There’s a new trash can in Philadelphia. Several in fact. These brand new solar trash cans are being installed on philly sidewalks and are entirely powered by the sun. The city hopes that you will use them. They can accept close to eight times as much waste as a regular trash can. They go by the name of Big Bellys and they will save the city close to 12 million dollars over 10 years!

The first Big Belly was recently inaugurated by the Mayor at 15th Street and JFK boulevard at JFK Plaza. Over 500 of the units will be installed by July. 210 of those will also feature an additional recycling bin component. Since the compacting bins only have to be emptied 5 times per week (Regular bins which must be emptied 19 times), the city will see huge savings on staff time, fuel costs, and greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the TimesOnline the lack of High-tech garbage cans in UK cities have pedestrians complianing. But not for long. Next year hundreds of bomb-resistant bins with “blast intelligent technology” and LCD screens displaying the news will be placed throughout London’s financial district.

Many bins had to be removed during the 1980s at the height of the IRA bombings as bombs were regularly left in them. So, London has been without places to put their garbage for nearly 30 years? I thought that’s what the BBC was for? I kid. I kid. Though putting the news on garbage bins has a certain irony to it.

Let me start off by saying, if they do a remake of Sanford and Son, I expect to see this thing front and center. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a dumpster converted into a hot tub by Michel de Broin, who has a whole dirty/clean issue to see a therapist about. I especially like the ladder, making for an easy entrance.

Depending on your neighborhood, just be careful you aren’t soaking when the garbage truck comes along and lifts you up and dumps you in the back. But until that day, enjoy “1649 litres of filtered, chlorinated water”. Its interior is lined with waterproof blue material while a pump and filter system purifies everything.

Composting is great for the environment, but it’s often a problem of having somewhere to set up a compost pile. If you live in an apartment, you can’t just leave a pile rotting just anywhere. The NatureMill PRO is perfect for this situation. It can deal with up to 120 lbs of food waste per month, and in about every 2 weeks you have a fresh supply of compost you can use for your window garden, etc.

What about the smell? Well, they apparently have that covered too. The cultures used in the NatureMill PRO will produce a mild aroma similar to mushrooms. You likely won’t even notice until you open the lid. The NatureMill PRO costs $399 but there is a cheaper option at $299. If you are a pet owner, there’s even a Pet-friendly version for $399. That one’s specially tuned to deal with pet waste. There’s always another cheaper option, which is to throw it all out the door, but a steaming pile of rotting garbage never endears you to your neighbors.