Overview
- New pairs of themed solar-powered trash and recycling cans were installed in Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, appearing near the park entrance and in Animation Courtyard.
- The cans use rooftop solar panels to power internal compactors and have separate trash and recycling compartments with a foot bar for hands-free opening to cut custodial emptying frequency.
- Walt Disney Imagineering applied site-specific looks, including Sorcerer Mickey artwork in Animation Courtyard and green Chinese Theatre emblems on Hollywood Boulevard, to match each land’s theme.
- Guests reported confusion using mailbox-style openings and foot pedals and raised accessibility concerns, prompting Disney to publish instructions and to change placement and visual cues during the phased rollout.
- The program began as an EPCOT pilot and has expanded resort-wide this year, reflecting a broader parks trend toward sensor-backed compacting bins and signaling smaller custodial workloads and operational changes for cast members.