Plainfield Gets High-Tech, Solar-Powered Trash Compactors

Trash collection is going high tech in downtown Plainfield.

Community Relations Director Amy De Boni said eight solar-powered trash compactors will be delivered to and downtown Plainfield in the next week or so.

The new devices, which will notify public works staff when they are full, come at no extra cost to the village under its with Waste Management, De Boni said.

“I think it will help with efficiency because our staff won’t have to go out and check them every day,” she said. “One of the cool features on these is that it emails you if it’s full.”

Mike Morley, municipal marketing manager for Waste Management, said the company’s goal is to reduce public litter and lower expenses for the village.

“Traditional bins used in public venues can overflow leaving unsightly litter, particularly at locations that attract large numbers of people,” said Morley.

“It is always a pleasure to work with Waste Management, their new solar-powered trash containers are a great way for Plainfield to provide an anti-litter program that helps keep our community clean and  beautiful and keeps our costs down,” Mayor Mike Collins said in a press release.

The devices have sensors that recognize when the units are full and signal an internal compactor to flatten the contents. When totally full, a wireless system signals that the unit is ready to be serviced, cutting the need for trash pickups by 80 percent, according to the release.