Compaction is one of the most visible features of a reverse vending machine, but it is not the main reason RVMs exist. The core purpose of an RVM is to act as an automated, fraud‑resistant return point in a DRS or a non‑DRS collection initiative. Compaction is a crucial supporting technology that:

• Makes fraud harder (you cannot re‑return already redeemed containers).
• Increases density for onward logistics (far fewer truckloads).
• Reduces how often machines need emptying, improving uptime and economics.

This article explains how Recyclever’s patented compactor in the RVM5 range works, why it is designed the way it is, and how it connects to CO₂ and real‑world operations.

1. Why compaction is more than “fitting more in the bin”

From a distance, it looks like the job of a compactor is simply to squash containers so the bin lasts longer. In practice, a well‑designed compactor sits at the intersection of:

• Fraud prevention

  • Once a container has been flattened inside the RVM, it cannot realistically be re‑inserted as if it were new.
  • The machine’s computer vision recognises that silhouette as “already compacted” and refuses it.

• Logistics and CO₂

  • PET bottles and aluminium cans are mostly air.
  • By compressing them to around 20–40% of their original volume (commonly around 80% volume reduction, and never less than 60–65%), you can move far more material per truck.
  • Fewer truck trips for the same tonnage mean lower transport emissions and simpler operations.

• Machine economics and uptime

  • Denser material in the bin means fewer empties.
  • Fewer empties mean less staff time, lower service costs, and more time the machine is in “ready” state.

At the same time, Recyclever deliberately does not shred PET or aluminium:

• Shredding could give even higher compaction rates, but
• It creates material that many recycling plants find less efficient to handle; they typically want containers intact but flattened, not turned into flakes or confetti.

So the design target is: high, but not destructive, compaction.

2. Dual vs mono compactor: chambers and flexibility

RVM5 machines can be configured with either a mono or a dual compactor.

• Dual compactor (two chambers)

  • Ready for material separation.
  • Each chamber has its own set of blades, tuned to the specific material feeding into it.
  • Example: one chamber optimised for PET bottles, the other for aluminium cans, or one light‑material chamber and one glass‑breaking chamber.

• Mono compactor (single chamber)

  • One chamber handles everything.
  • If only one material is collected, blades can be fully optimised for that material.
  • If two materials share the same chamber, Recyclever uses a hybrid blade design that balances the needs of both.

This flexibility fits into Recyclever’s broader modularity of design philosophy:

• The same basic compactor architecture can be configured in the factory for different material mixes.
• It can be reconfigured in the field years later if the initiative changes scope.

3. The patented roller and blade system

At the heart of the RVM5 compactor are:

• Rollers on which the blades are bolted.
• Bolt‑on blades with a unique geometry comprising:
  • Feeder sections that grab and pull containers into the compaction zone.
  • Memory‑losing sections that deform the container so it cannot spring back.

Key characteristics:

• The process is continuous and rolling, not a simple “ram stroke”:

  • A pre‑feeder forces containers into the roller gap.
  • The blades then grab, flatten and pass containers through in a smooth motion.
  • This supports consistent throughput rather than one in/one out cycles.

• Blades are fully removable:

  • In the factory, the same compactor body can be given different blades for PET, alu, or mixed materials.
  • In the field, blades can be replaced to restore “day one” performance.

A typical blade change for an average engineer:

• Access the compactor area and manually move the rollers into the right position.
• For each blade:
  • Remove two bolts.
  • Slide the old blade off.
  • Install the new blade.
  • Re‑fit the bolts.
• Mono compactor: around 6 blades.
• Dual compactor: around 12 blades.

Blade change is measured in minutes, not hours, and does not require exotic skills. This keeps long‑term maintenance predictable and affordable.

The patent revolves around this unique roller plus bolt‑on blade architecture, which combines:

• High compaction performance.
• Tunability for different materials.
• Safety and serviceability.

4. PET: memory, scarring and silhouette recognition

PET is one of the most challenging materials to compact well:

• It has a strong shape memory: if you simply squeeze it and let go, it will try to spring back.
• It must remain recognisable and recyclable afterwards.

Recyclever’s PET compaction goals are:

• Keep the bottle in one piece.
• Flatten it significantly (typically targeting around 80% volume reduction).
• Eliminate memory so it does not re‑inflate.
• Scar the bottle and often the barcode area enough that:
  • It cannot be reinflated for fraud.
  • It still remains acceptable for downstream recycling processes.

The compactor’s rolling action means:

• Bottles are continuously pulled, squeezed and deformed along the rollers.
• This repeated deformation is what removes memory and creates controlled scarring.

On the fraud side:

• Computer vision includes an “already compacted” silhouette detection.
• Lightly squeezed bottles that users have compressed a little to fit in a bag are still accepted – the system is tuned with a certain tolerance.
• Bottles that have clearly passed through a compactor (very flat, characteristic creasing) are refused.

The combination of mechanical scarring and vision‑based silhouette checks makes it very difficult to collect compacted bottles from an RVM bag and feed them again for extra credit.

5. Aluminium cans: ductility and edge control

Aluminium behaves in the opposite way to PET:

• It is very ductile and easy to flatten.
• If you over‑crush or design the blades badly, you create:
  • Long, knife‑like fins.
  • Fractured shards with very sharp edges.

Recyclever’s alu compaction design focuses on:

• Achieving very high compaction rates (even higher than PET) while
• Avoiding the creation of dangerous edges.

