Yes—but they are more niche than you might expect. If you mean “no electricity at all,” there are mechanical and manual designs that can compress urban waste using foot pedals, hand levers, springs, or gravity-assisted mechanisms. Some public-bin concepts and a few specialized products use a pedal or lever to push a plate down onto the trash, reducing its volume so the bin fills more slowly. These are most plausible in high-footfall areas where collection trips are expensive and where a simple, repairable mechanism is preferred.
However, if you mean “no grid electricity,” then solar-powered compacting bins are the more common answer. BigBelly-style bins and similar smart waste stations use solar panels and batteries to power a compactor. They are often described as off-grid or self-powered, but they still use electricity—just not a wired connection. That distinction matters because solar compactors need batteries, electronics, sensors, and maintenance, while truly non-electric bins rely on human force or mechanical advantage.
The catch is that non-electric compaction is harder to do well in public spaces. A foot pedal or lever must be sturdy enough to survive constant use, vandalism, weather, and messy waste. The force needed to compress mixed urban trash can be high, and jams are a real risk. Hygiene and accessibility also matter: not everyone can or wants to press a pedal, and a stiff lever can become a barrier. Mechanical systems also tend to have lower compaction force than powered ones, so the volume reduction may be modest.
So, are there urban trash cans that compress waste without electricity? Yes, in principle and in limited real-world forms—manual lever bins, pedal-powered compactors, and mechanical prototypes. But they are not yet a mainstream replacement for ordinary bins or solar compactors. For most cities, the practical choices are still standard high-capacity bins, more frequent collection, or solar-powered compactors where off-grid power is acceptable. A truly non-electric compacting bin makes the most sense as a simple, low-maintenance supplement in specific locations rather than a citywide solution.