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A comment on Solar-Powered Trash Cans Saved Philadelphia Almost a Million Bucks Last Year.

Re:Solar-Powered Trash Cans Saved Philadelphia Almost a Mill... by geuis on Monday March 25, 2013 @02:28PM (#5438692)
I can definitely see the value in savings. You have to wonder about the costs of maintenance and vandalism though.

In a city like SF, the people here quickly break these. The biggest problem would be the homeless breaking into the machines for cans and such. Hooligans would spray paint the tops because they think its cool to burn the world and be "individual".

Our cans are industrial strength green concrete batteries with heavy wire tops that allow for easy access.

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Re:Solar-Powered Trash Cans Saved Philadelphia Almost a Mill... by jlgreco on Monday March 25, 2013 @04:56PM (#5439634)
In Philly I would consider these sorts of trashcans self-vandalizing. Hooligans don't bother because they get trashed by normal use anyway; much better to spend precious hooligan time vandalizing nicer things, such as regular trashcans.
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Re:Solar-Powered Trash Cans Saved Philadelphia Almost a Mill... by wtvanhest on Monday March 25, 2013 @02:37PM (#5438760)
Philly is a much rougher city than SF. If it works in Philly, it should work in SF.

We have them in Boston and I've never seen one vandalized or defaced. Boston is pretty crime free though.

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Re:Solar-Powered Trash Cans Saved Philadelphia Almost a Mill... by aroman on Monday March 25, 2013 @02:50PM (#5438837)
Although I have never lived in San Francisco, I am a Philadelphian and think I can say with confidence that Philly is just as rough or (likely, I think) more challenging of an urban environment to deploy something like this. Philly can be a pretty rough city.
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Re:Solar-Powered Trash Cans Saved Philadelphia Almost a Mill... by dmckeon on Monday March 25, 2013 @06:26PM (#5440110)
The biggest problem would be the homeless breaking into the machines for cans and such.

Followed quickly by better-equipped thieves taking the solar panel, the batteries, or the whole apparatus. If this seems unlikely, google: "metering lights" "wire theft" "bay area"

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