As mentioned in the Royal Academy of Engineering article, engineers have a responsibility to look after the environment. As part of our commitment to sustainability, Team Echo has developed a plan to recycle the components from our micro-mouse.

The first step in recycling our micro-mouse will be disassembling it and grouping all the components based on the material they are made of. The first component we will disassemble is the PCB. We will desolder the resistors, capacitors, and diodes, leaving the plastic board with the copper wiring. This process also applies to the white line sensors and other components. The board will then be returned to the manufacturer for the separation of the copper wiring from the plastic board. Unfortunately, since holes have been drilled into the plastic board, it will need to be completely recycled before it can be used again next year.

Another crucial component is the battery. At the end of our micro-mouse journey, we will check the battery’s health and condition. If the condition is good, there will be no need to dispose of the lithium battery since it is rechargeable. However, if the battery is significantly degraded, it will be disposed of in compliance with hazardous waste regulations.