Solar compactor addresses pressing situation

Until recently, beachgoers used a set of generic trash cans at Shipyard Plantation on Hilton Head Island.

They now use a $4,900 trash-eating contraption that advocates say is revolutionizing waste management.

The device, called a BigBelly and stationed near the plantation's beach club, uses solar power to compact trash to one-fifth its normal size. It also collects recyclables.

Shipyard bought it about three weeks ago from Compactors Inc., a regional distributor based on the island.

The community's executive board, which has set a goal to be more environmentally sensitive, was impressed with the device's capabilities while it was on display at the Verizon Heritage golf tournament last month and during a week-long trial later.

The device has noticeably limited the amount of trash that winds up in a bin outside the club, general manager Sally Warren said, and several users have thanked the plantation for providing it.

"They really are perfect for a high-traffic area," she said.

The device resembles two of the mail receptacles found outside post offices.

On the left side, users deposit bottles and cans to be recycled. On the right side, users deposit trash.

When the trash side is full, a battery fueled by a solar panel on top powers a plate that crushes the contents.

When the compacted trash reaches a certain level, a sensor activates a red light outside to show the device is ready to be emptied.

The device also can be programmed to send a signal over the Internet, saving managers unnecessary, premature trips to check on it. Shipyard's device doesn't have this feature, but Warren said the community may add it.

Shipyard's BigBelly is the first on the island, but the devices aren't as rare in other places, said Mike Pierson, a partner in Compactors Inc.

Cities such as Baltimore and Philadelphia have purchased large numbers, and the devices are already in use in dozens of schools and 20 countries, he said.

Pierson hopes the devices soon will be prevalent throughout the Lowcountry. The company is talking with other local communities and governments, he said.

Compactors partner Bill Phillips said the devices should appeal to both environmentalists and the cost-conscious.

"I really think it's an idea whose time has come," Phillips said. "The potential is really very strong."