Garbage Gladiator

Global warming, habitat destruction, greenhouse gas emissions, and plastic pollution. Those words don’t feel good, do they? They’re meanings are not any better. In schools across the world, students are taught about these negative events and the effects that come with them. How can us, the next generation, stand idle when the world is facing such great problems and challenges that can threaten our futures existence? The planet we call home, the land we live and die on, might just be a figment of the past if we don’t do something. This is why we decided to create an innovative garbage bin that can turn simply throwing away garbage into energy, making a sustainable choice for one’s lifestyle.

1. Logbook

2. Create/understand rubric

3. Complete background research along with bibliography

4. Begin the design process

5. Create a prototype (rough draft)

6. Begin building original prototype digitally

7. Complete ethics

8. Gather materials

9. Begin building prototype

10. Finish building prototype

11. Make any additional things for the prototype

12. Receive trifold/design and build

13. Work on showcase for judges

14. Create effective presentation method

15. Finalise “pitch”

16. Present on Feb. 21 2025!!

Our mechanism in the project is quite similar to the one below. Point C would be our gear that rotates when the garbage hits it, Point A being the red gear attached to the axle. Finally, Point B would represent the other yellow pulley motor that is connected to the mini dynamo motor, creating electricity. This mechanism for our science fair project was inspired by wind turbines.

Our project gives garbage one final use to benefit the planet before disposal, providing an alternative source of electricity to help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and finite resources. We generate electricity sustainably, without harming the planet or depleting non-renewable resources like fossil fuels. We aim to implement this mechanism in various areas that generate rotational energy, such as playground equipment (swings, merry-go-rounds), exercise machines (stationary bikes, ab rollers), and children's toys (fidget spinners, toy car wheels). Additionally, we can integrate it into rivers, where currents move the flaps, or wind turbines to harness more energy. While not all of these methods are guaranteed to work, we must make every effort to mitigate climate change.

“Energy Recovery from the Combustion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW),” US EPA, https://www.epa.gov/energy/energy-recovery-combustion-municipal-solid-waste-msw, Accessed October 5, 2024.

“Waste Gasification: How Old Technology Can Solve a Modern Problem,” Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/news-insights/waste-gasification-how-old-technology-can-solve-a-modern-problem/#:~:text=Waste%20gasification%20is%20a%20chemical,and%20inert%20slag%20or%20char, Accessed October 7, 2024.

“Pyrolysis as a Waste Management Solution,” ScienceDirect, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1364032121003610#:~:text=Pyrolysis%20is%20generally%20a%20process,oil%2C%20biochar%2C%20and%20syngas, Accessed October 21, 2024.

“What is Pyrolysis?” Student Energy, https://studentenergy.org/conversion/pyrolysis/#:~:text=What%20is%20Pyrolysis%3F-,Pyrolysis%20is%20the%20process%20of%20heating%20organic%20material%20at%20high,into%20combustible%20gases%20and%20charcoal, Accessed October 29, 2024.

“The Hand Crank Generator,” Purdue Physics, https://www.physics.purdue.edu/demos/display_page.php?item=6B-14#:~:text=The%20Hand%20Crank%20Generator%20is,by%20simply%20turning%20a%20crank, Accessed October 7, 2024.

“Hand Crank Generator Technical Guide,” Rockit Science, https://rockitscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/handcranktg.pdf, Accessed October 21, 2024.

“Piezoelectric Energy: Generating Electricity from Pedestrians,” Energy Floors, https://energy-floors.com/generating-electricity-from-pedestrians/#:~:text=Piezoelectric%20tiles%20are%20one%20of,of%20people%20walking%20on%20them, Accessed October 29, 2024.

“Turning Waste Into Energy: Sweden’s Recycling Revolution,” Blue Ocean Strategy, https://www.blueoceanstrategy.com/blog/turning-waste-energy-sweden-recycling-revolution/#:~:text=Only%201%25%20of%20Sweden's%20trash,homes%20and%20electricity%20to%20250%2C000, Accessed October 21, 2024.

“Waste-to-Energy Technology,” Babcock & Wilcox, https://www.babcock.com/home/renewable/waste-to-energy/waste-to-energy-technology/#:~:text=Waste%20to%20energy%20is%20one,our%20dependence%20on%20fossil%20fuels, Accessed October 29, 2024.

“How Does Anaerobic Digestion Work?” US EPA, https://www.epa.gov/agstar/how-does-anaerobic-digestion-work#:~:text=Anaerobic%20digestion%20is%20a%20process,in%20the%20absence%20of%20oxygen, Accessed October 5, 2024.

Non Applicable