City hopes to keep park clean, save money with green technology

You wouldn’t think a trash can would be interesting. But at Pacana Park, the city’s new solar-powered containers have been drawing the attention of teenagers like bees to a soda can.

They have been seen kicking the cans, sticking their hands in them and even attempting to shove basketballs into them.

But these receptacles are much sturdier than the existing ones seen at most parks and public places.

The trash cans are more like compacting garbage trucks  — compressing the trash — and are expected to reduce collection trips by city employees by as much as 80 percent and save gas. Each unit cost about $4,500, but the city didn’t use any of its general funding to pay for them.

“The funding source was from a federal grant called the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant,” said City Planner Rodolpho Lopez. “Each unit comes with a one-year parts and labor warranty and a 20-year warranty on the solar panels.”

The units are made with a heavy-duty plastic that should make them resistant to petty vandalism and are designed to withstand the blistering temperatures of the Arizona summer. They are designed and tested to last for 10 years. They are also sprayed with special paint for added protection.

Lopez said the cans have a safety mechanism that prevents people from reaching into the machines. Any attempts to take or move the bins may prove difficult for even the most destructive of teenagers, as the units weigh about 300 pounds and are firmly bolted to the ground.

“It is our hope that citizens will be vigilant to alert park staff or the police with instances of abuse or vandalism,” Lopez said.