Development of a PET Bottle Collection System for a Green Campus Community

Abstract

Waste recycling is an essential component of achieving a Green Campus community, and plastic bottle recycling is one method for promoting recycling that also has significant environmental benefits. The researchers created a PET Bottle Collection System, which includes a Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) prototype and a cross-platform mobile monitoring application, to promote recycling and proper waste disposal at Iloilo State College of Fisheries and to support the college's initiative to become a Green Campus community. The RVM could detect plastic and non-plastic bottles using a capacitive proximity sensor and a photoelectric sensor and dispense a one-peso coin for every four plastic bottles accepted. The machine also used a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ as its central control unit, an MCP3008 ADC IC to read the analog signals from the sensors, and an infrared sensor to detect whether the machine's storage capacity is full and ready for extraction. The cross-platform mobile application was created with the React Native framework to monitor the number of coins remaining to be dispensed in the machine, the number of Plastic Bottles accumulated, and the status of the RVM, whether it is already full or not. The system was tested and evaluated for functionality, accuracy, efficiency, and response time, and the results showed that the system met the intended design criteria. Further improvements to the system were recommended in order for it to be implemented in a larger environment.