UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 06 NOVEMBER 2014
A recent Business School graduate is set to see her invention shown as part of a national exhibition this November.
Olga Militsi, who graduated in 2013 with a Masters of Business Administration, will be showcasing her 'Bin it to Win it' prototype as part of the Birmingham Made Me Design Expo on Wednesday 19 November.
Explaining her idea, Olga said: "Litter is an eyesore: everybody hates it, but everybody does it. Many public places don't have bins, so littering is something we have come to accept as part of our society.
"To solve this problem, we came up with an idea of giving litter value. What if every piece of packaging you had becomes a lottery ticket? What if picking someone else's litter meant you could win some money?"
Olga's 'Bin it to Win it' (or #BitWit) idea is an incentive scheme where people who bin their litter gets entered into a cash lottery. The more litter people put in the bin, the higher their chances of winning.
"We are looking to take this a step further by incorporating recycling into the mix, where binned items are recycled instead of being taken to landfill."
Olga has already teamed up with the Eco Café run by the Students' Union (pictured) to trial her invention, encouraging customers to bin their rubbish for a chance to win £10. The Eco Café is a sustainable mobile coffee stand that sells hot drinks and runs on electricity and natural gas.
Olga said: "Every person we spoke to at the Eco Café loved the idea. I'm thrilled that I'm now getting the opportunity to showcase my invention at the expo."