While playing the demo of Roadside Research, you’ll notice that the customers are terrible litter bugs. Cans and other miscellaneous trash will appear on the ground at random intervals, and it really brings down the whole vibe. 

Thankfully, this trash is actually remarkably useful because it can be put into the scanner in the Alien Room to get Alien Points, which can then be used to purchase useful perks and additional features. 

How to get trash bags in Roadside Research

One of the first tasks you’ll need to complete in the demo of Roadside Research is to gather enough trash to unlock the first Alien Upgrade. The only one you can buy is Trash Bags, and it costs 10 Alien Points to unlock them. 

Once you’ve unlocked the perk, a dispenser will appear on the wall to the left of the scanner. Clicking on this dispenser will drop a tiny trash bag onto the floor below it, which you can then pick up and take with you to gather up a large amount of trash in one trip. 

The maximum pieces of trash you can fit in a single trash bag is 6, so if you have particularly litter-prone patrons, you’ll need to make multiple trips to the forecourt to keep it sanitary. 

How to get trash cans in Roadside Research

There are two types of trash cans that can be unlocked through the Alien Upgrade screen:

• Trash Cans (60 Alien Points)
  • Costs $50 from the Alien Tech section of the Construction menu
  • Customers will automatically drop trash into the trash can rather than onto the floor, but the trash can will still need to be emptied manually using right click (L2 on a Steam Deck)
• Auto Trash Can (120 Alien Points)
  • Costs $50 from the Alien Tech section of the Construction menu
  • Works the same as the regular trash can, but does not need to be manually emptied and automatically collects Alien Points from anything dropped into it