GB2456162A

GB2456162A - Waste recycling container

Info

Publication number: GB2456162A
Application number: GB0800147A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Richard Roberts
Original assignee: Egbert H Taylor and Co Ltd
Current assignee: Egbert H Taylor and Co Ltd
Priority date: 2008-01-04
Filing date: 2008-01-04
Publication date: 2009-07-08
Anticipated expiration: 2028-01-04
Also published as: GB2456162B; GB0800147D0

Abstract

The container (10) comprises a body having an upwardly facing mouth, an upright divider (15) defining two compartments, and a hinged lid for each compartment. A drain channel (21) is provided at the interface of the lids, and also stiffens the container. The channel (21) slopes down to a common axis for the lids' hinges and has an opening through the body to the exterior. The channel (21) can be integral with the divider (15), e.g. by welding.

Description

Improvements in Waste Recycling Containers This invention relates particularly though not exclusively to a waste recycling container.

Waste recycling is desirable, and in some instances compulsory. Individual households may be provided with recycling containers adapted to take different kinds of waste, but such containers are somewhat expensive to process, and are space consuming.

Community recycling containers are typically much larger, and require less space per household. Furthermore such containers can provide a large volume of segregated material at each collection cycle.

Community recycling containers are typically adapted from conventional commercial waste containers having a capacity in excess of 700 litres. Conventionally such containers are distinctively marked, and may have a lid adapted to the kind of waste to be received. A recycling centre may have six or more such containers group together and adapted to different kinds of recyclable waste.

However a group of such containers is too large for some locations, and it would be desirable to provide for all kinds of waste at all locations. Furthermore the amount of different kinds of waste deposited in such containers is generally not the same for a single collection cycle, and it would be desirable to adjust the volume allocated to respective waste streams accordingly. Nevertheless it would also be desirable to provide a standard container type at each recycling location so as to minimize costs whilst ensuring collection by a suitably configured collection vehicle.

GB-A-241l339 proposes compartments within a domestic waste container, each compartment being adapted to a particular kind of waste. Such compartments are defined by separate baskets which must be individually removed for emptying. This kind of waste container is not adapted for bulk emptying, as is required at a community recycling point.

According to the invention there is provided a waste container comprising a body having an upwardly facing mouth, a substantially upright divider defining two compartments within said body, and a hinged lid for each said compartment, the lids being immediately adjacent and independently operable, and a drain channel being provided within said body at said mouth and beneath the interface between said lids so as to collect rain water draining through said interface, said drain channel having a drain opening through said body to the outside.

It will be understood that adjacent and independently operable lids cannot overlap, and thus there is a danger of rain water falling through the interface into the container where it may spoil the contents thereof. A drain channel at the mouth is a convenient and inexpensive solution for catching and guiding rain water through the drain opening to the exterior.

An advantage of the invention is that the drain channel acts to stiffen the container by attaching the front and back walls. Such attachment may reduce potential distortion of the mouth, or permit other mouth edge stiffening to be somewhat reduced.

Furthermore the drain channel acts to delimit the compartments at the mouth of the container, and is useful for engaging with a chute or the like of a refuse vehicle by which the contents of a compartment or several adjacent compartments are directed into an associated bulk container.

In a preferred embodiment the drain channel is constituted by an open metal section of U' or V' shape extending between front and back walls of a conventional wheeled waste container. If the container is of metal, the drain channel is conveniently attached by welding; other attachment methods are suitable. The channel may be not of metal, for example a plastic moulding or extrusion. If the container is of plastic the channel may be moulded with the container or attached. In the case of a V' shape, the divergent walls assist in directing contents away from the wall of an associated chute or the like, so reducing the risk of spillage upon emptying.

The divider may be suspended from the drain channel, may support the drain channel or may be a separately attached component of any suitable material. Generally speaking the divider is preferably closely fitting to the interior profile of the container so as to isolate the compartments, and the closeness of fitting may depend on the anticipated contents. The divider may be of mesh or other discontinuous sheet material.

