Jerry de Vos at Deft University in the Netherlands designed a hand-held Plastic Scanner which uses infrared light to detect plastic components and assess whether or not they are recyclable.

It is a low-cost method of testing materials aiming to help reduce landfill waste. It utilizes open-source hardware to make the same technology used in European sorting facilities available to anyone capable of assembling the electronics into a device.

The Plastic Scanner named among the winners of the 2021 Dyson Awards.

“Discrete near-infrared spectroscopy makes it possible to identify over 75% of all plastic used in everyday life,” Jerry de Vos explained. “Therefore, it became my mission to make this technology accessible to recyclers in low and middle-income countries.”

The Plastic Scanner has been named among the winners of the 2021 Dyson Awards which was set up by vacuum cleaner tycoon James Dyson in order to honor the next generation of design engineers.

“It may be fashionable to demonize plastic but it is a durable and versatile material which has an important role to play,” remarked James Dyson. “The challenge, of course, is ensuring it is reused and recycled effectively to avoid it going to landfill. Understanding how to recycle plastics correctly is complicated but Jerry has developed a very effective technology that could put this knowledge into everyone’s hands.”

Jerry de Vos at Deft University in the Netherlands designed a hand-held Plastic Scanner which uses infrared light to detect plastic components and assess whether or not they are recyclable.

It is a low-cost method of testing materials aiming to help reduce landfill waste. It utilizes open-source hardware to make the same technology used in European sorting facilities available to anyone capable of assembling the electronics into a device.

The Plastic Scanner named among the winners of the 2021 Dyson Awards.

“Discrete near-infrared spectroscopy makes it possible to identify over 75% of all plastic used in everyday life,” Jerry de Vos explained. “Therefore, it became my mission to make this technology accessible to recyclers in low and middle-income countries.”

The Plastic Scanner has been named among the winners of the 2021 Dyson Awards which was set up by vacuum cleaner tycoon James Dyson in order to honor the next generation of design engineers.

“It may be fashionable to demonize plastic but it is a durable and versatile material which has an important role to play,” remarked James Dyson. “The challenge, of course, is ensuring it is reused and recycled effectively to avoid it going to landfill. Understanding how to recycle plastics correctly is complicated but Jerry has developed a very effective technology that could put this knowledge into everyone’s hands.”