Universal Orlando's new CityWalk trash cans run on solar power and crush their own garbage
There is a new piece of hardware at Universal Orlando, and it is not a ride system. It is a trash can, and it is powered by the sun.
WDW News Today spotted the new bins in Universal CityWalk this week. Each one is wrapped in a purple decal printed with neon-style artwork and the Universal CityWalk logo, and they stand out sharply against the resort's older receptacles.
One of the new solar bins in front of the Universal globe. Photo: WDW News Today
What they actually do. Each bin has a solar panel built into its curved top. That panel powers a compactor inside the unit, which is designed to crush the contents down so the can holds more before anyone has to empty it. It is the same system Walt Disney World began installing in June and will keep rolling out across its parks.
A paired recycling bin and trash can on one of the CityWalk bridges to Universal Islands of Adventure. The foot pedals run along the bottom of each unit. Photo: WDW News Today
The catch is opening them. Each unit opens two ways, by hand or by stepping on the pedal at the base, and WDW News Today notes that arrangement "has proven confusing for Disney guests." It is too early to say whether Universal guests will fare any better. WDWNT joked that Universal may need an instructional video of its own, and its photos show a clear plastic cup left on the pavement beside one of the new cans.
A cup on the ground beside one of the new bins. Photo: WDW News Today
Where to look for them. WDWNT found most of the bins along the bridges that carry guests out of CityWalk toward Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. Those walkways are one of the busiest pedestrian stretches on property.
WDWNT reported the bins only in CityWalk, and there is no word yet on whether they are also headed into the parks themselves.
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Image credits: All photos by WDW News Today.
