City’s trash cans to get ‘smart’ as part of new pilot program

More than 9,000 Baltimore city residents in the Belair-Edison and Mondawmin neighborhoods are slated to get upgraded trash cans on wheels as part of a yearlong pilot program with a cost of $578,000.
But these aren’t just any trash cans. They’re a model of “smart” trash cans, according to the Baltimore Sun:

The two-wheel Toter receptacles are made of durable plastic with an attached, tight-fitting lid and come equipped with a tracking device — either an embedded radio frequency chip or a bar code. The manufacturer says the carts, which cost about $40 each, are designed to stay upright on windy days.

As the Baltimore Brew explains, the city hopes the tracking devices inside the cans will help “improve garbage management by monitoring individual can usage, reduce rat infestation, ease alleyway litter and promote recycling and sustainability.”
Money for the pilot program will come from the city’s Bureau of Solid Waste.