We later assembled the whole machine in our rooms. “People see dirty bottles and plastic waste strewn all around, but only when they have an empty bottle in their hand do they feel obliged to look for a bin and throw it.Juggling lectures, submissions and exams the boys had to burn midnight oil for over 95 days to set this up. It has a capacity of eight litres and is replenished from an external source of water once the storage gets over,” he adds. “When the machine reaches 80 per cent of its capacity, an alert is sent to the administrator and the bin has to be emptied. The concept: In collaboration with a start-up Trestor, they have developed a machine that dispenses 300 ml of potable water in exchange of empty plastic bottles and aluminium cans. “The idea was to give an incentive to not litter. It costs about rupees 50,000 and CEO of Trestor, Kunal Dixit, says it was worth his buck. The machine in its current form accepts bottles and cans with the storage capacity of up to one litre,” he reveals.
Alert system: The machine also has an NFC and Bluetooth interface for unhindered connectivity and a notification system for administrators to alert them on usage and maintenance. More about the machine: With a storage and recycling unit at the bottom and an RO water filtration unit at the top, the machine is equipped with a 7-inch interactive touch-screen and has Internet connectivity. I noticed this and thought why not give them an incentive and appreciate their effort. We are also focussing on using solar panels for our next model,” reveals Anurag. And what better way than to offer them potable water.” The machine is not converting plastic into water. “It has an inbuilt water purifier and dispenses both cold and room-temperature water when a bottle/ can is thrown in. Final year Physics student Anurag explains the concept..Ever imagined throwing a used plastic bottle inside a waste bin and getting drinking water in return Two students from IIT Bombay have made this possible, in a cool twist to the concept of a vending machine.
“We designed the machine in our hostel rooms and the fabrication and laser work was done at a workshop in Thane. The makers intend to take the machine to public spaces and are currently in talks with government organisations and corporate firms for the same. How does it work Satyendra says, “When you throw in a can or a plastic bottle, the machine crushes the bottle to 1/6th of its original volume and gives water or a digital token in return.The digital token: The digital token or trest can be used to purchase water from other Swacch machines or can be exchanged at general stores for wares. While conceptualising the design we realised that small bottles and can comprise maximum waste. Final year students Anurag Meena and Satyendra Meena, with their new invention, the Swachh Machine, wanted to tackle two crucial issues — that of waste disposal and the scarcity of purified drinking water. It’s a basic human need,” he says. China Assembled toilet stool with air freshener Suppliers Currently, the machine is on a pilot run in Chandigarh and Mumbai
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