Componants/materials needed for recycling bin

Stainless steel is very expensive. It is also very hard and heavy, making cutting and machining it difficult. Finally, it requires the use of costly argon welding to join the pieces together. Why not use UV-stabilized medium-density polyethylene instead? It is cheap, lightweight, has good tensile strength, is highly chemical resistant, and can easily fabricated by a plastic-molding factory. In fact, it is often used to produce refuse bins. You could also use glass fiber-reinforced plastic, but it will cost more. It will still be much cheaper than SS though.

However, if you still want to use SS, go for SS304, which has good corrosion resistance and is much cheaper than SS316. Calculate the amount of material you need, then check with a supplier how much it will cost. Check with a metalwork plant how much it will cost to cut and weld the pieces together. Add up all these costs, then you have a good idea what your total cost will be.

Remember to mark it up if you're thinking of commercializing it.