The "Talking Bin"With an ongoing commitment to reducing waste at St Joseph’s College, several students in the 2016 Sustainability Leadership team were inspired to create their own “Talking Bin” to make the process of recycling fun and incite others to recycle.
By identifying the key elements of the project as; design, construction and technology, the students collaborated to develop a design profile and the construction of the framework was outsourced. Taking ownership of the “talking components”, the year 7 students set to task to design and construct the electrical circuitry for the bin. In 2017, William Baum, Lachlan Demasi, Daniel Warfe (then year 8) entered the idea into the Upstart Challenge competition, making it through the first round to secure a place in the “top 12 ideas” (from 89) and winning the title of “Best Video Entry”. With overseas travel pending for Lachlan, Year 7 student Sascha Wheelwright joined the team. The “Talking Bin” idea was shortlisted further to the top six and the competition culminated in a pitching showdown at Cunningham Pier in August 2017. The team presented a fabulous pitch and charmed the crowd with their wit, humour and well-articulated speech, receiving acknowledgement from the judges for thorough research. Since the Upstart Challenge, the team have focused their energy on soldering and modifying the electrical components, seeking advice from the Systems Technology teacher Michael Davies and software advice from senior student Thomas Anderson. After burning out several Raspberry Pi devices, along the way, the “Talking Bin” is now a viable product. Utilising Green technology, The “Talking Bin” is powered by solar energy and comprises; a solar panel, battery storage, speaker and sensors. The small solar panel is located on the top of the bin for optimal performance and the other components are secured inside the framework. The façade of the bin was constructed with stainless steel, enabling poster images be adhered to the surface. In addition, the incorporation of a raspberry pi device into the circuitry, enables recorded sounds to be interchangeable, thus providing a continuum of interest and “buy in” from the general public. |
|