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TAMPA, FL - Well we've all got our smart phones, and some of us even have smart homes, but did you ever think there would be smart trash cans?? They are called Big Belly Trash Cans and they're the pinnacle of new technology. They're solar powered and communicate with the city's public works department using regular cell phone service.
Kevin Cook with the city of Lakeland Florida explained, "They'll tell us when they're 80-percent full. They send a text message saying. "I'm Big Belly Trash Can at the corner of Lemon and Kentucky; come empty me."
The city of Lakeland bought 28 of these trash cans at an upfront cost of $100,000. However, Cook says they will pay for themselves quickly.
"They save us about $30,000 a year in manpower. These replace, these hold about 120 gallons, and they compact. So that's a lot of garbage that's compacted to 120 gallons. So before that we had those decorative steel cans that hold about 30 gallons."
WOW, 2016. The year when you can't get a text back from a guy you like but you can get a text from your trash can. The future is now…