Students design new-look recycling bin

Senior design team members (from left) Matt McDonald, Matt King and Addie Spicer flanked by their new recycling bin prototype (left) and the model currently in use statewide. Team member Seth Charna is not shown.

4:17 p.m., Feb. 4, 2005--A new recycling container designed by a team of University of Delaware mechanical engineering seniors may become the standard throughout Delaware if testing on the prototype is completed successfully, a state official said.

The new, bright red container was designed by a team of four students in collaboration with the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA) with the aim of increasing the recycling rate in the state by attracting more site sponsors statewide and providing greater recycling accessibility to Delawareans under the voluntary recycling program, Recycle Delaware.

The state agency is planning to replace the current containers--box-shaped “front end” steel containers painted different colors and modified with openings on their fronts to accommodate recyclables--with more attractive containers that meet industry standards and can be hoisted by any generic front-loading compactor trash truck, Pat Canzano, chief operating officer at DSWA, said.

The task was presented to Seth Charna, Matt King, Matt McDonald and Addie Spencer, who met with Canzano to discuss the project and DSWA’s goal, before they created the new design under the supervision of adviser Michael Keefe, associate professor of mechanical engineering. The team met regularly, often for hours at a time, in the basement of Spencer Laboratory, King said.

“On some occasions we had to get up pretty early to complete validation tests and, on several occasions, we had to drive to Baltimore to meet with Fabricators Steel,” Charna said. “For me, the toughest part was putting all the information we gathered down onto paper. There was so much information, and we had to ensure we presented it accurately. Good communication is extremely important to ensure project completion.”

After redesigning the mechanics of the container, the team discussed and made decisions on painting schemes, locking mechanisms and lid design for the prototype. The project earned the team top place in UD’s senior mechanical engineering design presentations Dec. 13.

The presentations are the results of a required capstone engineering practice course, in which student teams develop real engineering system designs based on specific customer requirements, develop engineering specifications and generate concepts that they can justify. The teams then design, fabricate, assemble, test and improve an actual prototype.

In the final report, the team wrote that it chose the new container shape--a rounded triangular front profile--based on the recycling symbol and integrated the hoist sleeves into the front profile of the body for improved aesthetics, ability to be recognized, structural integrity and cost effectiveness.

The new design includes plastic lids because of their quietness while being emptied and for their cost-effectiveness. Side-mounted automatic locks were chosen for their low profile, unobtrusive aesthetics, cost-effectiveness and the ease with which they can be locked and unlocked. Several changes were made based on feedback from DSWA officials, and the design can be tweaked before it becomes final, the report stated.

“DSWA is extremely pleased with the design team's final concept and presentation,” Canzano said. “The design process is well-suited to projects of this type and it is a credit to the University, its faculty and senior mechanical engineering design students. We are currently field-testing the new design at the Laird Campus and the plan is to convert all of the containers at Laird to the new design. Ultimately, if the field testing results are positive, all the Recycle Delaware containers may be converted.”

DSWA has about 140 Recycle Delaware centers throughout the state, with an average of seven containers per center. The locations of the centers are available on the agency’s web site, [www.dswa.com].

“I was really excited about the project,” Charna said. “I knew that if we succeeded, the outcome would be visible for years to come. Also, it was possible for the new containers to go nationwide, which increased my excitement. We had a great team, and I had no doubt it would be a success, but I never would have guessed we would be rated as the top project.”

Besides fulfilling academic requirements, the design project was an excellent lesson on teamwork, King said. “Each one of us brought a specific gift to the team. It's amazing how so many different people are wired differently, and it all seems to work out the best that way,” he said.

Article by Martin Mbugua
Photo by Tyler Jacobson

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