The Revitalist

I couldn't resist the Big Belly logo (left). The Big Belly in Faneuil Hall (right).

The Back Bay Architectural Commission has given the heave-ho to the City's new solar powered trash compactors. So much for supporting the green revolution. In fact, that seems to be the problem, the Big Belly cans are too green (literally)  for the Back Bay's historic integrity. A commission member is quoted as saying, "Here you have this historic street with historic streetlights and furniture, and then you have this ... thing." That thing holds about 150 gallons of trash (roughly five times that of a standard trash can), is totally enclosed so that no trash spills out onto the street, uses solar power to compact the trash into a 40-pound brick, and only needs pick-up once or twice a day (some downtown cans require 15 pick-ups or more in a day). The Needham company, Seahorse Power Co., that designed and sells the Big Belly says, "What does a historic-looking solar powered trash compactor look like?" Thankfully, they are already working a more compact design that will be available in green and black (presumably a less offensive color) that will be tested on Boston's streets in March.