Pittsburgh is one of the latest cities to use solar-powered BigBelly waste containers to cut down on littering.
The 10 units have been purchased and installed using a $65,000 grant from the Alcoa Foundation.
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership says the double-wide cans have two halves - one for regular trash and the other for recyclables.
Compactors in both sides of the unit smash the waste, enabling the cans to hold more than normal trash containers. Sensors inside the machines alert crews when the cans need to be emptied, saving labor.
The units are made by BigBelly Solar of Needham, Massachusetts, and are also used in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Boston, Dallas, Baltimore and several locations in California, among others.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
