Credit: City of Shoreline
Stormwater detention is an important part of urban infrastructure. It serves two main purposes: reduces or eliminates neighborhood flooding, and reduces contaminants entering larger bodies of water. City parks are playing an increasingly important role in dealing with stormwater.
I noticed these trash cans at Twin Ponds Park in Shoreline looked a bit different, so took a closer look. They are actually solar-powered trash compactors. One is for recycling and the other for garbage.
As the containers fill up a mechanism inside automatically crunches down the refuse, making it take up less space. The compactor is powered by solar cells in the top of the bins.
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