A ribbon cutting for a trash can?
It’s not just any old trash can, though – it’s a solar-powered BigBelly trash-compacting bin, and it’s on Main Street because of the fundraising efforts of elementary students from Peconic Community School.
The school was located last year in downtown Riverhead prior to its move to Aquebogue, and the students, said school co-founder Kathryn Quigley, were noticing a lot of litter.
“They saw that there was pollution going on right in downtown Riverhead, and they wanted to do something about it,” said Quigley.
So the school raised more than $2,000 to bring a BigBelly trash bin to Riverhead. Riverhead Town then matched the donation and purchased the high-tech trash can. The bin, installed this week, is able to store 567 liters of trash because it compacts waste using solar-powered technology. When the bin is nearing capacity, it wirelessly reports back to the town to let them know it’s time to empty it.
“Hopefully it’s the first of several to come,” said Quigley at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
