Where BMW and trash bins intersect

It's one of our least favorite weekly rituals: Carting the recycling crates to the curb, with cans falling off and paper blowing down the street. We could use one of those built-in trash compactors, but we've never been the same since reading about some guy who got his head stuck in one. (Story for another time.)

But this is different, and we want one. The Ecopod automated recycling bin is like a cross between a trash compactor and a BMW. (In fact, according to Treehugger, it was created with the help of DesignworksUSA, which designed the BMW X5.)

And unlike the trash compactors from hell in our nightmares, the Ecopod's version looks more like a regular waste bin--so we don't think a normal-sized head could reach the crushing mechanism, no matter how many beers have been consumed.

(Photo: Treehugger)