Congratulations are certainly in order for the newest San Francisco Community Benefit District (CBD) to launch a fully-fledged fleet of Bigbelly Smart Waste Stations. Welcome to the Bigbelly family, Tenderloin!
JULY, 2020: Launching a power-fleet of 68 Bigbelly Smart Waste Stations over 50 square blocks, there is a brand new Bigbelly waste station on every street corner of the Tenderloin CBD. Tenderloin now boasts the highest concentration of smart solar-powered compactors among all San Francisco Community Benefit Districts.
Not only are these new Bigbellies smart, they’re stylish. The Tenderloin’s fleet features the unique designs of local artists, a collaborative project with the CBD’s Transgender District.
Cleaning Up The Tenderloin: THE IMPETUS FOR BIGBELLY
2018-2019: The Tenderloin community was experiencing a shortage of waste bins, leaving the streets without a place for pedestrians to toss their trash. Tenderloin sought to clean up their streets and improve waste bin coverage: to make their neighborhood safe, healthy, and beautiful for residents & visitors. At a number of intersections throughout the district, you could find only one (or no) waste bin.
In April 2019, Supervisor Matt Haney outlined a decisive “10 Point Action Plan for Clean and Healthy Downtown San Francisco.” The first initiative stated in the plan was simply “More Trash Cans, Better Trash Cans.” Haney advocated for Bigbelly’s High Capacity solar-powered Smart Waste stations, boosting the existing Bigbelly Pilot deployed in 2018:
“The Community Benefit Districts and DPW have started to add some “Big Belly” style cans — these cans cannot be raided, are solar powered, can self-compact so they hold more trash, and give an alert when they need to be emptied. They are far superior to our standard city owned green trash cans.”
The Bigbelly pilot, initiated in 2018, had won the hearts of the city’s residents, officials, and planners. The district began with five (5) Bigbelly High Capacity stations to test capacity, compaction efficacy, safety, accessibility, durability, and cloud-driven connectivity. The Bigbelly stations passed with flying colors by eliminating waste overflow, significantly reducing the frequency of litter on the streets and sidewalks, vandalism, and pilfering. These positive changes allowed the CBD to reallocate their freed-up time and resources for more services and initiatives. It was time for a rollout; The Tenderloin was to expand its Bigbelly footprint by 12x.
Full Deployment Rollout: A Bigbelly on Every Corner
JUNE, 2020: Throughout the month of June, The Tenderloin was hard at work installing 68 brand new Bigbellies throughout the district. The deployment signifies the CBD’s commitment to the public space quality of life & sustainability (social, environmental, and economic), two aspects on which the City of San Francisco is increasingly focused. Designed to maximize coverage, the rollout placed a Bigbelly station at each corner.
A commitment to Community: Smart & Beautiful
Tenderloin’s Bigbelly deployment not only aimed to set an example for quality of life in San Francisco; the Bigbelly stations also serve as touchpoint for artistic expression and community pride. In a collaborative project with the city’s Transgender, Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (TLGB) District, Tenderloin created several unique designs to be featured on Bigbelly stations. These decorated Bigbellies are not only meant to be visually appealing, they create a beautiful atmosphere and a sense of place. Community-supported and functional urban art serves as a way to make the community feel at home, hosted by powerful smart city technology.
Reference Articles: Curious to learn more about Tenderloin’s big launch? Check out these articles straight from the San Francisco community
A 10 Point Action Plan for Clean and Healthy Downtown San Francisco: https://blog.usejournal.com/a-10-point-action-plan-for-clean-and-healthy-downtown-san-francisco-c6939adb5125
San Francisco to Install Bigbelly ‘Smart’ Trash Cans at Nearly Every Tenderloin District Intersection: https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/06/15/san-francisco-bigbelly-smart-trash-cans-tenderloin-district
Tenderloin Gets Bigger, Better Garbage Bins: https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/tenderloin-gets-bigger-better-garbage-bins/
Tamper-proof Trash Cans on the Way to Every Tenderloin Intersection: https://hoodline.com/2020/06/tamper-proof-trash-cans-on-the-way-to-every-tenderloin-intersection
68 High Tech Trash Cans Installed In Tenderloin: https://www.thesfnews.com/68-high-tech-trash-cans-installed-in-tenderloin/57387
San Fransisco News San Francisco’s Tenderloin Gets 68 New Bigbelly Bins: https://www.waste360.com/recycling/san-franciscos-tenderloin-gets-68-new-bigbelly-bins
