Yes, they exist, but they're more of a niche smart-city experiment than a standard feature. You won't find a magic trash can that turns garbage into internet. What you will find are solar-powered smart bins—often compacting bins—that have a small Wi-Fi router or hotspot added to them. The bin already has a solar panel, battery, and sometimes a network connection for reporting when it's full, so adding a public Wi-Fi node is not a huge leap.
Bigbelly-style bins are the best-known example. In some cities, these solar compactors have been fitted with Wi-Fi equipment as part of pilot programs. You may also see similar setups in places like New York, London, and parts of Australia, though coverage and availability change a lot by neighborhood and year. Some projects are funded by advertising; others are tied to broader smart-city plans.
But don't assume every smart bin is a hotspot. Many only monitor fill levels, compact waste, or send maintenance alerts. The Wi-Fi feature is usually the bonus, not the main job. And when it does exist, it can be slow, limited, or unreliable because the priority is keeping the bin working, not streaming video.
There are also practical catches: maintenance costs, vandalism, bandwidth limits, privacy concerns, and the need for steady power and connectivity. That's why some cities prefer dedicated kiosks like LinkNYC rather than mixing public Wi-Fi with waste collection. Still, the idea is real. If you spot a solar-powered bin with an antenna and a small "free Wi-Fi" sign, it might be one of them—just don't expect every trash can on the block to hand you a signal.