Pollution and how BioCan Could Help

BioCan was presented as a new kind of trash can that could potentially help with pollution all around the world. No one can deny that pollution is a huge problem. Everyday, thousands of tons of trash are put into landfills, while other tons of trash end in our bodies of water such as streams and wetlands. Many humans do not realize the huge environmental impacts from throwing away so much trash, so little to nothing is done. Things such as recycling, as stated by this group, can help the problem with pollution, but there is only a small amount of people that actually recycle in their homes and businesses. Since our society is the one that continuously produces this problem, I believe it should be our society's responsibility to come up with a solution to pollution. Because of its importance, I believe that the attention brought to pollution and a possible solution was very significant.

BioCan is basically a trash can that can solve the problem of pollution in homes and restaurants, and it could aid in the effort of throwing away so much trash in landfills. It uses "electrogenic and toxic-waste eating [bacteria]" as a way to dispose of trash. This group was able to explain a BioCan cycle by saying that the process would start by only putting trash that could be decomposed on the trash can. After beginning the cycle, bacteria would be sprayed. This bacteria is able to eat trash and produce electricity as it decomposed. After finishing the cycle, the last step would be to spray a "cleaning solution." The electricity made by the bacteria would not only help in giving BioCan power, but also would be used to give appliances in a home power. Ultimately, this means that BioCan is a clean energy source.

My first reactions to this idea was the fear of a breach and the question of what would happen to the bacteria after they would finish eating the trash. Luckily, both questions were answered on the FAQ part of their website. It was stated that a containment breach would not happen because the bacteria were made to only survive on the "enclosed system" provided by the BioCan. In other words, this meant that if the bacteria would leave the container, it would die immediately. My second question was answered when the group further explained the "cleaning solution" used in the end of a typical BioCan cycle. After the bacteria finished eating and decomposing trash, a solution would be sprayed to not only clean the container, but also to kill the bacteria.

Overall, I was intrigued by this idea. I was further surprised by the fact that this type of technology already exists, making BioCan something that could one day aid in our society's problem with pollution.