Seven Evidence Files to Request Before Comparing Reverse Vending Machine Quotes

A reverse vending machine quote becomes useful when a buyer can connect each promise to a configuration, a test and an operating responsibility. Two proposals with the same headline price may cover different packaging, software, installation work and collection arrangements.

Ask bidders to respond with the same seven evidence files. They can be short documents, drawings or structured schedules. Their purpose is to expose differences before those differences become site problems.

Disclosure: This guide was prepared for RECYNEX, a supplier of reverse vending and beverage-container return systems. The checklist is vendor-neutral and is not evidence of any supplier’s certification, throughput or scheme approval.

1 The programme boundary

State whether the project is part of a regulated deposit-return scheme, a voluntary reward programme or a separate collection service. Identify the operating jurisdiction, intended users, eligible packaging and downstream receiver.

Ask which organization authorizes participation and whether approval applies to the supplier, equipment configuration, software connection or operator. These are separate questions. For example, Ireland’s Re-turn directs retailers purchasing or leasing an RVM to its approved supplier list. That requirement should be checked before equipment selection; it is not satisfied by a generic “DRS-ready” description. Re-turn retailer information

For another market, obtain the current requirements from that scheme’s operator or relevant authority. This checklist does not establish RECYNEX’s eligibility for any regulated scheme.

2 A versioned packaging test schedule

“Bottles and cans” is too broad for acceptance. Give each sample an identifier and record its material, size, shape, label condition and programme eligibility. Include realistic rejected examples as well as items expected to pass.

Request separate evidence for recognition, acceptance and physical handling. A machine may identify a barcode without accepting that item under the programme’s rules. A displayed success message also needs to correspond to a completed physical return.

For every test, record the sample, condition, expected outcome, observed outcome and exception. Agree who can change the accepted list after installation, what testing that change requires and how visitor instructions will be updated.

Do not ask staff to test unsafe contamination or bypass protective controls. A competent project team should approve the test plan and its safe execution.

3 The installed configuration drawing

Request a configuration identifier and a drawing showing the cabinet, service envelope, storage arrangement and required connections. Include the installation route as well as the final position: doors, lifts, turning points and floor constraints can matter before the first return.

Mark which dimensions and utility requirements are confirmed and which depend on an option. Ask the supplier to identify environmental operating limits and provide supporting documentation for any claimed protection rating.

Words such as “compact” or “outdoor” cannot replace this evidence. Require the bidder to state what the site must provide and who approves installation, electrical work and any building changes.

4 A performance test definition

A rate or capacity has little meaning without its conditions. Ask whether a throughput figure describes a mechanism’s intake rate, a whole customer transaction or sustained operation including routine interruptions.

The test definition should state:

• Equipment and software configuration
• Container mix and presentation condition
• Measurement start and finish points
• Accepted, rejected and repeated attempts
• Operator assistance and interruptions
• Storage arrangement and full-state behavior

Set project acceptance criteria before the trial. Do not copy a universal target from another site. A short demonstration with selected containers should not be extrapolated into an annual return-volume or availability promise.

For storage, connect usable capacity to the proposed collection interval and the tested material mix. Ask what happens when one stream fills before another.

5 An operating responsibility sheet

List each recurring task and assign an owner: cleaning, consumables, storage exchange, collection, fault response, software support and downstream handover. Include operating hours and access restrictions.

For a service promise, request the geographical coverage, support hours, first-response definition, exclusions and escalation route. Clarify whether the quoted service includes parts, labor, travel and preventive work. An alert arriving in a dashboard is not the same as someone being available to act on it.

Have the intended operators review the proposed handling tasks. HSE’s manual-handling guidance emphasizes avoiding hazardous handling where possible, assessing unavoidable tasks and reducing risk; load weight alone is not a complete assessment. Apply the relevant local requirements with competent personnel. HSE manual-handling guidance

6 An event and reconciliation example

Where software or rewards are included, ask for a worked example linking an accepted physical return to its recorded event and any resulting reward. Identify which system owns eligibility, balances, adjustments and reporting.

Agree tests for loss of connectivity, delayed messages, duplicate delivery and interrupted transactions. Require a defined recovery result and a way to reconcile exceptions. “Integration available” needs named systems, data fields, responsibilities and acceptance criteria.

Keep collection records distinct from return counts. A recorded intake is not proof that material reached a recycler, and a collection task marked complete is not necessarily evidence of physical handover.

7 A comparable cost and exception schedule

Separate equipment, delivery, installation, site works, consumables, connectivity, software, maintenance and end-of-term obligations. Record currency, tax treatment, payment milestones and any recurring commitment. A blank item needs clarification rather than an assumed zero.

Ask every bidder to mark each requirement as included, optional, customer-provided or unsupported. Evaluate important requirements as gates before scoring attractive extras. A low price cannot resolve an unapproved operating route or a missing collection owner.

RECYNEX’s equipment range can be discussed against this same evidence pack. Product names and visualizations do not establish site-specific technical specifications; those belong in the agreed configuration and acceptance documents.

The procurement result should be a proposal whose assumptions are visible and testable. That gives the buyer a sound basis for clarification, a pilot decision and eventually a contract, without relying on promotional adjectives.