Toy Story Land Gets Solar-Powered Trash Bins
Published October 19, 2026
Disney has started pulling the older trash cans out of Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and installing solar-powered waste and recycling containers in their place, according to reports published Monday, October 19, 2026. The replacements are Bigbelly Smart Max units — solar-powered, sensor-equipped, and fitted with built-in compactors.
As of Monday, October 19, the new bins are already in place at a few spots in the land, and no attraction closures are tied to the work.
The swap is a cosmetic and operational change, not a construction project. The bins are finished in bright green, blue and yellow to sit inside the oversized-toy look of Andy’s backyard, with hand-lettered waste and recycling labels.
Guests can spot the new containers near the giant Woody statue at the land’s entrance and around the Toy Story Mania! building, per the same reports.
The technology is what makes this more than a paint job. Because the units are solar-powered, they do not need electrical wiring, and internal sensors track how full each container is so cast members know when it actually needs emptying. The compactors let each bin hold roughly five to ten times what a standard container holds before collection.
Toy Story Land is not the first part of the park to get them. Similar units have already appeared along Hollywood Boulevard, at the park’s entrance plaza, and in parts of EPCOT, with the exterior design adjusted to match each area. Toy Story Land opened on June 30, 2018.
What we know
- Toy Story Land (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) — older trash cans being removed and replaced with Bigbelly Smart Max solar units, according to reports
- Locations confirmed so far — near the Woody statue at the land entrance and around the Toy Story Mania! building
- Capacity — built-in compactors hold roughly 5–10x a standard container before collection
- Already installed elsewhere — Hollywood Boulevard, the Hollywood Studios entrance plaza, and portions of EPCOT
What’s not confirmed
Disney has not announced this publicly. There is no stated timeline for finishing the Toy Story Land swap, no word on whether every older can in the land will be replaced, and no confirmation of which areas are next.
What it means for your trip
- Nothing about your Hollywood Studios morning changes. Slinky Dog Dash, Alien Swirling Saucers and Toy Story Mania! are all operating, and rope drop strategy is unaffected — on-site guests using Early Theme Park Entry should still head for Slinky Dog Dash first.
- If the Woody statue photo is on your list, shoot it in the first few minutes of the day. Installation work can mean equipment parked in that exact spot, and the entrance gets crowded fast once the Toy Story Land wave arrives.
- The practical upside is for mid-afternoon eaters: compacting bins near Toy Story Mania! should overflow less on peak days, which is where the trash problem has always been worst.
- Still buying Lightning Lane for this land? Slinky Dog Dash is Multi Pass, not Single Pass, and it tends to go early — SupaPark’s refill predictions and wait-drop alerts are the easy way to catch a second window without refreshing all day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Toy Story Land closed for this work?
No. The reported work is a trash can replacement, and no attraction or walkway closures in Toy Story Land have been announced.
Where are the new Toy Story Land trash cans?
Reports place the first new solar-powered bins near the giant Woody statue at the land’s entrance and around the Toy Story Mania! attraction building.
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