While throwing trash in a garbage bin instead of on the ground might be reasonably good for the environment, one inventor has created a trash bin that takes the extra step necessary to really be eco-friendly reports toledoBlade.com.
Smart Binz Corp. of Toledo won a $50,000 grant in August through the Pepsi Refresh Project, which gives money for ideas that help communities. Company President Christopher Harris expects to receive the first of two grant disbursements at the end of this month.
Smart Binz are recycling receptacles with solar-powered, LED-light displays on the side, which can be used for advertising or other signage. The bins, which are not yet in production, will be made out of 80 percent recycled plastic.
Mr. Harris said the Pepsi grant will allow him to develop his prototype and create up to 150 Smart Binz for market testing. If all goes well, he expects to start by spring selling to customers, such as colleges and municipalities.
“We hope this goes on to make millions of dollars,” said Mr. [Harris], who is an administrator at the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit.
Screenshot from Smart Binz