Design of a scale model for an interactive plastic bottle recycling machine in an indigenous community of Caloto (Cauca) Diseño de un modelo a escala para una máquina interactiva de reciclaje de botellas plásticas en una comunidad indígena de Caloto (Cauca)

Abstract

This article proposes a scale model of an interactive machine for recycling plastic bottles at the Tóez Ethnoeducational Educational Institution in Caloto (Cauca), whose idea is based on the interaction between members of the community and an automatic machine through a touch screen. The machine will have a plastic bottle recognition system and a level sensor that alerts when the container needs to be emptied. 

The process starts when the user approaches the interactive point and presses the start button on the touch screen. A menu of instructions is displayed on the screen for the user to remove the cap and locate both the cap and the bottle in the respective compartments. The plastic bottle must be recognized by the sensor to open the entrance to the container. This container will be monitored by a level sensor to give the fill alert if necessary. Once the process is finished, the screen will present an ecological video accompanied by a melody typical of the indigenous reservation. In order to motivate recycling, the machine will randomly generate a winning bonus for the person who deposits the bottle so that they can claim a prize at the rectory.