How to measure RVM availability by material stream

Measure availability for each material stream by dividing its usable minutes by its scheduled service minutes. If a reverse vending machine (RVM) still takes cans while bottle returns are suspended, the two streams have different availability. Recording both makes it easier to see which visitors need another return option and which interruption staff should investigate.

Which status should the operator record?

Start with the streams promised at that site, such as eligible PET bottles and aluminium cans. Some RVM configurations separate containers into different storage areas. Ask the installer what happens in the selected configuration when a bin fills, when it is removed, and when the machine enters service mode. One configuration may suspend a single stream, while another may pause the entire machine.

Record each change with the machine ID, stream, start time, reason, and restoration time. Distinguish a packaging rejection from a suspended stream. An ineligible bottle rejected during normal operation does not make the bottle stream unavailable. Record uncertainty when there is a gap between the last confirmed return and the first confirmed interruption. If you report a percentage while status is unknown, publish the unknown minutes alongside it and document how you handled them.

How does partial service change the daily figures?

In this example, the site offers both streams from 09:00 to 19:00. Bottle returns are suspended from noon to 14:00, and cans stay available throughout. The PET stream is available for 480 of 600 minutes, or 80%. Cans are available for 600 of 600 minutes, or 100%. Both streams are available together for 80% of the day. A site-wide measure based on whether any stream is available would show 100%, so label that measure clearly if you report it.

What should the shift team do with the record?

1. Update the return instructions to say which containers the machine can accept now and where visitors can take the affected containers. Use the programme’s verified alternative.
2. Assign the interruption to the role that can respond. For a full bin, record when the collection request went out and when service resumed. Those two timestamps help the next shift tell whether the alert came late or the response took longer than planned.
3. Follow the approved service procedure and confirm restored service with an eligible sample from the affected stream before closing the record. If multiple incidents overlap, count their shared unavailable minutes once.

Use the RVM pilot evaluation guide for the wider service review, and the collection frequency guide if repeated full bins point to a pickup schedule that needs adjustment.