Typically two adjacent compartments are provided, but more than two compartments are possible, in which case a drain channel is provided at each lid interface. The lids preferably pivot about a common opening axis. The compartments may be of equal size, but asymmetric division is also possiblc.

In the preferred embodiment the drain channel slopes slightly towards the hinge axis (normally the rear), for example at an angle of 3-8° so as to ensure complete run-off of water.

An advantage of an open channel is that any detritus collecting therein will fall out upon upending of the container during emptying thereof.

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment shown by way of example only in the accompanying drawings in which:-Fig. I is a front elevation of a container according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a container according to the invention; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a container according to the invention, and reduced scale; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a container according to the invention, without lids.

With reference to the drawings a waste container comprises a body 10, typically of painted galvanized steel, having four wheels 11, and a comb bar 12 at the front for lifting and upending the container over a refuse vehicle. Handles 13 are provided for manoeuvring; and the mouth of the body opens upwardly. Other means of lifting the container for emptying may be provided -for example trunnions at the sides.

In conventional form a single lid is provided, hinged about the rear edge of the container mouth. A single pin defines a hinge axis 14 extending across the width of the container, and permits the lid to be opened for filling. When the container is upended, the lid swings open to allow the contents to fall into the body of a refuse vehicle. A typical lid is a lightweight single or double skin plastics moulding and fits closely against the periphery of the container mouth to provide a substantially water tight seal.

In the present invention, the body 10 includes an upright divider 15 defining two compartments 16, 17 each having an independent lid 18, 19 hinged on the axis 14 and fitting closely against the periphery of the container mouth. The lids 18, 19 are immediately adjacent and may touch or define a small clearance therebetween according to manufacturing tolerances.

At or adjacent the upper edge of the divider 15, the container includes a fore and aft channel 21 facing upwardly and extending laterally on either side of the interface between the lids 18, 19. In the preferred embodiment, the channel 21 is inclined towards the rear where a drain hole 22 is formed through the wall of the body 10. As illustrated the drain channel is a straight sided V' section, and increases in section towards the rear so as to maintain a flush edge with the container mouth.

The channel 21 ensures that any rain water passing between the lids 18, 19 will be collected and directed through the drain hole 22, thus ensuring that the compartments remain substantially dry.

A lid lock 23 of conventional kind is provided for each lid 18, 19.

During emptying, the container is typically upended over a collection chute, and the channel delimits the opening of each compartment. The channel may be used to locate the container with an appropriate chute, or like apparatus. Both compartments of a two compartment container may be emptied simultaneously (e.g. coloured glass and clear glass), or the lids may be separately unlocked for sequential emptying cycles.

The lids 18,19 may be identical, or adapted to the intended contents. For example a glass' compartment may have a lid with a circular opening suitable for wine bottles and the like, and a paper' compartment may have a lid with a narrow slot. Such alternative lids reduce the risk of inappropriate contents being placed in respective compartments.

Claims

Claims 1. A waste container comprising a body having an upwardly facing mouth, a substantially upright divider defining two compartments within said body, and adapted to receive a hinged lid for each said compartment, in use the lids being immediately adjacent and independently operable, and a drain channel being provided within said body at said mouth and positioned beneath the intended interface of said lids so as to collect rain water draining through the interface, said drain channel having a drain opening through said body to the outside.
2. A waste container according to claim I and divided in half, so as to be adapted to lids of identical size.
3. A waste container according to claim I or claim 2 and defining a common hinge axis for lids.
4. A waste container according to any preceding claim wherein said drain channel is connected to said divider.
5. A waste container according to claim 4 wherein said drain channel and divider are integrally formed.
6. A waste container according to claim 5 wherein said rain channel and divider are of ferrous material and connected by welding.
7. A waste container according to any preceding claim wherein said drain channel slopes down towards said hinge axis.
8. A waste container according to any preceding claim and including a lid for each compartment, wherein said drain channel is engageable with a side edge of each of said lids.
9. A waste container according to any of claims 1-7 and including a lid for each compartment, wherein each of said lids is lockable in the closed condition.
10. A waste container substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1-3 of the accompanying drawings.
11. A waste container substantially as described with reference to Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.