Thursday, October 1, 2026
Nassau County Legislator Debra Mulé presented two Community Revitalization Project grants totaling $100,725.50 to Sanitary District 2 on Aug. 5 to fund new trash receptacles in Baldwin, Roosevelt and South Hempstead.
The County Legislature unanimously approved the grants July 27.
The funding will be used to purchase and install 10 Bigbelly Smart Max solar-powered trash compactors, along with the software, subscriptions and equipment needed to operate them. The compactors are expected to be placed strategically along high-traffic county roads within the sanitation district. The remaining funding will pay for 24 Ironsites Series 45-gallon litter receptacles.
“We are grateful to receive this Community Revitalization Program grant to support the purchase of new litter baskets and Bigbelly Solar garbage pails throughout Baldwin, Roosevelt and South Hempstead,” Sanitary District 2 Commissioner LeRoy Roberts said. “This funding will strengthen our efforts to keep public spaces clean, reduce litter, and improve the quality of life for our residents.”
Mulé, a Democrat from Freeport who serves as the Legislature’s alternate deputy minority leader, said the solar-powered compactors can hold five to 10 times more waste than traditional trash cans, reducing the number of pickups needed.
“Every time we keep garbage off the streets and get it into receptacles where it belongs, we are taking a simple, but important, step toward improving our quality of life and keeping our communities beautiful,” Mulé said. “With our focus on the downtown revitalization of Baldwin, it is the perfect time to equip Sani 2 with these enhanced resources, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to do so.”
Mulé said the new compactors could also help reduce the district’s environmental footprint because their larger capacity will require fewer pickups.
“Cleaning up litter is key to improving our quality of life,” Mulé said. “Introducing solar-powered trash compacting receptacles will keep key portions of Sani 2’s coverage area cleaner and reduce our carbon footprint by requiring fewer pickups because their capacity is five to 10 times larger than that of a traditional trash can.”
Mulé said she hopes to work with Sanitary District 2 on additional energy-saving initiatives in the future.
