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Three young Bahraini computer engineers are confident that their ever-improving 'cash for trash' proposal will provide a profitable incentive to encourage more Bahrainis and expats living in the kingdom to recycle.
'Cash trash' is a sophisticated rubbish bin, designed by Ahmed Al Tayeb, 25, Ghassan Ali Juma, 24 and Ahmed Majdi, 22, that rewards users for discarding empty soft drink cans intelligently.
The young techies have put together a blue-tooth enabled fridge-size prototype that can hold approximately 2,000 cans and can identify a user through a radio frequency identification card.
They are developing a more portable version to attract even more consumers and will now enter the Imagine Cup 2011, an international competition organised by technology giant, Microsoft.
The machine has a touch-screen and provides environment-friendly information and records the number of cans a user has recycled.
The trio's idea is to generate funds by selling discarded empty cans for scrap and to reward the users' good habits with gifts and vouchers.
Based on research conducted in 2008 they found that, on average, a student consumes around 1.8 cans of soft drink per day. The young men are convinced that their venture would prove profitable even if only half of the empty cans generated at Bahrain University were recycled. At current prices offered by scrap aluminium dealers (550fils per kilo) they could make a profit of approximately $5,000 or BD1,885 per month.
Going by the name Genius Touch, the team leader Ahmed Majdi, said: "We are convinced that this is something that the world needs.
"We know that this idea can make a change and we can help towards improving the environment if we are just given a chance. We are determined to make this project see the light of the day and, in the process, help Bahrain become a better place to live in."
The idea was first conceived three years ago by Ahmed along with his classmate Mahmood Thamer Al Reefi and the original plan was simply to collect cans and give points to people who joined the quest to recycle.
They entered their business idea into the Microsoft Imagine Cup and took the runners-up regional spot in 2008.
Encouraged, the group expanded and refined their idea and spent all their spare time and holidays making a workable prototype and a website.
They also managed to get sponsorship from Coca Cola and the project went on to win first place in the regional finals and made it to the world finals in Egypt.
This year the team continued the success story and were among the select teams to compete in the world finals in Poland.
Ahmed said: "We are planning to enter once more with a smaller, more portable prototype.
"We now have a dream to develop this project into a real life product. That is why we are continuing to work on and refine the project.
"Our experience in the Imagine Cup has been incredible. It has taken us to new places such as Warsaw in Poland, for example, which was never on our list of places to visit.
"We have learned how to use new computer software not taught in classrooms, we have also gained invaluable experience in programming as well as growing in confidence when it comes to meeting people and selling our ideas.
"The most important thing here is the idea ... it gets 60 per cent of the marks. The entire competition encourages you to imagine and I don't think it is hard for students to work on new ideas.
"Students have to believe in themselves. Initially our goal was just to travel to Dubai. When we went there and saw how they respect and encourage students we were motivated to achieve more. We now have two goals ... win the global finals and, more importantly, see Cash Trash in action in Bahrain."
Ahmed Al Tayeb, is a developer at the Ministry of Education, Ghassan, is a technical consultant and Ahmed Majdi, a webmaster and multimedia specialist, works at Al Watan News.
They also plan on entering a software design connected to health care in the 2011 competition. The team's website is www.cashtrash.net
