The Cape Community Redevelopment Agency discussed this week different measures that could be taken to further eliminate unsightliness and illegal dumping in commercial trash receptacles in city parking lots the South Cape.

Solid Waste Manager Terry Schweitzer said the receptacle enclosures aren’t kept clean, which is attracting rats, mice, birds and insects and the wastebaskets are often overloaded.

The front-loaded receptacles are emptied three times a week, which does not need additional equipment, or capital involved.

The first option discussed was compactors — four total, two in Club Square and two in Big John’s. Schweitzer said it’s a little bit of a better option as it is self-contained and has a side shoot. He said businesses would have keys, lock, or keypad to gain access and throw garbage into the shoot that would feed into the compactor.

The compactor would hold a week’s worth of garbage, therefore having less frequency of trucks going in and out of the parking lots.

Some of the cons would be the higher capital cost as a rough estimate is $50,000 to have one unit. There would also be periodical maintenance because of the electrical motors.

Another option is an underground refuse system, which would have a gain of better esthetics as there would not be a trash receptacle. It is $35,000 for dual use – trash and recycling.

For the underground unit, a truck would have to pick it all the way up and hoover it over the top of the truck where a remote control opens the bottom and dumps it. The underground unit does not have any compaction, so it would still need to be dumped three times a week.

The underground unit would also go curbside, further freeing up parking spaces.

The above ground is a fancier trash receptacle that could be wrapped, running from $3,700 to $4,300.

There was also a big belly option, which is very similar to the underground unit.

“They can be wrapped much like the power boxes around the CRA,” Schweitzer said. “The side panels are interchangeable and can generate some venue by advertising.”

The big bellies are also solar powered with a compactor. It is $4,800 per unit with a monitoring system that lets you know when it is full.

Commissioner Robert Welsh asked if there was a way they could survey the current trash cans and find out which ones fill up more, or overflow.

As to the cost, Welsh said he could definitely support putting a few in before committing to put something like that all over the downtown.

The big bellies could be moved around, as well as used at special events.

With the commissioner discussion, many were leaning towards the compactor option, as well as big belly.

The compactor option, the commissioners said, should include a smaller access area in addition to the larger area for the trucks to pick up the trash.

“Downtown is a clean slate, and we are planning the future,” Commissioner Dan Sheppard said. “I want us to pick the right system that works in the whole CRA.”