Reverse vending machine

A reverse vending machine for separating, counting and crushing beverage containers of a predetermined size range comprising:

• an in-feed station for receiving multiple, disarrayed containers;
• an on-load station;
• an off-load station;
• an in-feed conveyor operable to transport multiple, disarrayed containers from said in-feed station to said on-load station said in-feed conveyor being operable at the end of a processing cycle to shift between an operating position and a transfer position;
• separator/conveyor means for separating, singularly, a container from the disarrayed containers, and transporting a container so separated from said on-load station to said off-load station, including container retention means there-adjacent for holding the containers therein;
• unacceptable container rejection means for rejecting an unacceptable container, including port means on said container retention means for allowing passage of unacceptable containers therethrough;
• a non-processed container receptacle for receiving a non-processed container remaining on said in-feed conveyor at the end of said processing cycle when said in-feed conveyor is in said transfer postion;
• counter means for counting a number of acceptable containers passing between said on-load station and said offload station;
• container volume reduction means located adjacent said off-load station for crushing containers;
• receipt printing means for print a receipt indicating the number of containers counted by said counter means;
• and
• control means for coordinating machine operating cycles.