Reverse Vending

Here at Excel Vending, we are committed to the environment and we are proud to lead the way with new initiatives designed to improve the environment.

Reverse vending and the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme is an initiative that we are proud to have championed in Scotland and we were delighted when Nicola Sturgeon announced in early September 2017 that the Scottish government intends to introduce such a scheme in the next 12 months.

Prior to this announcement, Excel Vending had already installed a state-of-the-art reverse vending machine with 360 Degree scanning technology in our East Kilbride showroom.  These types of machines will play a pivotal role in enabling the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme and we are proud to be amongst those leading the fight against the growing problem of waste damaging our environment by investing in this technology.

What is a Deposit Return Scheme?

A Deposit Return Scheme is designed to encourage and incentivise consumers to deposit waste bottles and cans.  Similar schemes in other European countries have seen return rates of over 90% of plastic bottles and cans. The Deposit Return Scheme means that when you return a plastic bottle or can to a Reverse Vending Machine, you would be issued a voucher for 20p, which could be used against future purchases.

Alternatively, instead of taking the Voucher you could choose to donate it to a chosen Charity, so you could help the environment and some local charities at the same time.

Reverse Vending Machines

Reverse Vending Machines utilise advanced 360 degree scanning technology to identify, sort, collect and process used plastic bottles and cans ready for recycling or responsible disposal.

When a plastic bottle is returned to the machine, the machine will read the barcode on the bottle to check its weight, length and measurements.  The machine will then scan the barcode, pierce the bottle and compact it to 90% of its original volume. The compacted items can then be recycled into new containers or other packaging.

When the machine is full, the machine sends email alerts allowing for the resources to be collected and stored on site until a large enough quantity is collected. Each machine can hold approximately 500-600 bottles.

You can see the latest state-of-the-art Reverse Vending Machine at our showroom in East Kilbride where we will be happy to demonstrate how it works and outline the significant environmental benefits.

Below is a short video which shows some of the main features of the Reverse Vending Machine.

You can find out more about Reverse Vending on our dedicated Envirovend Website

Visit Envirovend website