After some recent feedback, i will be adding a pinned comment explaining what everything is! Q: What is this machine called and what does it do? A: A reverse vending machine (RVM). These machines take empty bottles and cans and allow you to redeem them for a receipt. This receipt can then be cashed out or used towards your purchase at the store. Q: Where can you find RVM’s? A: Most grocery stores have them. Supermarkets also usually have them. In some places like Australia and the US, they have redemption centers full of the things. Keep in mind not everywhere has a bottle bill / deposit return system. Q: Are these machines reliable? A: If cleaned regularly, serviced and maintained, RVM’s can last for decades. Some stores or machines have their quirks, likbe this one having bin status, which is rare for a Tomra T-9. Q: How does an RVM work? A: There are 3 main types: Spinners: These split the conveyor and spin the returnable round and round to zap it’s barcode before it gets sucked up and squashed. Hoovers: These use a 360-degree scanner, like Tomra’s OneRing to zap the barcodes. Then they suck the returnables up and squash them. Bucket Wheel Excavators: These use a singular wheel to scoop up returnables onto a conveyor, then the process is the same as the Hoovers.
After some recent feedback, i will be adding a pinned comment explaining what everything is!
Q: What is this machine called and what does it do?
A: A reverse vending machine (RVM). These machines take empty bottles and cans and allow you to redeem them for a receipt. This receipt can then be cashed out or used towards your purchase at the store.
Q: Where can you find RVM’s?
A: Most grocery stores have them. Supermarkets also usually have them. In some places like Australia and the US, they have redemption centers full of the things. Keep in mind not everywhere has a bottle bill / deposit return system.
Q: Are these machines reliable?
A: If cleaned regularly, serviced and maintained, RVM’s can last for decades. Some stores or machines have their quirks, likbe this one having bin status, which is rare for a Tomra T-9.
Q: How does an RVM work?
A: There are 3 main types:
Spinners: These split the conveyor and spin the returnable round and round to zap it’s barcode before it gets sucked up and squashed.
Hoovers: These use a 360-degree scanner, like Tomra’s OneRing to zap the barcodes. Then they suck the returnables up and squash them.
Bucket Wheel Excavators: These use a singular wheel to scoop up returnables onto a conveyor, then the process is the same as the Hoovers.