Responsible recycling with reverse vending machines

In an effort to increase reycling efforts away from the home, Verde Australia explains why reverse vending machines (RVMs) are a sophisticated and effective method of collecting our country’s containers.

Australia is highly aware and active when it comes to recycling. The community has embraced recycling at numerous levels, as evidenced by curbside recycling of domestic waste. However, over 50% of beverage containers (PET, glass and aluminium) are currently purchased and consumed away from home, leading to significant litter and pollution problems in public areas. There is no comprehensive collection system for these containers. Although there are numerous recycling bins placed across the high-traffic public areas, they are still highly contaminated and usually overflowing, causing all sorts of waste-related problems.

Reverse vending machines (RVMs) offers a system that automates the recycling of empty beverage containers specifically in away-from-home environments. It can involve a range of highly sophisticated systems of surveillance and analysis. The empty container goes through a series of antifraud systems that identify, accept and crush the empty container. The container is:

• photographed by an ultrafast camera;
• weighed to make sure that it is empty;
• scanned by a laser system that reads barcode information.

Only once the bottle makes it past these surveillance systems is the refund or voucher/coupon dispensed. There are a number of other safety measures that ensure the consumer is also not at risk of injury.

RVMs can be networked instantaneously to a central database and are an essential tool for measuring the quantity of recyclable beverage containers on the market, which has significant implications where the producer is responsible for the packaging. In many countries in Europe, the packaging is the responsibility of the manufacturer/producer, not the consumer or retailer.

Currently in Australia, RVMs have been installed in food halls, schools, universities and TAFEs, and are essentially a novelty in the market. The motivation for the consumer is generally linked to a non-monetary reward. They are, however, gaining greater acceptance. The exception is South Australia, which has had successful container deposit legislation (CDL) for some years and gives 10c per empty container. The Northern Territory introduced its CDL early this year.

In many European countries, where CDLs have existed in some form for decades, RVMs of varying sizes and functionality are in supermarkets, petrol stations, food halls and other public spaces. RVMs are the sole collection point for container deposit returns. Most RVMs print vouchers that are redeemable at the point of deposit.

The range of RVMs in Australia is limited. However, most offer recognition and sorting options, with a few offering compaction. Verde Australia has a range of German-engineered Sielaff RVMs to suit any RVM need within the market including easy-to-program, low-maintenance and low-cost machines without compaction through to high volume compaction machines suited to large-scale operations. The company’s RVMs are energy efficient and their components are also recyclable. The most recent model can operate outdoors and is said to be the first RVM in Australia with this capability.

Verde Australia is optimistic that the federal government will recognise the benefit of a CDL and introduce it nationally. Over 80% of people surveyed stated that they would support a CDL.