from moving to this solar compacting technology.”

– Phil Barton, Chief Executive

“Instead of four collections a day, we only need to travel and collect every second day. The system speaks for itself in terms of environmental benefits.”

– Michael Wanner, Director of Road and Street Cleaning

“With an increased capacity combined with compression technology, these bins are proven to vastly reduce the number of collections required, in turn helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The council’s street sweeping teams work hard to ensure our streets are clear of litter and mess. The introduction of these bins across the city would allow them to focus their attention elsewhere.”

– Steven Shaw, Aberdeen City Council environmental manager

“We have been installing Big Belly Compactors along our coastline since 2010 and have definitely noticed a marked reduction in collections and a significant improvement in litter containment in the areas they are installed.”

– Phillip Thompson, Larne Borough Council

“The existing Big Belly Bins have allowed us not only to dramatically reduce our waste collection frequency, they have proven to be highly successful in litter containment, thus preserving the pristine appearance of our area. Installing 10 in the town of Narberth will help keep clean one of the most attractive towns in Pembrokeshire, while ensuring the efficiency of our bin collections continues to increase.  Subject to the success of the first ten we would envisage rolling out these bins to other key visitor areas within the County.”

– Councilor Ken Rowlands, Cabinet Member for Environmental & Regulatory Services

“We were amazed to find that when we took out 5 standard bins from a busy area and replaced it with one Big Belly compactor; we still reduced the number of collections by 86%. I’m very happy to recommend the Big Belly!”

– Russell Stone, York City Council

“With thousands of people walking our bustling streets each day, BigBelly solar stations are sure to be a big success in Lower Manhattan. [They will] lower fuel emissions and streamline sanitation services by compacting the litter.”

– Joseph Timpone, senior vice president of operations

“The BigBelly trash and recycling kiosks certainly enhance the appearance of our rapidly growing Rosslyn Business Improvement District. They reduce sidewalk litter, and the recycling containers contribute to the sustainability of our community. And they look good! The simple lines create a clean look that fits in well with Rosslyn’s cityscape.”

– Cecilia Cassidy, Executive Director

“We think it is very economical and environment friendly. It reduces the number of trucks that have to come in and they are run by solar energy. The garbage and smells are contained better and the sight of the garbage is dealt with.”

– Charles Klonaris, Co-Chairman of the Downtown Nassau Partnership

“The BigBellys are tremendous asset for our Shopping streets. They require less attention from our sanitation people so they can place more attention to other areas. There is no visible garbage and people do not bring their household refuse to drop in the BigBellys.”

– Larry Prospect, White Plains Road BID

“They save the city over a million dollars a year because they’re so efficient. They cut down on labor and fuel for the trash trucks. And the city can sell the recyclables as a commodity. Those BigBelly trash cans really pay for themselves.”

– Amy Edelman, founding member of Green in Chestnut Hill