A GROUP of high-school students from Italy have invented an awesome vending machine that grinds used plastic bottles into pellets that are then turned into smartphone cases by a built-in 3-D printer.

    Marco Tomasello, Daniele Caputo, Vincenzo Virruso, Vittorio Maggiore, Toni Taormina, and their teacher, Daniela Russo, from a school in Sicily, were looking for an efficient way of getting youth more involved in environment conservation when they came up with the idea for the MyProAction device. It looks like a regular vending machine, only instead of money it accepts plastic bottles and releases stylish smartphone cases in return.

    The ingenious device breaks down the plastic waste into small pellets that are then used by a built-in 3-D printer to create various case designs. It’s not clear whether the cases are created on the spot, after someone introduces a certain amount of plastic, or if they can only select one of the pre-made cases.

    The five students told Upworthy that they had no idea their high-school project would ever become a reality, but after winning the AXA Italia Social Impact Award in a national contest, the ingenious vending machine has been gaining worldwide interest. They currently have four prototypes set up and are looking for a distribution partner to get them mass-produced.(SD-Agencies)