FR2733153A1 - Portable or mobile container for collecting and sterilising hazardous waste - Google Patents

Abstract

Portable or mobile container for collecting and sterilising hazardous waste comprises a stainless steel chamber (10) for storing waste, sealed openings for introducing waste, a compartment for an ozone or ethylene oxide cartridge or an ozone generator connected to the storage chamber and means for emptying waste from the chamber. The sealed opening of the container is pref. equipped with a cellular distributor with a ratchet mechanism which allows it to turn in one direction only, making it impossible to retrieve any article once placed in the container. The process has detectors which determine how much vol. remains. The storage chamber has a removable base.

Description

PORTABLE OR MOBILE COLLECTION CONTAINER
AND STERILIZATION OF RISKY WASTE
The present invention relates to a container for collecting and sterilizing hazardous waste.

 The invention finds a particularly advantageous application in the general field of treatment and conditioning of waste produced in particular in a hospital environment, an environment in which the concept of risky waste covers both products contaminated with pathogenic germs, such as syringes, dressings, soiled linen, etc.

as well as human residues for which the risk incurred is mainly of a psychological nature.

 The treatment of hospital waste today poses many still poorly resolved difficulties, the acuity of which is increasingly felt with the spread of extremely serious viral diseases such as hepatitis, AIDS, etc. However, there is currently no known device for collecting hazardous waste giving total satisfaction. It is often a cardboard box.

It is precisely the aim of the present invention to solve the aforementioned technical problem by proposing a container for collecting and sterilizing hazardous waste, in that it comprises
a storage enclosure, into which ozone, ethylene oxide sterilizing products are introduced, of said waste,
- sealed means for introducing waste inside said enclosure,
- a housing for an ozone or ethylene oxide cartridge or a mini electric ozone generator unit communicating with the storage enclosure.

 Thus, hazardous waste is collected at the source itself, where it is produced in the patient's room, treatment room, operating room, laboratory, medical or nursing office, dental or veterinary office, retirement home, etc.

 The waste introduced into the container according to the invention is immediately sterilized as soon as it is immersed in the ozone contained in the storage enclosure of the container, which also ensures the destruction of viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc.

 When the detector for filling the useful volume of the storage enclosure indicates that the container, object of the invention, is full, it is directed to an installation for processing and conditioning hazardous waste, such as that described in French patent application n ". Said installation can be inside or outside the hospital establishment, the transport of containers in accordance with the invention presenting no risk of danger for the personnel and for the other patients.

 Security is further enhanced by the fact that, according to the invention, said sealed introduction means consist of an irreversible rotating alveolar distributor. It is therefore impossible to remove the waste from the container of the invention, just as the ozone cartridge cannot be removed from its housing during its use.

 The description which follows with reference to the appended drawing, given by way of nonlimiting example, will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be implemented.

 Figure 1 is a side view in section of a container for collecting and sterilizing hazardous waste, object of the invention.

 The container shown in Figure I is intended for the collection and sterilization of hazardous waste, of the hospital waste type. To this end, said container comprises an enclosure 10 for storing said waste, the useful volume of which can vary from 30 liters, portable, to 200 liters, mobile on casters for operating room for example.

 In the upper part of the enclosure 10, sealed introduction means 20 allow the loading of the products inside the container. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, said sealed introduction means are constituted by a rotary honeycomb distributor 21 which, at first, collects the waste which is deposited there through the opening 11 made in the container , then, in a second step, to pour said waste inside the storage enclosure 10 after rotation of 1800 in a honeycomb distributor 22, carried out using a rotation control 23 by wheel and ratchet, ratchets known per se.

 The walls of the distributor 22 are provided with seals 24 ensuring the tightness of the container during the operation of the alveolar distributor 22 rotating.

 In order to prevent removal of the waste when it is introduced into the container, provision is made for the movement of said rotating honeycomb distributor 21 to be irreversible, this being due to a ratchet wheel 23 fixed laterally on the distributor 22, a safety lock 25 and 26 locks in the working position, the lock released, rotation is possible in only one direction anticlockwise.

 In the lower part of the container, an ozone or ethylene oxide cartridge 31 or an ozone generating group is placed inside a housing 30 communicating with the storage enclosure 10 using , for example, from a gas supply tube 32, or even by a valve.

 With the help of a special key, an authorized person can actuate from the outside a command 34 for opening the cartridge 31 or the commissioning of the group and filling with ozone gas or oxide. ethylene from the storage enclosure 10.

Simultaneously, the operation of the control 34 acts on the contact 35 which, via an electronic circuit 40 powered by batteries 41, lights a bulb 42, green for example, indicating the putting into service of the container. Similarly, a contactor 12, placed inside the enclosure 10 at a level corresponding to the maximum filling of waste with the useful volume of the storage enclosure 10, controls, via the electronic circuit 40, a second lamp 43, red for example, indicating that the maximum volume of waste has been reached, and that the container can no longer be used and that it must be emptied.

 For this purpose, the container of FIG. 1 comprises means for emptying the waste outside the enclosure 10 constituted by a removable bottom 40 in which the housing 30 of the ozone cartridge 31 is disposed. A seal 42 seals the enclosure 10 with the outside.

 As shown in Figure 1, the bottom 40 is made removable using for example a bayonet device 41 implemented in the airlock of the processing facility and conditioning of hazardous waste.

 At the opening of the removable bottom 40, the waste stored in the enclosure 10 is evacuated to a heat treatment and grinding unit of said installation.

 A hatch 36 for access to the housing 30 makes it possible to replace the used cartridge 31 with a new cartridge. The removable bottom 40 being replaced, the entire container is sterilized, ready for a new cycle of use.

Claims (11)

 1) Container for collecting and sterilizing hazardous waste, characterized in that it comprises  - portable or mobile container,  - a stainless steel enclosure (10) for storing said waste,  - watertight means (20) for introducing waste inside said enclosure (10) through an opening (11),  a housing (30) for an ozone or ethylene oxide cartridge, or mini ozone production group (31) communicating with the storage enclosure (10),  - Means (40) for automatically emptying said waste outside of said enclosure.  2) Container including claim l, characterized in that said means (20) sealed introduction (11) comprise a honeycomb distributor (20) rotating irreversible, a ratchet wheel (27).  3) Container according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized by the introduction of risk products (20) into the storage enclosure (10), containing ozone or ethylene oxide injected by the power supply 32 thus ensuring sterilization.  4) Container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by the impossibility, thanks to the ratchet wheel (27) to take up products.  5) Container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by a portable (13) or mobile assembly, thus ensuring the collection on the very site of production of hazardous waste: patient's bed, operating theater, care.  6) Container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said housing (30) of the cartridge (31) of ozone or ethylene oxide or the mini ozone group comprises a hatch ( 36) replacing said cartridge.  7) Container according to one of claims I to 6, characterized in that it comprises several detectors (12) for filling the useful volume of the enclosure (10) for storage.  8) Container according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises an indicator (42) for putting the container into service.  9) Container according to one of claims l or 2, characterized in that said waste emptying means consist of a removable bottom (40) of said enclosure (10) for storage.  10) Container according to claim 3, characterized in that said bottom (40) is removable using a device (41) of the bayonet type or other mechanical means.  11) Container according to one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that said housing (30) of the cartridge (31) or the group of ozone or ethylene oxide is disposed in said removable bottom (40) .