Design and Development of a Mobile Collection Unit for Plastic Waste Recycling - REC.ECO.PLAST

Abstract

In this project, we designed and developed a mobile unit - REC.ECO.PLAST - for the collection of Polyethylene Terephtalate (PET) wastes. The objective is to offer a simple and efficient collection system to help the local community to get rid of the large quantities of plastics that invade our daily lives. The REC.ECO.PLAST unit performs the first three operations of the recycling cycle, including the collection, sorting and crushing of bottles or flasks into petals or grains. Then put it in a bag ready to transport to the processing plant. The challenge of this project is to develop such a collection system, with low cost, which allows a simple and large implantation in all the massive gathering of citizens. The types of plastics considered during the concept phase of this project include the PET, the HDPE, the LDPE and the PP; their known technical charactestics and their massive presence in our daily lives guided this choice. REC.ECO.PLAST is made up of five subsystems of the collection unit including the mechanical system, the optical system, the sorting system, the solar system and the control system. The resolution of the technical and financial challenges linked to the development of these different subsystems is a major step in this project. Enabling community engagement, this project will certainly improve people's lives and contribute to a sustainable environment