• Good initiative - Beautiful landscape
  • Small plan, big meaning
  • Young engineer Le Hoang Than - From passion to billion-dollar initiatives

With the model of “Small Plan ATM”, the automatic machine that exchanges trash for gifts by Cao Nhat Duy and Phan Le Anh Khoa not only inspires green living habits in schools, but also touches the dream of technology.

Initiative from everyday experience

The idea of “Small Plan ATM”, an automatic machine that exchanges recyclables for gifts, was born by the group of authors Cao Nhat Duy and Phan Le Anh Khoa (grade 9A, Le Hong Phong Secondary School, Long Dien Commune) during a family trip . Looking at the smart and convenient operation of the vending machine, the students wondered: “Why not create a similar machine to collect recyclables at school?”.

Instructor and author team piloted the "Small Plan ATM".

From that small thought, a big idea gradually took shape. When the school launched the “Small Plan” movement, collecting trash in exchange for school supplies, the two students proposed designing an automatic device to make the process more attractive. No longer traditional trash collection sessions, the friendly ATM model accepts trash such as plastic bottles, paper cups, scrap paper, nylon bags and returns corresponding gifts in the form of school supplies.

Cao Nhat Duy shared: “We hope this model will create a positive change in students’ awareness, turning garbage collection into a good habit instead of a duty.” Mr. Khoa said: “Each gift received from garbage brings a small joy, and at the same time reminds us of our responsibility to the environment.”

Not only is it a story about environmental protection, your product also conveys the message: technology is not far away, but can start from the most ordinary things.

When technology meets the environment

The special feature that makes the Small Plan ATM conquer the expert council is the smooth combination of automation technology and environmental protection awareness. The machine is controlled by the Arduino system (a popular open source hardware and software platform, designed to help people easily create electronic devices and automation projects) with an integrated Ethernet Shield (an expansion board for Arduino, allowing this board to connect to the Internet or local area network (LAN) via an Ethernet cable connection), allowing network connection, garbage type identification, points addition and rewards to be fully automated.

Quick on-screen operations when operating small-scale ATMs.

Not just a mechanical “machine”, the model also integrates a website system (programmed in PHP + SQL) for students to log in, track accumulated points, transaction history and choose the gift they want to exchange. Each student has their own account, the administrator is the teacher in charge who can monitor, update gifts as well as analyze the amount of garbage collected.

Mr. Doan Quoc Cuong, the group's instructor, said: "I am really impressed with the way the students apply technology to issues that are very close to school life. Not only do they know how to program, they also understand how to design hardware, process data, and set up networks - things that many students of the same age cannot do."

From the initial idea to the completed model, the team spent many weeks diligently testing and editing to ensure the machine operates stably. With reasonable manufacturing costs, easy implementation and high practicality, the product can be replicated in other schools, especially in the context of the increasingly widespread movement to protect the school environment.

Reap the sweet fruits of creative passion

ATM Small Plan not only brings clear educational results but also helps the two young authors reap many proud achievements. The product won the Second Prize of the Provincial Youth and Children's Creativity Contest in 2025, and also won the First Prize of Group D2 of the Provincial and Southern Youth Informatics Contest.

Recyclable waste receiving and sorting gate.

In particular, this is one of two typical products representing Ca Mau province to participate in the National Final Round of the 31st Youth Informatics Contest, taking place in Hue City from August 8-10, 2025. Not only is this a personal pride, this achievement is also a motivation for many other young people to continue pursuing their passion for creativity and action for the community.

What is more valuable is the humane message that the authors convey through the model: small actions - like picking up a plastic bottle and throwing it away in the right place - can create big changes, if spread in smart and attractive ways.

With creativity, sense of responsibility and ability to apply knowledge into practice, the group of students from Le Hong Phong Secondary School has affirmed the role of the young generation in spreading a green - smart - humane lifestyle right from school.

Kim Truc

Source: https://baocamau.vn/atm-ke-hoach-nho-sang-kien-xanh-tu-lop-hoc-a121206.html