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Innovator with Big Dreams for Recycling Machine

By: , December 7, 2016

The Key Point:

Paul Jackson is the winner of the ‘Environmental Sustainability Award’, at the recently held National Innovations Awards at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, in New Kingston.

The Facts

  • He received the award for his invention ‘Environment Focused Recycling Machine’.
  • “If something can be solved I will try to solve it that is just me. At one point I thought about a project…. going around looking at the needs of persons, and if my Engineering skills can be used to solve problems then I will do it,” Mr. Jackson said.

The Full Story

Paul Jackson is the winner of the ‘Environmental Sustainability Award’, at the recently held National Innovations Awards at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, in New Kingston.

He received the award for his invention ‘Environment Focused Recycling Machine’.

The inventor said that he has had this idea for approximately two years, and started working on it in 2014.

With a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Technology, Mr. Jackson currently focuses his time on problem solving.

“If something can be solved I will try to solve it that is just me. At one point I thought about a project…. going around looking at the needs of persons, and if my Engineering skills can be used to solve problems then I will do it,” Mr. Jackson said.

He explained that while he was employed at the Coconut Industry Board, there was a machine that was used to shred the coconut husk.

“However this machine was down for a few years, and I told them that I could fix it,” Mr. Jackson said.

He noted that there was some doubt in his ability, and therefore, he proceeded to build a prototype with his design, took it to the Board, where he demonstrated the ability of the machine, in an effort to convince them that he could fix their machine.

“I told them that I could design a blade for them for that machine,” he said, further noting that he adopted the same design from his prototype to their machine.

The inventor also shared that while going around the country he “noticed that there a lot of persons who sell coconut water, and most persons drink the water and then they dump the other part.”

He said the improper disposal of the coconut husk could lead to the possibility of it being a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Mr. Jackson noted that this is what generated the idea for him to design a machine that could shred the body of the coconut to fibre and dust, to be used as compost for organic farming.

He cited the local agro-parks as prime consumers for these composts.

Additionally, he explained that similar to the process of using coconut fibre to make ropes due to its strength, the fibres could also be used in the construction of dry wall.

“If this is mixed with a little concrete, it could also be used to make partitions and even ceiling tiles, with the fibre acting as a bonding agent,” Mr. Jackson said.

The innovator stated that his machine can also be used to shred plastic and Styrofoam.

This is another issue he said that he wanted to solve, as plastic and Styrofoam containers block the drains.

Mr. Jackson also stated that the aggregates from the coconut husks, plastic and Styrofoam, could be mixed with cement to get a light-weight product to make park benches; pavements; partition walls; bricks for gardening purposes and flower pots.

Meanwhile, the Mechanical Engineer describes the prototype machine as a flat disc, with spikes on the surface of the disc, and indicates that it is the design of the blade and the simplicity of the design that makes it innovative.

It is small and can be carried inside a car. It is also driven by an electric motor.

For the immediate future the inventor said he wants to improve on the design of his invention.

“I am looking at that VW prototype, and seeing how we could put this design within the context of a garbage truck,” he said.

Mr. Jackson is a previous winner of the awards, winning in 2010 in the category of ‘entertaining rides’, with his VW car converted into a Merry-Go-Round.

He was also a winner in 2012 with his entry of a shower-bed. This entry allowed persons who are sick or disabled to have a shower on the bed.

For the 2016 award, Mr. Jackson said “it was a thrill having won for that category, and further states that “it is an added drive for me to undertake more inventions.”

“It’s a joy to do it, the needs of people is motivation, and it also allows me to develop my skills as an inventor,” Mr. Jackson said.

Last Updated: December 7, 2016

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