Underground trash bins in China's Shanxi province attract attention

It looks like a big bowl buried underground with a lid on top. Measuring 1.9 meters wide, 2.8 meters deep and carrying a capacity of 1.5 tons, the newly designed trash bin has attracted plenty of curious looks from locals.

The bin's design keeps its contents sealed tightly inside and underground, preventing even foul smells from leaking out.

Pictures of a new underground trash bin have gone viral on the internet. The photos were taken in Taiyuan, capital city of north China's Shanxi province. 

It looks like a big bowl buried underground with a lid on top. Measuring 1.9 meters wide, 2.8 meters deep and carrying a capacity of 1.5 tons, the newly designed trash bin has attracted plenty of curious looks from locals.

Some local residents say this kind of underground trash bin looks like a missile silo. But, in fact, its huge size makes it quite efficient. Its massive capacity can devour garbage for 500 to 800 families nearby, which is forty times larger than a normal trash bin.

The bin's design keeps its contents sealed tightly inside and underground, preventing even foul smells from leaking out.

"There used to be a heavy smell when I passed by this place before. Now there's no smell at all and it's much cleaner now," says a resident.

"I've been cleaning the streets for 12 years. It's the first time I've seen such a clean trash bin," says a Taiyuan sanitation worker.

Taiyuan is among several other cities in China that have adopted the underground trash bins. Special trucks are also used to collect and compress the garbage. All of the technology has been imported from Europe.

"The special truck has compressing function. Its capacity is about 15 times larger than a normal one. So the operating cost is largely reduced," says Hu Zebing, sales manager of Shenzhen Longcheng Environment Protection Company, Ltd.

Local officials say so far twenty underground trash bins have been built in the city. And with the response from locals and online so far positive, there are plans for more in the future.