By Lookout Staff

March 20, 2013 -- In an effort to keep city sidewalks clean, Santa Monica installed 13 solar-powered trash compactors along Main Street last week.

BigBelly compactor units on Main Street (photo courtesy of City of Santa Monica)

The “BigBelly Solar Compactors and Recycling units were installed near the busy shops, restaurants and coffee houses along the corridor,” staff said.

According to City staff, the new trash compactors will make waste disposal more efficient, since each unit is hooked up to a network and alerts the City's Resource Recovery & Recycling Division when full.

“The Big Belly Units are cost effective because they reduce overflow and decrease staff collection trips,” staff said.

BigBelly Solar has sold similar units to cities throughout the United States, including Ventura, Boston, Raleigh and Queens. The units can also be seen on college campuses, like Boston University.

According to BigBelly Solar's website, Philadelphia is the company's biggest customer, with nearly 1,000 units.

Recently, New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg put 30 BigBelly Units in Times Square as part of an initiative to promote recycling in public spaces.