March 20, 2023 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Interactive Smart Trashcans on Santa Monica Beach:

There are 500 new “smart” trashcans spread throughout the Santa Monica coastline. While these trashcans are not smart enough to pick up litter on its own, they can update you on just about everything happening within a few feet of your location at the beach. All of this can be done on your smart phone, thanks to the Santa Monica Beachcast and a QR code.

In a joint effort between Heal the Bay and the City of Santa Monica, the nearly 5-mile stretch of beach between Santa Monica Canyon and Venice Beach is now populated with new blue trashcans with colorful artwork and a QR code “linking smart phone users to the new Santa Monica Beachcast.”

At the top portion of the new blue trashcans there is a QR code box, compatible with most smart phones. A smart phone user can aim their smart phone’s camera at the QR code box, which scans the code, and within moments the phone’s web browser connects to the Santa Monica Beachcast.

Once on the Santa Monica Beachcast, a smart phone user can check the latest Twitter updates for the surrounding community, have immediate access to emergency contacts beyond 911, stay informed on tips on how to keep the beach clean, stay abreast of the latest surf or weather conditions in their immediate area, read the most recent beach report cards, and even volunteer for Heal the Bay’s beach cleanups.

“We’ve got a trash can on the beach, we have an opportunity to really try to grab the public with a really fetching message,” said Andrew Masmajian, the communications coordinator of the City’s Office of Sustainability and Environment. “This is the smartest beach (trash) can in America today. It’s a smart phone app you can scan from the sticker itself. The whole idea is to create a community.”

In addition to education and information, the Santa Monica Beachcast also has a little bit of entertainment in the form of a photo gallery, an interactive feature highlighting snapshots uploaded by fellow beachgoers who have taken their favorite pictures near the smart trashcan.

“The goal of the interactive gallery is to highlight the beauty of the beach and, in turn, provide the community with a stronger sense of pride and connectivity to the beach and each other,” Heal the Bay said in a statement.

With the trashcans officially debuting over the Memorial Day weekend, Heal the Bay spokesman Matthew King said the interactive trashcans are an ideal way to involve the community without playing the role of big brother.

“Instead of just lecturing people all the time (not to litter), we wanted to create something that is a little more interactive so that people are able to engage a little more and be more thoughtful about (the beach and the surrounding environment),” King said. “It also provides some value, where there is some information that we are giving back to people.”

Officials for both the City and Heal the Bay hope the new initiative will help reduce the amount of litter found on local beaches daily, as it is considered by many as “the wild open” and a national park.

“Our beaches are wild open space, as famous as any national park, and protecting them is one of our highest priorities,” Dean Kubani, director of the Office of Sustainability and the Environment, said in a statement. “This collaborative effort puts an exciting new twist on the vital public works infrastructure we provide every day to ensure that we ‘keep it out of the sand.’”

Advertising firm DDB LA worked together with Heal the Bay and the City in establishing the smart trashcan campaign, which was initiated about four months ago.

in News
Related Posts

SMa.r.t. Column: Going Bare

March 20, 2023

March 20, 2023

(part 3 of 3 articles) Every City faces periodic interruptions to its normal life. Some interruptions in our City are...

Santa Monica Mall Owner, Macerich, Finds Way Out of Retail Property Crisis

March 19, 2023

March 19, 2023

Move comes amidst a crisis for retail property owners, with loans coming due for refinancing with much higher interest rates...

Historic Santa Monica Property “The Witbeck House” Listed for Sale at $22.5M

March 19, 2023

March 19, 2023

Greene & Greene-designed home features 26,000+ square foot lot with five bedroom home A historic property known as The Witbeck...

New Affordable Housing Complex Completed in Santa Monica’s Pico Neighborhood

March 18, 2023

March 18, 2023

Las Flores offers 73 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments at 1834-1848 14th Street By Sam Catanzaro Community Corp. of Santa...

Are You Staying in Santa Monica Over the Summer?

March 17, 2023

March 17, 2023

Spring is officially here, which means summer is just around the corner. Santa Monica residents, what are your travel plans...

Suspect Arrested in Palisades Park Stabbing of City of Santa Monica Employee

March 17, 2023

March 17, 2023

Barna Allen Cranford arrested in connection to March 15 stabbing By Sam Catanzaro Santa Monica police have identified and arrested...

Negotiations for Independent Malibu School District Progressing

March 17, 2023

March 17, 2023

City of Malibu  and Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Complete draft of key deliverables By Sam Catanzaro Negotiations between Santa...

Santa Monica Residents to Pay More for Concealed Carry License After Supreme Court Ruling and Council Vote

March 17, 2023

March 17, 2023

Santa Monica City Council sets fee for conceal carry permits at $150 By Sam Catanzaro Santa Monica residents will have...

Famed NYC Pizzeria Now Open Just South of Santa Monica Border

March 16, 2023

March 16, 2023

Famed NYC pizzeria Prince Street Pizza now open on Lincoln Boulevard just south Rose Avenue By Dolores Quintana The newest...

Michelin-Starred Santa Monica Restaurant Among Coachella Food Vendors

March 16, 2023

March 16, 2023

Rustic Canyon to be among dining options at upcoming music festival By Dolores Quintana Rustic Canyon Restaurant’s chef Zarah Khan...

World-Renowned Dumpling Restaurant Din Tai Fung to Open New Location at Santa Monica Place

March 15, 2023

March 15, 2023

Din Tai Fung will take a prime, 10,615-square-foot space on third story of mall ​​Din Tai Fung is coming to...

SMC’s Noncredit Certified Nursing Assistant & Home Health Aide Certificates Recognized as 2022 Exemplary Programs by NCCET

March 15, 2023

March 15, 2023

National Council for Continuing Education & Training (NCCET) Highlights Six ‘Model Programs’ Across the Nation, in Addition to Santa Monica...

Comment Period Open to Improve Accessibility at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

March 15, 2023

March 15, 2023

Comment period open until end of the month The National Park Service (NPS) has launched a 30-day public comment period...

National Charity League Westside Chapter Hosts Panel to Empower Women in Education, Medicine, Entrepreneurship and Sports

March 15, 2023

March 15, 2023

March 12 panel featured panelists representing the fields of education, medicine, entrepreneurship, marketing and sports The National Charity League Westside...

The Penmar Hosts the Largest St. Patty’s Party on the Westside

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

Shenanigans will begin at 2 p.m. and include the Venice Duck Green Beer Garden, live music and more ​​The largest...