GB2490981A

GB2490981A - Rodent repellent polythene

Info

Publication number: GB2490981A
Application number: GB201120875A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jatinder Singh Gill
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-05-18
Filing date: 2011-12-05
Publication date: 2012-11-21
Also published as: GB201120875D0

Abstract

A polythene article that is manufactured comprising any ratio of a composition of: Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), Very Low Density Polyethylene (VLDPE), High Pressure Low Density Polyethylene (HPLDP), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and a rodent repellent additive â ADD AR-960â used as a deterrent aiming to minimize the damage caused by rodents to produced articles (including but not limited to: bags, tubular film, sheets and packaging). The invention is particularly suited to manufacturing refuse or rubbish bags.

Description

This invention relates to rodent repellent polythene articles.

Background

New figures have shown that there are now more than 8omillion rats living within the UK, a 39% increase since 2000. A pair of rats in the right conditions can produce around 2000 rats per year, and the conditions provided in cities are perfect. There have been strong correlations between the time intervals between domestic and commercial waste collection and the number of rodents in any given area. With cities providing much higher commercial and population densities, the rodent numbers are largest here. Leaving rubbish bags outside properties and businesses has become a common method of waste disposal and this presents the rodent population with an abundant supply of food. This not only presents the problem of allowing rodents to thrive, but it also contaminates our streets with waste that is no longer contained, causing smells to spread and the area to become one that is aesthetically displeasing. The high densities of buildings and other structures in cities provide rodents with abundant warmth and shelter, allowing them to thrive. Within buildings and other structures they can gnaw through almost any material they are presented with and this can cause a host of problems with the electrics, other piping or cabling and even the structural condition of said buildings. They are the cause of 7% of all domestic fires and are also often the cause of underground rail service delays. Rats also present the constant danger of the spreading of many diseases to humans, livestock and even food; these include Weil's disease, salmonella, tuberculosis, Escherichia Coli and foot-and-mouth. A study within the city of Manchester showed that 59% of rodents were carriers of toxoplasmosis; a disease that is particularly threatening to pregnant women. The problem with many of these diseases is that many rodents do not possess bladder control and are therefore urinating continually. A problem can also be found within the transport of many goods. Food, for example, in transit and also in storage is constantly subject to contamination from rodents and this can be to a devastating degree where farms have to discard whole storehouses of grain and other cereals due to even minor traces of contamination. Contamination can also be disastrous on a commercial level. Where the catering or food preparation industries have a constant supply of food within the premises, the smell will inevitably attract rodents who can contaminate said food products through urination, excretion (up to 25,000 per rat per year), the shedding of hairs (up to 1,000,000 for each pair of rats) and the spreading of disease. This invention aims to minimize these problems through the incorporation of the rodent repelling additive ADD AR-960 and at least one of the following: Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), Very Low Density Polyethylene (VLDPE), High Pressure Low Density Polyethylene (HPLDP) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). The process of polythene manufacturing is a common one and is done in many ways however I deem the following processes inventive due to the incorporation of a rodent repelling additive. As you can see in Fig. 1 the process functions with (including Step 1.21) or without (1.1,1.2&1.3/1.1,1.2,1.3&1.31) the additive however the addition of Step 1.21 is the inventive idea that makes this process unique.

Description of the Invention

This invention aims to minimize all of the aforementioned problems through the use of polythene packaging and use of the additive ADD AR-960 which imparts a bitter, spicy and pungent taste to the thermoplastic polymers and can be used in many applications. The additive does not physically damage animals and is non-toxic and environmentally safe, but it does cause mucosal distress and sensory stimulation within animals who attempt to ingest it. Rodents are known to possess metacognition; the mental ability for strategic problem solving, and when they have been presented with the additive in a number of different applications after a certain length of time, they have been noted to begin to avoid contact with it. lt is the principal objective of this invention to incorporate rodent repelling additive into the manufacturing process of polythene. The invention comprises two forms of granulated polyethylene. The first form is one or more of the following: Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), Very Low Density Polyethylene (VLDPE), High Pressure Low Density Polyethylene (HPLDP) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and is used in the manufacturing of normal polythene. The other is a similar form of LDPE with an added dispersion of rodent repellent known as ADD AR-960. The second form is added to the first at a rate of 4% of the weight of the first, providing the desired level of repellent for general use. This addition rate can be altered to produce different levels of repulsion, generally between 2 and 5%. Both forms are physically mixed in their granulated state (Step 1.21 of Fig. 1), this being the inventive step, before being extruded in the normal procedure of polythene manufacturing. The mixture is first heated to melting point which is around lOOt (Step 1.2) and it is at this point mixed to an even consistency. It is then extruded in a tubular form (Step 1.3) and can, this way, either, be kept in this form and applied as pipe or cable insulation or in ducting and drainage applications or be produced into many other applications including sheeting, packaging and bags (Step 1.31). The dimensions of each of these applications can be altered and decided by the diameter of the tubular extrusion and the cutting and sealing process later on in the manufacturing. This way they can be applied to many scenarios and the invention, much like regular polythene bags can be used as an alternative packaging option.

Claims

Claims 1. A polythene article that is manufactured comprising any ratio of a composition of: Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), Very Low Density Polyethylene (VLDPEL High Pressure Low Density Polyethylene (HPLDPL High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and the LDPE rodent repellent additive ADD AR-960.
2. Sheets of polythene made from the material in claim 1.
3. Tubular film made from the material in claim 1.
4. Bags made from the material in claim 1.
5. Packaging made from the material in claim 1.