A team of Dubai-based inventors is on the verge of launching an innovative recycling bin that displays in detail the amount and value of plastics, paper, metals and other recyclables saved by consumers. The sense of interactivity is perfectly suited to the community culture of the United Arab Emirates, says the entrepreneur who came up with the idea Mostafa Nassar.

 

The bin is equipped with scales to measure how much material has been deposited while its customized processor sends the data to an interactive screen. Nassar, who works as business development manager at WMS Metal Industries, started on his patent-pending idea with little over US$500 at his disposal. A live demonstration, however, soon ensured the backing of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi.

 

The recycling bin is 'more personal' and 'shows exactly how we can impact the environment', according to Nassar. He now wants to develop a second recycling bin and hopes to market the solution both in the UAE and beyond. 'We got used to the UAE importing innovation and relying on the world to create this stuff, and we wanted to do the exact opposite,' he points out.

 

A mutual benefit

Professor Bruce Ferguson from the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology argues that the new concept 'has a good chance of being a successful product', adding that company/university research partnerships should be encouraged. 'It is becoming more and more expensive to do research and development and many companies have stopped doing it,' he says. Collaborations are 'mutually beneficial' because they reduce costs and train students for real-life situations.