It is increasingly being said that we should treat recycled waste as the seventh resource of our planet. Meanwhile, only 30-40% of plastic is recycled, and a big problem is the sheer lack of proper waste segregation in households. Technology - such as reverse recycling machines - is helping. How does it work and what benefits does it provide?

Separate collection system vs. closed-loop economy, that is... the future?

On average, each of us produces more than 300 kg of waste per year. According to Eurostat, within the EU about half of waste was recycled in 2020. Although this is quite a lot more than a decade or two ago, this level still does not satisfy, especially since, according to scientists, in 2050 there will be more plastic bottles floating in the oceans than fish. Global organizations such as the Bureau of International Recycling, for example, note that we should treat waste as our planet's seventh resource, right next to water, air, natural gas, oil, coal and ores.

Working at the grassroots, or segregating waste properly

In every EU country today, a system of separate waste collection is being shaped as the basis for implementing the closed-cycle concept of the economy. The goal: to reduce the generation of raw materials through waste processing.

The introduction of a deposit system for PET bottles and glass bottles in Poland is planned for 2024 (perhaps aluminum cans will also join it). As part of the system, returnable recycling vending machines would be set up at large stores. Of course, we can already encounter such solutions in public spaces today, but there will be many more. How will such a system work and what is its significance - for ecology, the world, society, ourselves?

Vending machines for returning packaging within and outside the deposit system

Vending machines for returning bottles and other packaging made of plastic, glass or metal have different names - in English we speak of "reverse vending machine", in Poland we meet, for example, "recyclomat", "bottle machine" or "ecomat". We also speak of a receiving machine as a "revending machine" (its inverse is a vending machine).

How does it work? We throw empty packaging - glass and plastic bottles or aluminum cans - into the vending machine. Usually PET bottles and cans are crushed right away to take up less space. The waste is collected from the vending machine and sent to be recycled or (in the case of glass bottles) refilled. They are returned to us in the form of new packaging or... about that in a moment!

Automated machines for returning plastic packaging to companies

At ASD Systems, we create state-of-the-art vending machines that automate and optimize the work of warehouses in companies, such as industrial plants. As both the needs of our clients and environmental protection are at the heart of us, we have created a vending machine for one of the companies to accept plastic packaging, such as PET bottles for water, which the employer provides to its employees (e.g. on the production halls, especially during the summer season), but also products needed for work, health and safety items or materials.

Interestingly, before issuing a new product, the employee must return the packaging of the previously taken one to the vending machine, thus getting rid of the problem of improper segregation of plastic waste at the workplace.

Motivation to use the recycling machines, i.e. rewards and deposit return

What - besides satisfaction or a sense of mission accomplishment - do we get out of donating packaging to such a machine? That already depends on the system of which the vending machine is a part. Usually, if it is an independently organized venture, we receive points in the mobile application, which we can later exchange for rewards, such as discounts and vouchers for products or services. Sometimes it is a charitable activity - for example, in Turkey, such a vending machine was created, which, after dropping in a bottle, spilled food for homeless animals. The motivation turned out to be very strong!

The case is slightly different when such a vending machine involves a deposit system. It can work in such a way that the vending machine scans the barcode of the package and prints a confirmation (or we have it in the mobile app). Then the consumer can already collect the deposit, which has been added to the price of the product covered by the deposit system.

Why do we need returnable recycling machines?

Millions of beverage containers are lying in landfills. Many of them never end up there either - we find them in forests, lakes, rivers and seas. True, we can limit buying bottled water or beverages in aluminum cans, but there is another way out, less severe - decent segregation and recycling. And the former often fails. Recycling machines, whether in or out of the bail system, allow everyone to comfortably put the zero waste concept into practice.

Glass and metals recycle indefinitely. Plastic has limitations, but can still be reused. The common denominator of the recycling process is not only less trash, but also less energy used than when the raw material is mined or created and processed to become full-fledged packaging. Less energy used means lower C02 emissions, which also means less greenhouse effect and cleaner air. And no one needs to be convinced today how important it is.

What about that plastic recycling?

The aforementioned deposit system and new "bottle machines", which accept not only glass, but also plastic, are a novelty. After all, we have a big problem with plastic - not only because there is too much of it and it pollutes the environment, and it takes several hundred years to decompose. Also because there is a perception that recycling plastic is often impossible or ineffective. Meanwhile, on average, plastic can be recycled up to 10 times! And a kilogram of recycled plastic is already a lot less carbon dioxide in the air.

In addition, recycled plastic does not have to make new bottles at all, but, for example, clothing, shoes and handbags, garden furniture, tents or noise barriers. In this form, it will not have to be recycled for a very long time.

Returnable recycling machines are devices that we desperately need. Their importance for ecology is great - only effectively sorted waste can be transformed into new raw materials and products. Only recycling makes it possible to get rid of waste and make it a resource, not garbage. Thanks to recycling, CO2 emissions are reduced, and we breathe clean air and fight climate change.

May as many such solutions appear as possible!

FAQ:

How do reverse recycling vending machines work?

Such vending machines support selective waste collection. They collect empty packaging (e.g., plastic, glass bottles and cans), which go to recycling plants and are processed into new raw material or products in the recycling process.

What is the importance of recyclers for the ecology?

Huge - not only is there less trash in the landfill and around us, because recycling uses less energy than the original extraction or production of the raw material, and this reduces CO2 emissions, which translates into cleaner air.

Why use packaging return machines?

Recycling vending machines allow everyone to quickly and easily help protect the climate and the environment. Additional benefits in the form of rewards and vouchers or cash back, if the packaging in question includes deposit systems, are another strong motivation for action.

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