US3709440A

US3709440A - Hydraulic powered bottle crusher

Info

Publication number: US3709440A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Kontz
Original assignee: Owens Illinois Inc
Current assignee: OI Glass Inc
Priority date: 1971-01-26
Filing date: 1971-01-26
Publication date: 1973-01-09
Anticipated expiration: 1990-01-09

Abstract

This invention provides a hydraulic powered bottle crusher which is adapted to crush bottles into small pieces for recycling. This device utilizes hydraulic pressure from a standard municipal or household water supply system to actuate a double-action piston which is controlled by means of a four-way valve. The doubleaction piston is connected to a plurality of movable crusher bars which cooperate with a plurality of fixed crusher bars to squeeze and crush a bottle therebetween. This device features a unique trigger and valve spool which are responsive to the presence of a bottle between the fixed and movable crusher bars to actuate the four-way valve and double-action piston to advance the movable crusher bars into compressing engagement with the bottle and to actuate the four-way valve and double-action piston to retract the movable crusher bars after the bottle has been crushed.

Description

United States Patent 1 Kontz [541 HYDRAULIC POWERED BOTTLE CRUSHER Robert F. Kontz, Toledo, Ohio [73] Assignee: Owens-Illinois, lnc., Toledo, Ohio [22] Filed: Jan. 26, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 109,778

{75] Inventor:

[52] U.S.'Cl. ..241/36, 100/49, 241/99, 241/262 [51] Int. Cl. ..B02c l/04, B02c 25/00 [58] Field of Search....24l/36, 94, 99, 262, 263, 264, 241/283; 100/49, 94, 98, 233, DIG. 2

[451 Jan. 9, 1973 Primary Examiner-Robert L. Spruill Attorney-Alan J. Steger and E. J. Holler 5'7 ABSTRACT This invention provides .a hydraulic powered bottle crusher which is adaptedto crush bottles into small pieces for recycling. This device utilizes hydraulic pressure from a standard municipal or household water supply system to actuate a double-action piston which is controlled by means of a four-way valve. The double-action piston is connected to a plurality of movable crusher bars which cooperate with a plurality of fixed crusher bars to squeeze and crush a bottle therebetween. This device features a unique trigger and valve spool which are responsive to the presence of a bottle between the fixed and movable crusher bars to actuate the four-way valve and double-action piston to advance the movable crusher bars into compressing engagement with the bottle and to actuate the four-way valve and double-action piston to retract the movable crusher bars after the bottle has been crushed.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN 9 I973 SHEET 1 OF 3 INVENTOR. UEER-r" Y Keen-z.

BY Q

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FIG. 5

W Wm T m mm BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a hydraulic powered bottle crusher which is adapted to crush bottles into small pieces for recycling. More specifically, this invention relates to a relatively compact device for crushing bottles which utilizes hydraulic pressure from a municipal or household water supply system to actuate the crushing mechanism.

As the population continues to increase, the problem of disposal of municipal refuse, including glass bottles, has become one of major importance. The volume of trash and garbage generated in our major metropolitan areas is increasing daily so that collection and disposal of this municipal refuse is becoming difficult.

In the interest of reducing the quantity of glass containers which appear in municipal refuse, at least one major glass container manufacturer has instituted programs across the country to repurchase glass bottles from consumers which are then crushed and recycled to be made into new glass containers. As this practice of purchasing and recycling glass bottles grows in popularity, it has become obvious that there is a need for a device which is adapted for crushing these bottles into small pieces suitable for utilization by the manufacturer in recycling processes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a unique hydraulic powered bottle crusher which is adapted to crush bottles into small pieces for recycling. The unique device of this invention features a doubleaction piston which is actuated for movement in both directions by means of hydraulic pressure from a mu nicipal or home water supply system. The double-action piston is connected to a plurality of movable crusher bars which cooperate with a plurality of fixed crusher bars to squeeze and crush a bottle therebetween. This device features a trigger and valve spool which are responsive to the presence of a bottle between the fixed and movable crusher bars to actuate the four-way valve and double-action piston to advance the movable crusher bars into compressing engagement with the bottle and to actuate the four-way valve and double-action piston to retract the pressure bars after the bottle has been crushed. Because the device of this invention does not necessitate electric motors or hydraulic pumps, it is a very quiet unit in operation and is well suited to be utilized in a home, store, or restaurant.

Other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will become obvious upon reference to the following detailed description and the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment thereof.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a bottle crusher unit incorporating the novel features of this invention. I

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the bottle crushing portion of the unit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the trigger and valve spool utilized in the bottle crusher of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the four-way valve, valve spool, and trigger utilized in this invention showing these components in the starting or open position prior to a bottle being inserted into the crusher unit.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the four-way valve, valve spool, and trigger of FIG. 4 showing these components in the crushing position after a bottle has been placed into the crusher unit of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, a bottle crushing device incorporating the features of this invention is shown schematically in FIG. I and indicated generally by the numeral 10. The bottle crusher I0 is designed to crush a bottle, such as that indicated by the numeral 12, between a plurality of fixed crusher bars 14 and a plurality of movable crusher bars 16. The bottle crusher 10 includes a base portion. 18 from which vertical struts 20 extend upwardly to support a fixed cross beam 22. The fixed crusher bars 14 are attached at their lower end to the fixed cross beam 22 and at their upper end to a cross bar 24. Mounted for sliding movement on the cross beam 22 is a frame 26 which supports the movable crusher bars 16. The frame 26 is secured to the cross beam 22 by means of a lock screw 28 which resides in an adjustment slot 30 to allow for adjustment of the frame 26 relative to the cross beam 22. An adjustment screw 32 is also provided to adjust and fix the position of the frame 26 relative to the cross beam 22 to compensate for various size bottles that are to be crushed by this device. The movable crusher bars 16 are supported at their lower end on a pivotable frame member 34 which is attached for pivotable movement relative to the frame 26 by means of pins 36. The movable crusher bars 16 are attached at their upper extremity to a frame member 38 which in turn is pivotably attached by means of pins 40 to a movable drive link frame 42. The drive link frame 42 includes a pair of side drive links 44 which are pinned at one end to the frame member 38 and pinned at the other end to a cross drive link 46. It should be-noted that the crusher bars 14 do not necessarily have to be fixed and could be pivoted about their lower end so that both

