Concept
A reverse vending machine (RVM) is a machine that allows a person to insert a used or empty glass bottle, plastic bottle, or aluminum can in exchange for a reward. After inserting the recyclable item, it is then compacted, sorted, and analyzed according to the number of ounces, materials, and brand using the universal product code on the bottle or can. Once the item has been scanned and approved, it is then crushed and sorted into the proper storage space for the classified material. Upon processing the item, the machine rewards people with incentives, such as cash or coupons. The first prototype of a reverse vending machine was established in 1972 by TOMRA. With nations increasingly adopting policies concerning recycling and sustainability, reverse vending machines have become the standard in areas with stringent recycling policies. To date, there are more than one hundred thousand RVMs spread globally, located in countries including the United Kingdom, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Canada, and the United States. On 13 September 1920, the first patent for an ‘Empty Container Return and Handling Machine’ was registered in America using a coin return as compensation by Elmer Jones and Sue Walker. This machine was referred to as a "Bottle Return Machine" (BRM) during that time. The first working BRM took approximately thirty years from the first patent to be invented and manufactured. This whole process was conducted by "Wicanders from Sweden," with the machine being used throughout the 1950s. In 1962, an evolved "Automatic Bottle Return Machine" was established by Aage Tveitan. After the invention, the machine was manufactured en-masse by the innovator’s firm Arthur Tveitan ASA in Norway and distributed worldwide. In 1994, a three-in-one machine focused on bottle recycling was conceived by Kansmacker and is still being used today in some states within the U.S. In the United Kingdom, the Reverse Vending Corporation established the first independent return ready Reverse Vending Machines.
