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Ah yes, the monolithic entity that is China.
Yeah, when something like that is posted about my country, it's usually just in one specific town and quite likely a pilot project, too...
Has anyone ever seen a public garbage bin in a place that wasn't already well-lit? I haven't.
I love how in the last picture there is a street light right next to it...
In the us they only provide first order holes for the public.
If I'm honest if it's only illumination, that doesn't seem like the most efficient use of resources and energy (to build and eventually dispose of these electronics) in a populated area that's likely to have adequate street lighting.
that said it looks like a pretty neat waste separation design
There is a possibility this panel feeds into a larger solar collection system, and is a clever use of a distributed solar surface.
Or that there is an electric compactor in there
We have those in US cities one company that makes them is BigBelly.
Most of the solar powered electronics are for compacting trash, and then alerting the collectors when they are full. I’ve never seen a lit bin, but it’s a nice touch.
which one dispenses the gutter oil? /s
Agree. However I like the idea of marking bins with a colored LED light, which is visible from all sides. Would make it a lot easier to figure out where you can put your trash. And a couple of LED, coupled with a solar panel and some electronics is probably reasonable for the amount of people who would be motivated to walk those couple meters to throw away the trash.
I think they've got a lot of that basic electronics manufacturing down to the point where it's a "why not."
Sort of like throwing a coat of paint on it.
Plot twist: It all feeds into one single bin.
The solar powered bins in Denmark aren't lighted, but they have built-in trash compactors so they don't need to be emptied as often.
I'm guessing this is also the case in the image. Adding LEDs seems trivial after adding a solar panel and a trash compactor
Absurdly wasteful.
It almost definitely connects to the power grid and is just a clever place to put them.
Joke?
I would have gone with "what a waste... bin"
Aren't the streets light enough? 🤨
If only my girlfriend … oh, never mind.
Did you just call your girlfriend a trash can?
If only my girlfriend could illuminate her holes at night.
An Arduino and some LEDs should do the trick.
You'll need an upgrade to the Mk2 version, but those lights are a subscription service.
The round hole looks a bit hard on the knees.
You gotta admit, that's a sick looking trash can
Producing LEDs there are so cheap that they do have been used for even the most ludicrous applications, such as fingertip lights, solar-powered road cateyes, and of course, illuminating trashcans.
That wouldn't last a week here, our crackheads are powerful.
It looks cool but kind of pointless. At least it doesn't waste energy, only resources required for manufacture I guess 🤷♂️
I think I worked out what can go in left and right holes. Is the middle a handle for opening unit?
Cigarettes I think?
I see. That's a picture under the hole, not a slit. I think you got it. Thanks.
They look pretty different. How many versions are there?
That’s rather wasteful. There’s no sunlight at night
this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2026
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