A lecturer from Atatürk University in Turkey’s Erzurum province has developed a solar-powered recycling container to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle plastic pollution. Zeynep Eren, a Department of Environmental Engineering lecturer, said the container, developed with the help of her students, compresses discarded plastics and transfers them to a collection chamber using solar energy. The technology eliminates energy costs and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent.
Eren stressed that recycling is one of the most critical steps in sustainability and that the planet’s self-renewal process cannot keep up with human consumption and pollution rates. Recycling plastic is important to increase the amount of waste and prevent microplastic pollution in soil and water.
The patent produced by Atatürk University aims to cope with plastic pollution and uses solar energy. She said that donated industrial materials were used for the sheet metal connections, while the plastic ties and apparatus were produced with a 3D printer. The solar panel and necessary battery materials were purchased.
By compressing the waste by up to 90 percent, the containers prevent overflowing and are supported by an automatic notification message system that alerts when the bin is full. This can reduce the number of trips made by garbage trucks and, accordingly, will help reduce the greenhouse gases from using fossil fuels.
The solar-powered recycling container is a significant development in the fight against plastic waste and greenhouse gas emissions. With the potential to be placed in all open areas, this technology could significantly impact waste management and plastic pollution reduction.
