Year 3 Pupil designs ’Smart Recycling Bin’ to help recycle more efficiently
Maisie, from Everdons Primary School in Wokingham submitted her engineering idea to Primary Engineer’s annual UK STEM competition which asks pupils aged 3 –19 the question “If you were an engineer, what would you do?”.
She was recognised as one of the Highly Commended in her year group at the South England award ceremony, one of 25 regional UK events, in 2024.
Her creation, ‘the 4 Bin Swopper’ is a bin which identifies typical school waste items and sorts them automatically into recycling categories.
Each year Industry and University partners of Primary Engineer choose a pupil’s idea to build into a Prototype and to be revealed a year later at the regional awards ceremony.
The University of Southampton selected Maisie’s idea to bring to life during the 2024-2025 academic year because it was an “ideal combination of a much-needed solution and a great engineering challenge”. And as Maisie suggested in her initial design, recycling works best when waste items are collected in the correct compartment for collecting and processing them. Placing waste items in the correct part of a bin remains challenging. Some people need assistance to avoid waste becoming mixed or contaminated.
The finished prototype was officially unveiled on 11th June 2025 at the South England regional award ceremony hosted at The University of Southampton. Maisie’s family attended the event saying “We’re incredibly proud of Maisie and so grateful to the entire team at Primary Engineer and the University of Southampton. The experience was truly inspiring—not just for Maisie, but for us as a family. Seeing her creativity supported and celebrated in such a meaningful way was unforgettable. Thank you for bringing her vision to life with such care and enthusiasm.”
Maisie commented to say “I loved being part of it all—it was so cool seeing my idea turn into a real thing! Everyone was really nice and listened to me, and I felt super proud when I saw the 4 Bin Swopper for the first time. Thank you so much for making it real!”
Tim Woolman, Design Service Experimental Officer at the university said “The University looks forward to continuing its partnership with Primary Engineer as new concepts from pupils in the South of England are selected to start further student projects each year – children inspiring engineers inspiring a new generation of innovators.”
“If you were an Engineer, what would you do” is an annual, national competition free to enter for all 3-19 school pupils. Entries are open now for 2025-2026 and schools can register now at www.leadersaward.com
Primary Engineer Public Exhibitions and Award Ceremonies continue all over the UK through to July, with a total of 18 prototypes being unveiled. Read more about the prototypes: https://leadersaward.com/prototeams/
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Editors Notes:
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Email: steph.shencoe@primaryengineer.com
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About Primary Engineer:
Primary Engineer®, since 2005, have developed an engineering curriculum that spans Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Further Education institutions. Its core aims include; the development of children and young people through engagement with engineering, the promotion of engineering careers through inspiring programmes and competitions, the development of engineering skills for teachers and practitioners addressing the inequalities in engineering.
We developed a project-based learning approach to education which enables children and pupils to engage with practical math’s and science alongside creative problem solving and literacy. It has been described as STEM by Stealth® due to the integrated curriculum nature of the programmes which also develop resilience and curiosity.
Strong links to engineers and the industries they work in provides an opportunity for both pupils and teachers to expand their knowledge of careers, career paths and opportunities.