Some time ago, Vassar deployed Big Belly solar-powered, network-connected, compacting trash cans. We recently walked across the campus to a play …
Once is happenstance:

Twice is coincidence:

Those neatly printed signs suggested a common-mode failure, so we took the long way back to visit my all-time favorite trash can installation. Yup, three times is enemy action:

You can still put trash in the containers through the obvious opening. Perhaps the networking failed?