Coin Sorting Machine

This a project I was assigned for my high school robotics class. We learned about single-stream recycling which is used by many recycling companies today. It refers to a system in which all paper fibers, plastics, metals, and other containers are mixed in a collection truck, instead of being sorted by the depositor into separate commodities (newspaper, paperboard, corrugated fiberboard, plastic, glass, etc.) and handled separately throughout the collection process. In single-stream, both the collection and processing systems are designed to handle this fully commingled mixture of recyclables, with materials being separated for reuse at a materials recovery facility. The single-stream option replaces the dual-stream option, which is where people separate certain recyclable materials and place them in separate containers for collection. Most larger cities use this system but need more affordable and reliable processes are needed. Companies such as Waste Management are looking to use more automated and mechanical machines to sort recycling.  After learning about recycling our design brief was to design and build a small scale machine that facilitates single stream recycling using coins to represent recyclable material.