Big Belly Smart Bin Design Analysis
Problem
Many cities across the world are opting to install smart bins like Big Belly. While these bins provide many advantages like compacting the trash while using solar energy only and informing the authorities when they are full so that they can be emptied, they aren't flawless. One of the major problems is that when people leave the trash on top of these bins, the solar panel on top does not receive sunlight and thus the compacting process is disrupted. They also do not receive any sunlight when snow accumulates on them. There are also hygienic issues with using these bins as the only way to open a lot of these bins is to use the handle.
Possible Solutions
The following are the possible solutions to improve the design of Big Belly Smart Bin:
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Make the top of the bins tent shaped so that there is no accumulation of snow or trash.
Include a mechanism which allows the user to open the inlet using their feet.
Increase the size of the inlet so that the users can fit bigger pieces of trash into the bin, hence reducing the necessity to leave the trash on the bin.
Include wipers (similar to those in cars) to clear the snow form the top of solar panels.
Design
