In 2006, Grade 8 pupil Lucy Munro invented a really cool machine. It plays on a common human weakness - as motivation to recycle drinking cans. The weakness? Sweets, of course!

Lucy invented the Cool Can machine for the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists back in 2006. The machine consists of a pipe with a lever that tips as the crushed can passes into the collection bin.  The lever then hits a plunger that releases a gumball. Instant satisfaction for being good!

As you can imagine, this machine has won her numerous prizes – think Eskom Expo for Young Scientists medals, invites to science fairs in Namibia and Arizona, TV interviews on SABC 2… The best part was when Collect-a-Can approached her in 2007. They wanted to build their own model using her design!

Since then she’s been busy researching the effectiveness of the Cool Can machine at different schools.

HIP2B² caught up with this brainy girl to ask her a few questions…

HIP: What would you like to become and why?
Lucy: I'm not sure what I'm going to be one day, but it definitely won't be an office job.
 
HIP: Any tips for potential inventors?
Lucy: Never give up! Be like Edison, when he was asked about his failures when inventing the light bulb he said, "I did not fail to create the light bulb over 1000 times. I found over 1000 ways how not to create a light bulb."
 
HIP: What do you have for breakfast?
Lucy: I have one fried egg on toast with tomato sauce on the side of my plate.
 
HIP: If you invented a time machine which date would you punch in and why?
Lucy: I would go back to 20 July 1969 - the day when man (Neil Armstrong) took his first step onto the moon. I would have liked to have been there because it was a great moment in history when man took his first step into such a huge universe. I would also like to go far into the future and see if multiple universes exist.
 
HIP: What is the outcome of the research so far?
Lucy: The Cool Can Concept machine has been effective at all the schools so far, but it was most effective at Lydenburg Primary School, Estralita School for the Mentally Impaired and Mashishing High School.
 
HIP:  How did you get the idea?
Lucy: From 1998 - 2003 my family lived at the Bourke's Luck Potholes on the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve. There were can crushers on the premises for visitors to use. The visitors saw them as a chore and therefore didn’t use them. Later when looking for an Expo project I decided to see if people would be environmentally responsible if they were rewarded for recycling their cans and the Cool Can Concept was born.

You go girl! Keep on innovating...