Dive summary:

• Hampton Roads Transit in Norfolk, Va. spent $26,100 to install 6 solar powered trash compactors around public transportation lines.
• While the initial investment is high, the transit authority claims the investment will lead to savings in the long run by enabling fewer fuel-guzzling collection trips.
• The new containers, which can hold five times as much garbage as conventional cans of similar size, have been installed in large cities across the U.S. and are gaining in popularity.

From the article:

It doesn't look like a trash can and certainly doesn't act like one, either.

And while it more resembles a mail box or a night drop for overdue library books, it is indeed a garbage can. Or, more precisely, a "solar-powered trash compactor."

Hampton Roads Transit, the regional agency that provides bus and rail service, bought six of these high-tech cans, each costing $4,350 and each symbolizing the slow, steady shift toward all things green. ...