San José State implemented new eco-friendly trash cans throughout campus over winter break and students noticed the change after returning for the spring semester.
The trash cans are from Bigbelly and feature a custom SJSU design, according to a Dec. 4, 2025 Spartan Daily article.
Monica Bautista, a second-year civil engineering student, said she first noticed the new bins when she saw lots of people using them.
“I didn’t think they were trash cans, I thought maybe recycling and then that’s when I saw a lot of people use them and then I needed to throw something away so I used it,” Bautista said.
The solar powered garbage cans are designed to compact trash and send wireless notifications to campus workers for easier waste collection, according to the Bigbelly website.
Bailey Blank, a second-year psychology student, said she noticed excessive litter on 7th Street before the implementation of the new Bigbelly bins.
“I feel like every trash can was overflowing or there was trash on the ground,” Blank said.
“Especially when it was the events on 7th Street, those are the trash cans that I would see the most overflow,” Bautista said.
The new Bigbelly bins are a preventative source to resolve the stress and strain on maintenance staff, according to the Dec. 4, 2025 Spartan Daily article.
Maria O’Callaghan-Cassidy, senior associate vice president of Facilities Development and Operations (FD&O), said the bins use solar panels to self compact.
“If they can’t compact anymore they send a text message to the grounds team and that reduces the need for constant monitoring, so that we can re-deploy the staff to outdoor maintenance across the campus,” O’Callaghan-Cassidy said.
University of California, Berkeley is another college institution that has become eco-friendly on campus as well. UC Berkeley experienced waste on campus and litter across its campus due to open lids and lack of timely trash pickup, according to Bigbelly’s website.
O’Callaghan-Cassidy said there was approximately 250 of the Bigbelly bins that were put out.
“The new trash cans are a lot larger and considered high capacity,” O’Callaghan-Cassidy said. “In the few short weeks, we have seen a significant decrease in trash blowing across the campus.”
