Big Bellies in Chestnut Hill: A Victory for GRinCH

For over a year, the non-profit group Green in Chestnut Hill (GRinCH) worked to

Wednesday morning, the group saw that work come into fruition.

“It’s a big moment,” said Lee Meinicke, a member of GRinCH and the president of Philly Compost. “It was a long process with objections from some people in the community- primarily about aesthetics.”

On Wednesday morning, . Some were double units—side-by-side solar trash compactors and recycling cans. Some were just single trash compactors.

The Big Bellies, invented by Jim Poss, were placed in spots along Germantown Avenue, from Mermaid Lane to , on both sides of the avenue.

GRinCH worked with the Chestnut Hill Historical Society to find the most agreeable placements for the cans. For now, none are being placed above Jenks, but GRinCH's founding member Amy Edelman said that some shops on the north side of the Hill were disappointed by the compromise.

“We know the wanted one. They specifically requested it, but they’re only going as high as Southampton Avenue for now,” Edelman said.

GRinCH fought back on the aesthetic arguments by “showing broad support among the residents and business owners,” Edelman said. Members of GRinCH added that in some ways, the Big Bellies help aesthetics.

“With these, the trash is contained. It looks a lot nicer than trash overflowing and blowing out of the open bins,” said GRinCH board member Alix Rabin.

Another benefit of the solar compacters is that each unit holds about five times as much trash as the average bin, which reduces the number of trips from trucks needing to empty them. Edelman has had the first Big Belly in front of her store, , since March, and she said it has been a pleasure.