NYC trash cans become high-tech Wi-Fi stations

The bins detect when they are too full or smelly

Bigbelly's "smart" bins in Downtown Manhattan
Bigbelly's "smart" bins in Downtown Manhattan

Just in time for the smell of hot summer garbage, a Massachusetts-based waste management company wants to turn New York City trash cans into “smart” wireless hotspots.

The company in question, Bigbelly, already has 170 solar powered “smart” bins installed throughout Downtown Manhattan. The technology allows a chip in the bins to detect when the bin is full or too smelly, according to the Huffington Post and Citylab.

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Bigbelly is also working with New York’s Downtown Alliance to turn two of the containers into Wi-Fi hotspots.

“We are a smart solar-powered, connected technology platform that is literally sitting in the streets of New York,” Leila Dillon, Bigbelly’s vice president of global marketing, said in a statement. “We are exactly where the people are.” [Huffington Post | CityLab] Christopher Cameron