Big Belly Coming to Echo Park

James Poss is an entrepreneur and a dreamer. But he also has a practical side.
As founder and Chief Technology Officer of BigBelly Solar, he wanted to make trash disposal more environmentally friendly and, ultimately, less expensive.
For more about five years now,  Echo Park activist Ida Talalla has been touting the benefits of the Big Belly, a solar-powered trash can and compactor.

Big Belly Is in Locations Around the Country
So he invented the BigBelly solar-powered trashcan, which has been installed in parks, schools and other locations around the country.
 It can hold four times as much trash as a normal can. And it has its own compacting unit, attached.


Now, a BigBelly is coming to Echo Park.
Echo Park’s Trash Abatement Project has arranged to have one placed at the northeast corner of Echo Park Avenue and Sunset Boulevard.
Right now, that's where an over-flowing wire can is the norm.
Echo Park BigBelly Funded by City Grants
TAP’s head Ida Talalla has been spearheading the project, which received grants from the city Office of Community Beautification and Keep Los Angeles Beautiful.
She says the project may seem costly at first, but will be cost-effective in the long run.
Talalla also hopes the can will remind residents that overflow trash often ends up in storm drains that empty in places like the Echo Park Lake.
She sees it as one step in protecting the new lotus beds that will arrive there in  2013.
 The official ribbon-cutting for BigBelly takes place on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at 1571 Sunset Boulevard. Come then and see what a BigBelly looks like.
A Big Belly does not come cheap, some units cost about $4,000. But its bigger capacity means city crews will spend less time emptying the Big Belly compared to a  typical trash can.   The only question now is will the Big Belly be big enough for all that Echo Park trash?
From EchoparkPatch.com Editor Anthea Raymond 
and TheEastSiderLA.com