New Orleans Spends Thousands On Solar-Panel Trash Cans, While Mitch Landrieu Calls For Tax Increase

The city of New Orleans recently purchased thousands of dollars worth of solar-panel trash cans, while at the same time, Mayor Mitch Landrieu has penned an op-ed for NOLA.com, asking that residents vote to increase property taxes to fund public libraries.

At the beginning of the month, it was reported that the city was in the process of buying solar-panel trash cans for the French Quarter, costing them over $2,000 for each trash can. The current, iron trash cans in the French Quarter cost $800 each.

Apparently, the solar-energy-powered trash receptacles will help reduce the amount of trash in the cans and reduce overflow of trash. At the time, Landrieu said the $2,999 trash cans were helping the city be more “innovative,” while also cleaning up parts of the tourist-y areas.

In total, there are 246 around the French Quarter area, and at $2,999 a piece, that is about $740,000 on trash cans. But, this is not including the software that is used in the trash can. Including the software, each trash can costs about $4,000 a piece.

Here’s a photo of the thousand dollar trash can from a resident via Twitter:

solar trash cans

Then, a few days ago, Landrieu wrote an op-ed in the Times Picayune, in which he begs for residents to increase their property taxes to help pay for more funding for public libraries in the city. Here’s a snippet of Landrieu’s op-ed:

On May 2, our city has an opportunity to renew its commitment to the New Orleans Public Library. The request is that voters increase the current millage by 2.5 mills for 25 years to support operations and maintenance of the entire library system.

The price for the total millage on the average home in New Orleans will be less than $11 per month.

So right after the city bans smoking, which will reportedly cost New Orleans $85 million in tax revenue, and spends thousands of dollars on solar-energy trash cans, Landrieu is asking for increased taxes and more funding.

Now, these funding entities are obviously all different. The trash cans are paid for by the city through the Department of Sanitation. The revenue lost through the smoking ban is based on sales taxes. And the library funding is based in property taxes.

But, the issue stands that Landrieu seems to have no problem spending tons of public money on trash cans, while at the same time, asking that residents raise taxes on themselves, as if they do not pay enough taxes and do not see where those tax dollars go, as funding for the New Orleans Police Department is short as well.

Well New Orleans residents, apparently your tax dollars are going towards trash, literally.

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