This is done via:

• Blade geometry specifically tailored to flatten the can evenly.
• Controlled deformation that stops short of tearing or fracturing the metal.

From a maintenance point of view:

• Aluminium does wear blades differently from PET, but not dramatically so.
• With removable blades and planned service intervals, wear is addressed by simple blade replacement rather than complex rebuilds.

6. Glass: controlled breaking, not pulverising

Glass presents a different challenge again:

• Bottles must be broken to:
  • Prevent fraud (intact bottles could theoretically be reused).
  • Increase density for transport.
• But they should not be ground into dust.

In RVM5:

• Glass bottles are routed through a designated chamber of the compactor.
• The pre‑feeder and compaction blades force‑break the bottles.
• The resulting shards and fragments drop down into a bagged glass bin.

Because glass formulations and wall thicknesses vary:

• Shard sizes cannot be perfectly controlled.
• The process can generate some noise as the compactor “works” through the glass.

Design intent:

• Shards are generally large pieces, not glass powder.
• This improves safety compared with ultra‑fine fragments.
• It also produces material that glass recyclers can melt efficiently.

Operators must:

• Use the special liner bags supplied for glass.
• Handle full bags carefully (avoid tilting or dropping).
• Follow basic PPE guidance when working around the glass bin.

The payoff is significant:

• Very high‑density glass cullet in each bag.
• Easier, more efficient glass recycling logistics.

7. Energy use, duty cycle and operating profile

An RVM5 compactor is designed to run efficiently across a typical day’s usage rather than starting and stopping with each container.

7.1. Energy profile

A typical figure for RVM5 is around:

• 1.4 kWh per day, assuming:
  • Around 1,000 containers.
  • Approximately 14–15 hours of active availability.

Power characteristics:

• Standby: roughly 40–100 W depending on model and configuration.
• Compaction peaks: up to around 500–1,250 W for short moments when the compactor is working hard.

Over a month, even at busy sites, compactor energy is small compared with the CO₂ and cost savings in logistics from high‑density material.

7.2. Duty cycle and flow

The compactor is programmed for continuous operation within a session:

• When a return session starts, the compactor begins to move.
• It does not start and stop for each individual container.
• Between sessions, it runs in reverse briefly to clear itself and prevent build‑up.

The pre‑compaction chamber is intentionally allowed to hold a few containers:

• Rather than insisting on “one in, one out”, a small buffer of two or three containers can remain and be processed when the next container arrives.
• This keeps the mechanical flow smoother and the experience faster, especially at busy sites.

Temperature protection and mechanical design ensure that even at high use rates, the compactor remains within its intended duty cycle, without overheating or stalling.

8. Compaction, trucks and CO₂: why density matters

The impact of compaction on logistics is easiest to understand if you zoom out to country scale:

• In any given market, billions of beverage containers are sold each year.
• Without compaction, PET and alu take up huge amounts of air in bins, cages and trucks.
• With 70–80% volume reduction, you effectively:
  • Multiply the payload of each truck several times.
  • Cut the number of trips required to move the same tonnage of material.

Even if you take a conservative view:

• Loose PET/alu vs compacted PET/alu could easily be the difference between, say, four or five truckloads vs one for the same weight.
• Each truck journey avoided represents:
  • Fuel not burned.
  • Driver hours not spent.
  • Congestion and emissions avoided.

From a CO₂ perspective, the compactor is a force multiplier on the environmental benefit created by the collection initiative. But it is important to remember:

• No one buys an RVM “just because it compacts”.
• The primary driver is:
  • DRS: letting users redeem the deposit they paid on containers at purchase.
  • Non‑DRS: creating a structured, incentivised collection initiative (e.g. encouraging people to pick up litter from streets and parks and return it for rewards).

Compaction is a small but essential brick in the overall mechanical, electronic and software technology stack that makes the system viable at scale.

9. Why “no compactor” or weak compaction is a false economy

Some low‑end machines or simple collection bins try to position themselves as “good enough” without proper compaction. In practice, this often leads to:

• Overflow and downtime

  • Bins fill up very quickly.
  • Machines go out of service more often.
  • Staff have to empty containers far more frequently.

• Higher fraud risk

  • Without strong compaction, containers remain closer to their original shape.
  • It is easier to imagine re‑inserting them, especially if the machine lacks advanced silhouette recognition.

• Poor logistics efficiency

  • More truck journeys, more driver time, higher CO₂ per tonne.
  • Higher handling cost per container.

• Weaker recycling performance

  • Mixed or loosely compacted material can be physically damaged in transport.
  • Recyclers may be less enthusiastic about such streams.

By contrast, a well‑designed compactor like Recyclever’s:

• Integrates smoothly with fraud prevention logic.
• Delivers predictable, high‑density material streams.
• Reduces handlings and interventions.
• Fits into a modular architecture where blades can be reconfigured as initiatives evolve.

Read more

Designing an RVM Collection Initiative (DRS and non‑DRS)
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Technical deep‑dive into how PET, aluminium, glass and cartons behave in an RVM, why separation matters, and how compaction and material choices affect real recycling and logistics.

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RecyHub: Data, Telemetry and Analytics for RVM Fleets
How RecyHub collects and distributes data from RVM5 machines: containers, compaction events, faults, vouchers and API integrations, enabling operators to optimise performance and prove impact.