Is It Normal To Be This Excited About New Disney World Trash Cans? Asking for a Friend.

If you’ve been an AllEars reader for a while now, then you probably already know you can count on us for all the biggest Disney news you need to know — but you can count on us for the small stuff, too.

So, when we realized that fancy new trash cans had started rolling out around EPCOT, we knew we had to share the earth-shattering news with you. But seriously, is it not normal to be this excited about trash cans?! Asking for a friend, of course…

More new smart trash cans and recycling bins have landed at EPCOT! We spotted these in the World Showcase, near the Friendship Boat dock by Disney Traders, but they’ve also been spotted in the Germany Pavilion, along with China, Mexico, and Norway, too.

In addition to the trash cans, there are new recycling bins as well. Each features a lever you push with your foot that opens the cans, so you can do it hands-free without having to get them dirty!

The cans feature solar capabilities that help with compacting, meaning that they can hold more before getting full. Not only that, but the cans can alert custodial Cast Members when they are full, so they don’t have to check them all individually.

This is likely part of a much larger solar initiative from Disney — with 100% of the Walt Disney World Resort now able to be powered by the sun. Disney previously shared that four solar projects can now produce up to 100% of the daytime power needs of the entire resort. That’s spread across four theme parks, two water parks, MANY hotels,  and so much more.

If you’re curious, below you can see the approximate level of solar energy that adds up  over the course of an average year:

Reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by more than 140,000 metric tons
Removing nearly 33,000 gasoline-powered cars from the road each year
Powering 19,000 homes’ energy use for one year
Charging 15 billion smartphones
Growing 2 million tree seedlings for 10 years
Recycling the equivalent of 7,000 garbage trucks of waste instead of landfilling
Powering the monorail for 34 years

We’re hopeful we will begin seeing the new units in additional areas at EPCOT in the coming weeks, with expansion planned across the other theme parks, Disney Springs, water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, and other locations throughout the year.

We’ll be on the lookout for more of these trash cans to be rolled out across EPCOT and the rest of Walt Disney World. In the meantime, make sure you stay tuned to AllEars for the latest Disney news and more!