For the past three years, ACS Athens student Fotini Vonatsou has been transforming a simple idea into a powerful tool for environmental awareness on campus. Joining the ACS Athens Open in its first cohort, she began with an ambitious goal: to make recycling easier, smarter, and more engaging for students. Today, that idea has grown into a fully functional interactive recycling system and the team is already planning version 3.0.

From Early Ideation to a Working Prototype

The journey began during her first year in the program, when Fotini and her original teammate, Qianhao Wang, explored how technology could motivate students to recycle correctly. Their early work, featured in the ACS Athens Institute’s article “ACS Athens Duo Seek to Make Recycling Easier and Engaging,” laid the conceptual foundation for a smart bin that could teach users how to sort waste properly.

In her second year, after forming a new team, Fotini helped turn that concept into a working prototype. This second version marked a major leap: the team moved from idea to engineering, building a system that students could interact with directly on campus.

Since then, Fotini and her team have been developing an upgraded version of the system, aiming for greater accuracy, smoother interaction, and expanded educational impact.

The Team Behind the Innovation

This year’s development phase brings together a dedicated group of student innovators who contribute to engineering, design, testing, data collection, and user-experience improvements. Alongside Fotini, the participating students include:

Maria Iliadi, Alexia Terezaki, Zoi Xydia, Maggie Al Maleh, Yiannis Apostolopoulos, Vasilis Giagtzoglou, Maximos Athanasopoulos, Natalia Myers, Lili Dryden, Daphne Raptis

How the Interactive Smart Bin Works

1. Scan the ItemThe user begins by tapping on the smart bin’s screen. This opens the camera interface, allowing the student to take a photo of the item they want to discard.
2. AI-Powered IdentificationOnce the picture is taken, it is securely sent to the team’s server. There, an AI model analyzes the image and identifies the material—plastic, paper, aluminum, or other recyclable categories.
3. Answer Quick Context QuestionsBecause many items have special considerations, the interface then prompts the user with a few clarifying questions based on the material type.

   These details help the system determine the correct recycling path.4. Receive Real-Time

4. Disposal GuidanceAfter processing all the information, the system displays the final decision: exactly which bin the item belongs in. The corresponding compartment physically opens, guiding the student to dispose of the item correctly.
5. Gamifying SustainabilityTo boost engagement, the team designed a house-point system. After recycling, the student selects his/her house, earning points toward an ongoing sustainability competition.

   The screen then shows a dynamic bar graph comparing house performance, turning recycling into a fun, collective challenge.

6. A Thank-You and a Closed BinThe session ends with a friendly thank-you message, and the bin closes—ready for the next user.

Looking Ahead

With two iterations already behind them, Fotini and her team are working toward the next version of the product.

What began as a conceptual project has become one of the most recognizable student innovations on campus, proof of what happens when creativity, engineering, and sustainability come together.