What’s that? It looks a bit like a dishwasher. But have a closer look and you’ll see it’s not a dishwasher. It’s the Sovereign “Green Machine”, more formally known as the EcoBin Waste Manager, and the latest must-have household gadget for those who are serious about waste reduction.

It’s an all-in-one, three-way waste management system that disposes of food waste and separately compacts cans and plastic bottles, effectively reducing the overall volume of household waste that has to be collected by the local council.

Here’s how it works:

The EcoBin system has three individual pull-out drawers – for food waste, cans and plastic bottles or yoghurt pots.

Food Waste:

Food waste is ground up and drops into a waste bin lined with a biodegradable bag that can hold up to 7 litres before it needs emptying. This much reduced waste, in its bag, can then be put into the compost bin or your normal waste bin. There is a built-in automatic sanitation system that cleans and flushes out the bin area into the waste outlet, preventing the build up of any deposits or odours.

Cans:

Aluminium cans from drinks and packing material from food items are crushed and compacted in a separate compartment, reducing their overall size so that 22 litres can be stored before the need to empty the container. The compacted waste can then be easily disposed of where local authorities provide special recycling bins or a separate collection service.

Plastic:

The third compartment of the EcoBin compacts containers such as plastic bottles and yoghurt pots. Up to 16 litres can be stored before the need to empty the container.

The 60-cm wide, stainless steel Sovereign EcoBin Waste Manager is available as a freestanding or built-in model with a drop-down door that reveals the three waste compartments. Old supermarket-type plastic carrier bags can be re-used to line the two bins that compact the cans and plastic bottles.