Dumpsters are usually low-tech affairs--stick the trash in, close the lid, end of story. Not so with the Solar Energy Enclosed Dumpster System (SEEDS) designed by Ray Saluccio of EarthSure. SEEDS endeavors to solve two problems at once--garbage theft and lack of space on buildings for solar panels--with a solar-powered dumpster that powers security cameras, lights, and emergency phones.

SEEDS also uses the same material present in highway barrier systems for protection from damage incurred by service trucks--a development that supposedly allows SEEDS to outlast "conventional building materials that are presently being used for enclosures and avoids the constant need of rebuilding."

Turning dumpsters--unsightly but necessary parts of the urban landscape--into portable power stations makes sense, but Saluccio forgot one key point: Solar panels themselves are often targeted by thieves. Dumpsters are already a magnet for unsavory characters, so how long could the dumpster panels possibly last before someone decides to abscond with one?

[Via Treehugger]

Related: Sunburnt! Solar Security Systems Prevent Burglars From Snatching Solar Panels