Disposable drink containers are among the most ubiquitous waste generated by first-world populations. Some parts of the world have opted to charge deposits for drink containers: a few pennies which are refunded when you recycle the containers. In Australia, the container deposit plan is just starting to take shape, and they’ve implemented a clever way to encourage recycling.

“Cash for Containers” is a simple plan. You just take your empty cans and bottles to reverse vending machines. When you put a container in, you get vouchers, cash, or rewards. The machines let you choose your own reward – bus vouchers, movie tickets, chocolate bars, and various other choices.

Envirobank, the company behind the machines, hopes that the initiative will help Australians recycle much more of their waste. Cans and plastic bottles take hundreds of years to break down, so paying that extra 10 cents per drink and then getting rewarded for recycling the containers seems like an effective plan to keep huge amounts of garbage out of the landfill.

The post Reverse Vending: Machines Recycle Cans for Cash, Rewards first appeared on Gajitz.

Any alcohol aficionado will attest that ice cubes melting into your cup of 20-year-old Scotch will put a big frown on your face. There’s no reason to chug it just to avoid the disappointment of diluted liquor, though. A very cool concept from designers Seung Hwan Roh, Chan Jae Joh, Yeon Ho Chu and Na Rae Park could chill your drink without the need for ice.

The Chilling Sip Stick is a digital straw that cools your drink as you sip it. The electronic device includes a cooling panel in the front side of the bottom end. As the liquid flows through the cooling panel, it lowers in temperature, making it tastier without watering down your delicious beverage.

The designers don’t offer up much information about how the stick actually works, but they call it “self-rechargeable.” They envision it as a possible marketing tool that corporations can brand with their information and logos to spread brand awareness. No matter how it works, we’re eager to get our hands on a pack of them.

The post Hi-Tech Straw Cools Your Booze Without Watering it Down first appeared on Gajitz.

No matter how big the inside of your fridge is, it seems like the amount of stuff you keep in there will expand to fill the space – and then some. This rather clever invention gives you a little more storage room in the icebox by suspending your bottled drinks from its ceiling.

Using ultra-strong neodymium magnets, the BottleLoft from designer Brian Conti lifts bottles off of the shelves to make space for important stuff like leftover pizza.

Each BottleLoft consists of an eight-inch-long plastic rail with three embedded neodymium magnets graded N52, the strongest you can get. The whole assembly attaches to the roof of your fridge with a specially designed adhesive strip that is specifically meant for cold environments like the inside of a refrigerator.

Once you clean off the surface with an alcohol wipe, you stick one side of the adhesive to the fridge and then stick the BottleLoft to the other side. You can install several so your fridge can hold a six-pack or two of bottles. The adhesive can later be scraped off with a putty knife if you need to remove it.

The only drawback here would be for people who prefer to drink from cans rather than bottles, but there are other products out there for them. The BottleLoft is on Kickstarter with a modest goal of $20K which it quickly surpassed.

The post Magnetic Rails Float Bottles Above Your Fridge Shelves first appeared on Gajitz.

Oh, coffee. You’re our best friend and our computers’ worst enemy. We need you to function, but carelessly allow you to destroy electronics when our shaky, over-caffeinated hands knock over a mug full of sweet, sweet java. The Mighty Mug is the up and coming hero of desk workers and other spill-hating folks everywhere.

The mug’s unique design incorporates something the company calls Smartgrip Technology, which allows it to be pushed, smacked, and knocked around – all without tipping over.

This is thanks to a little setup on the bottom of the cup that forms an instant vacuum seal when you put it down. You don’t have to push down hard or press a button – it just happens naturally. And as long as it’s on a flat, non-porous surface, it will stay right where you put it.

When you need a drink, though, the Mighty Mug lifts straight up like any other drinking vessel. No extra effort is required to release its grip. It’s BPA free, dishwasher safe, and the newer models fit in your car’s cupholders.

While the original Mighty Mug has been on the market since 2013, the company is now introducing new styles: a double-walled vacuum insulated model, a shorter one to fit in Keurig coffee makers, and a cold beverage mug.

The post The Unspillable Drink: Coffee Mug Can’t Be Knocked Over first appeared on Gajitz.

Even if you’re adept at counting the calories in your food, tracking the nutritional information of beverages can be a little trickier. Mark One and Fuseproject have teamed up to create a cup that’s not only smart enough to tell you what you’re drinking – it can analyze its contents down to the calories, grams of sugar, and amount of caffeine inside.

The Vessyl is a brilliant device that perfectly melds high technology, eye-pleasing design, and ease of use. It looks a lot like a regular cup, but with a few subtle differences. The exterior is faceted, and these facets indicate where your consumption information will be displayed. The body is sturdy but not so heavy that it feels like a burden to carry around.

The lid is a beautiful design accomplishment on its own. It’s spill-proof and seamlessly covers the Vessyl’s opening when you need it to. When you want to take a sip, it smoothly slides out of the way with nothing more than a nudge from your thumb. The carefully designed lid lets you take the Vessyl anywhere without worrying about drips and spills.

When you fill up the Vessyl and then tip it slightly, the display shows you what is inside and gives basic information like calories, sugar, sodium, and protein content. The Vessyl app gives even more detailed information – seemingly impossible information, in fact. It can tell you whether you’re drinking Coke or Pepsi, whether there’s ice in your drink, and what your hydration level is at for the day (and where it should be).

Besides being a really cool gadget that can tell you how much caffeine is really in your cup of coffee, the Vessyl can play a huge role in improving your overall health. The app will keep track of how many calories you drink in a day (a number that is typically far higher than most people realize), and how hydrated you are. The app interacts with most popular fitness trackers and can integrate your fluid consumption into your picture of overall health.

You’ve only got to charge the Vessyl every 5-7 days or so, and it charges on a small saucer-like pad. The only wire involved is the micro-USB cable that attaches the charging coaster to a power source. The special non-stick glass-coated interior means that you’ll never have to try to reach in to scrub the very bottom of the cup, and you can even stick it in the fridge if you want to take a protein shake to work to drink later. No one cup can do everything, though, so the Vessyl does have one weakness: you can’t put it in the microwave. But since it has excellent insulation to keep your warm drinks warm, that shouldn’t be a problem in the first place.

The post Genius Cup Knows + Tracks Exactly What You’re Drinking first appeared on Gajitz.