Wrapper Picker – A Magic Tool For Sanitation Workers

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Author – Rashi Akanksha

In today’s world, most of us are occupied with our daily life and we barely have any time to think about the environment around us. Cleaning staff and sanitation workers working for municipal corporations do the important task of keeping our surroundings clean for us. Trash from packaged food wrappers, pamphlets, plastic bags end up thrown away on roads, parks and elsewhere in the city. sanitation workers do the job of picking up these trash items from the ground, which is extremely cumbersome work and is quite laborious. This is one of the most difficult and selfless jobs for which they are neither recognized nor rewarded for what they deserve.  

The idea – Wrapper Picker

Source: Yourstory

Back in 2014, two brothers Mukul Malviya and Diptanshu Malviya observed a middle-aged street sweeper hand-picking waste pouches, pieces of paper, and empty wrappers littered around. They were shocked to see how rigorous the task was. The man had to bend down every time and pick the small bits manually. This gave rise to the potential idea of creating a device that could pick up litter without so much hard work. This was the origin of ‘Wrapper Picker’. 

The wrapper picker machine is the first of its kind, which has two spiral combs placed on a flexible rotating base at the bottom. When these combs rotate in opposite directions, a good amount of friction is created in between the comb spikes that lift litter from the ground. This trash gets collected in a bin attached in the form of a cuboidal structure at the top. The bin has an open flap at the bottom, which collects the dirt. The machine has a handle long enough to be operated easily. The comb brushes are just a few millimeters above the ground level, which prevents grit from getting picked up. It’s ideal for picking up paper plates, napkins and cups after an outdoor lunch or dinner party. 

Boon for sanitary workers

Mukul and Diptanshu designed their Wrapper Picker device in such a way that it could perform this tough task of litter picking and make the lives easier for sanitation workers. This device was created as a small-scale school project so it was not considered for a large-scale commercial implementation. Considering their innovative idea, Mukul and Diptanshu were awarded the prestigious IGNITE award in 2015. They also won a national award from the National Innovation Foundation – an autonomous body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in 2017. 

The National Innovation Foundation is now providing the duo with the necessary institutional support required to scale up the wrapper picker machine and reach out to potential buyers. The machine could also be monetized by doing a few changes suggested by the NIF. According to Diptanshu, the project is in its last stage of patent filing and will require a few necessary modifications before being released into the market. They have not decided on the machine’s pricing yet. 

The wrapper picker device has two variations depending on the usage. One would be for domestic purposes, having a small trash collector. The other one would be for commercial usage in large industries or commercial facilities that will need a larger trash collector. 

Advantages

Unlike vacuum cleaners that require high voltage power for operation, Wrapper Picker is a rechargeable battery-powered device with just 24 voltage and 8-ampere battery that can run the device for up to 8 hours. The device is an eco-friendly innovation since it can also work on solar energy, which is also a great step toward the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign. The machine could be really helpful in cleaning the small bits of litter that are often consumed by animals, or clog the sewers.

It is also a great initiative towards the thousands of cleanliness workers who manually pick up each litter piece by bending down as it reduces human effort. The machine is easy to operate and maintain and handy enough to be moved to the desired location. The trash collectors as well as the spiral combs are detachable thus they can be easily changed. Wheels attached to it make it easier to move around. The biggest advantage of this wrapper picker is that it is a battery-operated device, therefore it does not require any constant supply of electricity. 

Disadvantages

However, the Wrapper Picker is still under research and development before it makes it to the market. The device’s trash bin needs to be cleaned regularly. The machine is only efficient to pick small bits of paper, paper cups so it cannot work on other heavier or bigger waste. It does not serve the purpose of segregating the waste, though that could be done by a few modifications, as Diptanshu stated. The machine is inefficient in picking up any wet waste.

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