Abstract
Plastic waste is one of the biggest problems facing our planet. From mountains to oceans, it pollutes our environment, can affect human health, and destroy ecosystems. While global plastic production was 1.5 Mt in 1950, by 2021, it will have risen to 390 Mt. Plastic products have an average lifespan of 10 y but can take up to 500 y to degrade. Not all people can be persuaded to do an activity immediately, even if the activity is genuinely beneficial or useful to society. An example is the case of plastic waste that the public can collect in the plastic waste recovery process. This is a critical point in the process, which needs to be taken in several directions to facilitate. The aim of this research is to develop a disruptive proposal for an innovative solution for the mandatory packaging return in Hungary with domestically developed recycle vending machines. This study outlines several possible solutions, such as multifunctional recycle vending machines, their placement at strategic locations, the use of innovative technologies, and the implementation of environmentally friendly operations at the design stage. The proposals set out the user requirements for the whole system and the steps needed to implement it in society.
