The Office of Facilities Management recycling program, coordinated by Helen J. McCoy, is moving toward the shredding of sensitive documents instead of incinerating them, too, in an attempt to make practices greener all over campus.

But the big news in ASU recycling is the pair of BigBelly solar-powered compactors-patented compacting trash receptacles that are gaining in popularity in municipalities, park systems, colleges and university campuses and corporate and government campuses. ASU's BigBelly solar compactors will promote sustainable practices, mostly by saving time, fuel, and the labor required to check them and empty them.

"These BigBelly bins have been used in Philadelphia for a couple of years, and according to the city manager, paid for themselves in labor and fuel savings after about 18 months. How do they do that? They hold almost 3 times what a standard trash can that size will hold, but the really cool thing, the thing that saves fuel and labor—you don't do a drive-by to check them. They use a wireless internet connection to tell us when the bin is full. Then someone goes out to empty it," McCoy said. Besides saving time and fuel, it also keeps the can from running over and making a mess on the lawn."

http://www.asuherald.com/news/facilities-management-expands-with-solar-compactors-1.2673191