China has developed smart rubbish bins which are not only “anti-explosion, anti-fire and anti-odour” but also function as WiFi transmitters, the government-run news website china.com.cn has reported.
The super rubbish bins, dubbed “King Kong,” appeared in the southwestern city of Chongqing. A total of 150 of them were put into use on Wednesday.
“King Kong” has a built-in internet signal transmitter which can provide free WiFi to 60 people at a time, the report said.
The bins also come with a smoke detector and a fire extinguisher which works automatically if a fire is detected inside them.
“King Kong” rubbish bins run on solar power and are made of four layers of 5mm thick stainless steel, according to the report.
They can sort garbage automatically as well. The bin is closed when not in use, but when users drop garbage inside, a built-in radar identifies what the garbage is and classify it accordingly, the report said.
The smart bins may also have a use closer to home. A trash can outside Hong Kong’s Legislative Council caught fire and triggered a small explosion on the same day the bins were put into use in China.