A reverse vending machine is a device that accepts used (empty) beverage containers and returns money to the user. The machines are popular in places that ...ReversevendingmachineFromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopediaJumptonavigationJumptosearchReversevendingmachineinanAldisupermarketinMunich,GermanyAreversevendingmachineisadevicethatacceptsused(empty)beveragecontainersandreturnsmoneytotheuser.Themachinesarepopularinplacesthathavemandatoryrecyclinglawsorcontainerdepositlegislation.InsomeplacessuchasintheUnitedStates,bottlerspaidfundsintoacentralizedpooltobedisbursedtopeoplewhorecycledthecontainers.Anyexcessfundsweretobeusedforgeneralenvironmentalcleanup,whiledistributorsandbottlersmakeaprofitwheneverconsumersfailtoreturnthebeveragecontainers.[1]Inotherplaces,suchasNorway,thestatemandatedthatavendorpayforrecycledbottles,butleftthesysteminthehandsofprivateindustry.InFinland,anexcisetaxisleviedonbeveragecontainersthatdon'tbelongtoacontainerdepositsystem.Contents1Operation2History3References4ExternallinksOperation[edit]PlaymediaVideoclipshowingareversevendingmachineinNorwayTherecyclerplacestheemptybottleorcanintothereceivingaperture;thehorizontalin-feedsystemallowstheusertoinsertcontainersoneatatime.(Analternativesystem,foundinmanyoldermachines,isoneinwhichtheuseropensadoorbyhandandplacestheemptycontainerinapan.Whenthedoorisreleasedandclosed,theprocesscontinues.)Thebottleorcanisthenautomaticallyrotated;thebottle/canisthenscannedbyanomnidirectionalUPCscanner,whichscansthebeveragecontainer'sUPC.Somesystemsusethecontainerform,embossing,materialorotheridentificationparameterstomatchthecontaineragainstthedatabaseinadditiontoorinsteadofthebarcode.[2]Onceacontainerisscanned,identified(matchedtodatabase)anddeterminedtobeaparticipatingcontainer,itisprocessedandtypicallycrushed(forone-time-usecontainers)toreduceitssize,toavoidspillagesofliquidandtoincreasestoragecapacity.Refillablecontainersarecollectedandsortedbyhandtobebroughtbacktothebottlingcompany.History[edit]Thefirstpatentfora"