By Chris Cassidy
SALEM — One person's trash may soon be another person's billboard.
The city has started selling advertising space on its Big Belly trash compactors, those green, box-shaped, solar-powered bins that can hold four to five times more garbage than regular receptacles.
The city owns about 20 of them, spread across the downtown, Salem Willows and the Salem ferry parking lot.
Now, for a $500 fee, a company can buy a yearlong sponsorship of one of the trendy trash cans and post its name or logo on a special panel on the side.
Salem is one of the first communities to sell ads on the bins, according to manufacturer Big Belly Solar.
But there is one lingering question: Will any company want its image associated with rubbish?
"In an urban environment, people put their logo and signs on a variety of different objects," said Jeff Barz-Snell, a member of the city's Renewable Energy Task Force. "My guess is there wouldn't be a lot of concern about advertising on the side of a trash can."
Tom Watkins, the project manager in the mayor's office, said the companies would be supporting green technology.
All the money raised from the ads will be earmarked for future renewable energy and efficiency projects, he said.
"We're hoping people can embrace the idea and, in doing so, get a decent deal for advertising," Watkins said.
In the past, the panels have been used to plug community events, such as the Witches Cup bike race and the Living Green & Renewable Energy Fair.
So, will trash cans revolutionize the world of marketing? Might fire hydrants be next?
Probably not.
No one has come forward to buy an ad since the city announced the program on Aug. 26, though Watkins admits the city is still in the process of getting the word out.
Meanwhile, Salem Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rinus Oosthoek said he didn't know how many businesses would take advantage of the program, but that soliciting sponsors couldn't hurt.
"There are a lot of environmentally conscious companies that fit the idea," Oosthoek said.
"Hey, it's worth a try."
