IRC – Interactive Recycling Bin
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Team Members

Praveen Margana – Senior ECE
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
Ming Lei – Junior ME
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Project Consultant
Theodore Fabella – Freshman CHE
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Project Leader
Project Partner Liason
Michael Shyr – Freshman CMPE
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Webmaster
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Project Partner
Katie Graham
Program & Development Manager
Indiana Recycling Coalition
“Our Mission is to support source reduction,
reuse, composting and recycling activities in Indiana.”
-IRC
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Information

Background Information
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Project began last semester – Fall 2010
Goals of the Project


To make recycling more entertaining, interactive, and user
friendly
Potential Recycle bin for the Super Bowl 2012 held in Lucas
Oil Stadium.
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Assumptions
On average, 70,000 people attend the Super Bowl each year.
On average, every person will consume three beverages throughout
the game.
On average, every person will consume two food items throughout the
game.
These values are personal assumptions
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Estimates
Average weight of cup: .018 lbs
Average weight of wrapper: .008 lbs
Estimated weight of total cups from beverages: 2 tons
Estimated weight of wrappers from food: ½ ton
Estimated weight of napkins and condiments: ½ ton
Total amount of recyclable material: 3 tons
Total amount of recyclable material per person: .085 lbs
These values are personal assumptions
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Design Estimates
Capacity of recycling bin: 416 lbs
One recycling bin will cover the recyclables of about 5000 people.
On average there are 33 pounds of material recycled per minute.
Based on these assumptions and estimates, each recycling bin will last
13 minutes.
However, this is a highly variable estimate due to the non-linearity
of the situation and lack of consideration with respect to half time.
These values are personal assumptions
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Design Requirements

Durable

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Multi-stream Recycling
Attractive
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Encourages recycling in some way
Cost Effective

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Withstands a fall, if pushed/kicked over
Less than 100 dollars
Environmentally friendly
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Low power requirements
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Criteria for Success
How will we know when we meet these requirements?
We will test our prototype bin at Purdue’s Basketball and
Football games.
If the amount of recycling in our prototype bin is more than the
amount of recycling in a normal bin, we have succeeded.
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Brain Storm
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Components
Power Supply, Switch, Light
Material inserted into the bin will require the flap to
move, which will trigger the switch to turn on and off,
which causes the light to flip on and off.
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Construction Issues Encountered
 Recycling
bin flap was not spring
based, the flap moved with
weight.
 Battery pack was heavier than
expected.
 Mounting the lights onto the
recycle bin lid.
 Mounting the switch onto a
curved surface.
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Prototype
 The
Light Turns on when it is
switched by the flap on the
inside.
 However
long the person pushes in
the flap is how long the light will
stay on for.
 Signs showing what type of
material can be recycled.
 Uses one plastic bag for materials.
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Tests
Test for durability.
Successful and
withstands a knock over.
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Tests
Test for durability.
Withstands multiple and
consecutive activations
of the light 100 times.
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Tests
Test of different
materials.
Successful, and still
activates when different
recyclables are recycled.
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Tests
Test for ease of
maintenance (changing
the bag).
Successful and can be
easily changed with the
lid taken off.
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Budget Information
Item
1) Sensors
Spring 2011
Predicted
Expenditures
Spring 2011
Actual
Expenditures
$150.00
$12.90
$50.00
$42.95
3) Recycling Bin
$30.00
Free
(Possible Cost)
$147.00
4) Plywood
$50.00
$5.00
5) Paint
$20.00
$0.00
2) LED Lights
6) Wires
TOTAL
$8.00
$300.00
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$215.85
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Future Plans

Future goals for this project will be to innovate by adding sound,
display boards or other features.

Product delivery date is Fall 2011.
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Planned for use in Super Bowl 2012
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