A minimal acceptance event for a bottle return machine

A return machine is only useful to the scheme operator if each insert becomes a record.

The smallest record I would store:

• container id (barcode or scheme code)
• decision: accepted or refused
• reason code when refused
• machine id and timestamp
• refund id, only if a payout was committed

Without the reason code, "it rejected my bottle" cannot be reconciled. Without the refund id, a retailer dispute is just two stories.

I work on RECYNEX. Primer: https://www.recynex.com/news/what-is-a-reverse-vending-machine/