Natalya Kautz/The Ubyssey
At UBC, even parking meters and garbage cans have jumped on the green train.
UBC campus has been redecorated by two new solar-powered gadgets: LUKE parking meters and Bigbelly garbage and recycling units.
Four defunct meters around campus have been replaced with new LUKE solar-powered parking meters, said Tyler Stangier, the facility and project manager with UBC Access Control.
“They are really good meters in terms of reliability,” said Strangier. “Actually, one of the reasons why we went with digital is because of its intuitiveness and user-friendliness. The meters are manufactured by Digital Payment Technology, a Vancouver based company.
“It has a large—larger than most—LCD screen that is more intuitive to use.”
Since they rely on solar energy, the new parking meters don’t require battery replacement.
“What you are doing now, though, is essentially extending the life of the batteries because you are recharging them instead of replacing the disposable batteries,” Strangier said.
The solar trash compactors, manufactured by Bigbelly Solar, are located at the bus loop.
The manufacturer claims their compactors are designed to dramatically reduce waste collection, deliver cleaner public space, and make for efficient and flexible operations.
Waleed Giratalla, an engineer with UBC Sustainability, spoke on the environmental benefits.
“Garbage compaction is actually a common thing within our buildings. We actually see them in our buildings. What they do, though, is essentially using grid electricity. You are using mechanical power to compress the garbage, which draws from grid electricity,” he said.
“The new technology compresses waste directly inside the bins using electricity from the solar panels, which essentially replaces the grid power used for compression of the waste… [This] reduces the amount of operational staff and resources you need to service the bin,” said Waleed.
According to Strangier, more solar-powered units can be expected to come to campus in the future.
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