GB2421171A

GB2421171A - Container for items for recycling

Info

Publication number: GB2421171A
Application number: GB0427350A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Valerie Wooster-Brown
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-12-14
Filing date: 2004-12-14
Publication date: 2006-06-21
Also published as: GB0427350D0

Abstract

A container (10) including a substantially rigid outer shell (12) which supports an inner lining (14), the outer shell (12) including a plurality of apertures (16), and the inner lining (14) being made of an absorbent material. The lining (14) may be of textile material and may be a net bag. The container may store cans or bottles for recycling, the cans or bottles having been washed and being able to drain and dry whilst in the container.

Description

PATENTS ACT 1977 A11205GB-ACL Title: Container Description of Invention The present invention relates to a container, particularly, but not exclusively a container for storing washed cans, bottles, and the like, prior to disposal at a recycling facility. With increasing public awareness of environmental issues, householders are encouraged to recycle as much domestic waste as possible. Recycling facilities and collection of material for recycling are becoming more commonplace, but in order to make use of these facilities, a householder must separate from their general household waste objects which are suitable for recycling. Such objects include glass and plastic bottles and jars, and metallic cans. The householder is encouraged to wash such objects, before placing the objects in storage prior to transportation to a recycling facility, in order to substantially remove all food or drink residue from the objects and therefore to minimise the smell and other hygiene problems associated with decomposing food and drink residue. Once the objects have been washed, the householder is faced with a choice of leaving the items out to dry, on a draining rack for example, drying the objects with a tea towel or the like, or placing the wet objects straight into a recycling bin or other container. Pursuing the first option can leave the householder's drying space cluttered and untidy, and the householder may not have sufficient space available to leave all the objects for recycling out to dry.Drying the items with a tea towel or the like is timeconsuming, and drying a used tin can may be hazardous if the can contains sharp edges generated during opening of the can. Finally, known recycling bins are closed containers, and if wet items are placed in a closed container, mould and mildew tends to grow on the wet objects and/or the container, and this can generate an unpleasant smell. According to the first aspect of the invention, I provide a container including a substantially rigid outer shell which supports an inner lining, the rigid outer shell including a plurality of apertures, and the inner lining being made of an absorbent material. The container may be a recycling bin. By virtue of the invention, if wet articles such as bottles or cans, are placed in the container, the excess water will be absorbed by the inner lining, and the apertures in the outer shell will allow air to circulate around the inner lining, and thus permit the inner lining and contents to dry over time. Preferably the inner lining is made from a textile and/or includes a plurality of apertures. In this case, the inner lining may be a mesh or net bag. By virtue of providing the inner lining with such apertures, air may readily circulate around the contents of the bag, thus assisting drying of the contents. The inner lining may include an elasticated top portion which engages with the outer shell to retain the inner lining with respect to the outer shell. The inner lining may be configured such that a top portion of the inner lining engages with the outer shell whilst the remainder of the inner lining is spaced from the outer shell. The container may be between 20cm and 80cm in height. According to a second aspect of the invention, I provide a method of storing wet objects, wherein the method includes the step of placing the wet objects in an inner lining of a container according to the first aspect of the invention. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which, FIGURE 1 is an illustrative perspective view of a container according to the first aspect of the invention, and FIGURE 2 is an illustration of the longitudinal cross section of the container shown in Figure 1. Referring now to the figures, there is provided a container 10 including a substantially rigid outer shell 12 and an inner lining 14. In this example, the container 10 is a recycling bin for storage in the home of objects destined for recycling. The bin 10 is, in particularly suitable for receiving wet cans, bottles and the like straight after they have been washed, as the container 10 is adapted to allow objects within the container to dry out over time. The outer shell 12 in this example has a generally rectangular base 12a and four side walls 12b which extend vertically upwardly from the periphery of the base. The outer shell 12 is, in this example, 51 cm in height, and the base is 33cm x 28cm. The outer shell 12 further includes a plurality of apertures 16, which in this example are generally square apertures arranged in a horizontal rows and vertical columns in the four side walls 12b of the outer shell 12. The apertures must be sufficiently small and sparsely distributed that their presence does not significantly affect the rigidity of the outer shell. It will be appreciated, however, that the outer shell 12 and apertures 16 need not be the exact shape described above and shown in the accompanying drawings. The outer shell 12 may, for example, be cylindrical, and the apertures 16 may be circular, or any other shape. The outer shell 12 is typically made from a plastic, but may be made from stainless steel, aluminium, or any other suitable metal or alloy. The perforations/apertures 16 provided in the outer shell 12 ensure that air can readily circulate into and out of the outer shell 12 around the inner lining 14, and thus ensure that if wet objects are placed in the bin these objects may dry over time. The inner lining 14 is made from an absorbent material, typically from a textile such as cotton, and is in the form of a bag with an elasticated top portion 14a. The inner lining 14 is located within the outer shell 12, and the top portion 14a of the inner lining 14 is turned outwardly over an upper edge of each side wall 12b of the outer shell 12 so that the elasticated portion of the inner lining 14 extends around and engages with an outermost surface of the upper edges of the side walls 12b. The elasticated portion of the inner lining 14 ensures that the inner lining 14 is retained in position with respect to the outer shell 12, but may be removed by a user when desired, for example to wash the inner lining 14 and / or inner surfaces of the outer shell 12. The inner lining 14 is preferably provided with a plurality of apertures or perforations, and in this example is a mesh or net bag. Making the inner lining 14 from an absorbent material ensures that the excess moisture from wet objects placed in the bin may be readily absorbed, and thus further assists in the drying of the objects. Providing perforations or apertures in the inner lining 14 aids circulation of air around the objects in the bin, and further assists in the drying of these objects. Whilst the top portion 14a of the inner lining 14 is sufficiently large to extends around the upper edge of the outer shell 12, the remainder of the inner lining 14 is smaller than the outer shell 12, so that, the remainder of the inner lining 14 is spaced from the outer shell 12. This may also assist in ensuring that objects in the bin 10 dry as rapidly as possible. Whilst in this example, the inner lining 14 is a simple mesh bag, it should be appreciated that the inner lining 14 may be provided with one or more pockets or compartments, thus allowing a user to segregate objects placed in the bin 10. When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components. The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1. A container including a substantially rigid outer shell which supports an inner lining, the rigid outer shell including a plurality of apertures, and the inner lining being made of an absorbent material.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein the container is a recycling bin.

3. A container according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the inner lining is made from a textile.

4. A container according to any preceding claim wherein the inner lining includes a plurality of apertures.

5. A container according to claim 3 wherein the inner lining is a mesh or net bag.

6. A container according to any preceding claim wherein the inner lining includes an elasticated top portion which engages with the outer shell to retain the inner lining with respect to the outer shell.

7. A container according to any preceding claim wherein the inner lining is configured such that a top portion of the inner lining engages with the outer shell whilst the remainder of the inner lining is spaced from the outer shell.

8. A container according to any preceding claim wherein the container is between 20cm and 80cm in height.

9. A method of storing wet objects, wherein the method includes the step of placing the wet objects in an inner lining of a container according to claim 1.

10. A container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

11. A method of storing wet objects substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or in the accompanying drawings.