crusher bars

14 and 16 would be movable relative to each other.

A plurality of cylinders 48 are mounted at one end on cross bar 24 by means of struts 50 and pin 52. As can be seen in FIG. 2, each of the cylinders 48 include a double-action piston 54 which is connected by means of connecting rod 56 to the cross drive link 46. It should be apparent that movement of the pistons 54 within the cylinders 56 will result in movement of frame 42 relative to cross bar 24 and concurrent movement of movable crusher bars 16 relative to the fixed crusher bars I4. It should be understood that the number and size of the cylinders 48 utilized will, of course, be dependent upon the amount of force necessary to move the frame 42 and the movable crusher bars I6 relative to the fixed crusher bars 14. In many instances, the use of one large cylinder would be sufficient and the selection of three cylinders here is utilized merely to illustrate the various possibilities of the system which depend upon the size and type of bottles being crushed.

A suitable collection container 58 is provided and positioned below the opening between the fixed crusher bars 14 and the movable crusher bars 16. This collection container 58 may be of any suitable type adapted to receive the pieces of broken glass and transport them to a desired collection point. A relatively strong corrugated paperboard carton has been found to be very sufficient for this purpose.

To understand the hydraulic system which actuates the double-action piston 54 within cylinder 56 to thereby result in movement of the movable crusher bars 16 relative to the fixed crusher bars 14, reference should initially be made to FIGS. 1 and 2. The hydraulic system utilized in the bottle crusher of this invention features a four-way valve 60 which is attached to the outer side of the fixed crusher bars 14. The fourway valve 60 selected in this device is of the pilot type having a valve spool 62 whose position controls the flow of fluid therethrough. The four-way valve 60 includes an inlet port 64 to which is attached a supply line 66 which may be connected to any source of municipal or home water supply. The four-way valve also includes an exhaust port 68 to which is connected a conduit 70 which serves as a suitable drain line from the system. The four-way valve further includes a third port 71 which communicates by means of

conduits

72, 74, 76, and 78 and suitable couplings 79 to the left hand end of each cylinder 48. These

conduits

72, 74, 76, and 78 thereby conduct the flow of water into and out of the chamber 80 which is to the left of the piston 54 within cylinder 48. A fourth port 81 is provided on the four-way valve 60 and is connected by means of

conduits

82, 84, 86, and 88 and couplings 90 to the right hand end of each of the cylinders 48. Thus, the

conduits

82, 84, 86, and 88 conduct the water into and out of the chamber 92 on the right side of the pistons 54 within cylinders 48. Further details of the operation of the four-way valve 60 will become apparent in conjunction with the later description of FIGS. 4 and 5.

An important part of the control system of this device is the movable cam or trigger mechanism 94 which includes a pair of right angle flanges 96 which are pivotally mounted to one of the fixed crusher bars 14 by means of a U-shaped frame 98 and a pair of pins 100. The flanges 96 have a cross bar 102 pinned therebetween, which in turn is attached to the valve spool 62 which controls the flow of the water through the four-way valve 60. The trigger mechanism 94 also includes a threaded adjusting rod 104 which can be utilized to control the stop position of the flanges 96 when they are allowed to pivot freely into the space between the fixed crusher bars 14 and the movable crusher bars 16 (i.e., when there is no bottle present between the respective crusher bars). To understand the operation ofthe trigger mechanism 94 and the fourway valve 60 to control the operation of the bottle crusher 10, reference should be had to the schematic diagrams shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

In FIG. 4 the device is pictured in the starting position which corresponds to the position of the trigger mechanism 94 as shown in solid lines in FIG. 2. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the four-way valve 60 has a pilot chamber 106 located adjacent to the upper end of the spool valve 62 which is connected to the water inlet port 64. Thus, at all times a pilot force equal to the pressure of the water supply entering the valve through inlet 64 is maintained on the upper end of the spool valve 62. Thus, when the trigger flanges 96 are in the position shown in FIG. 4, the spool valve 62 is positioned such that its

lands

108, 110, and 112 are positioned to connect the inlet 64 with the port 71, and the port 81 with the exhaust or drain port 68. Thus, in this position the water supply flows through port 71 and

conduits

72, 74, 76, and 78 to the left hand chamber within the cylinders 48 to thereby force the piston 54 towards the right hand end of cylinders 48 with the result that the movable crusher bars 16 pivot to the right or open position prior to receiving a bottle to be crushed. Simultaneously, the port 81 is connected directly to the exhaust port 68 to thereby allow for the draining of water from chamber 92 on the right side of the piston 54 as the piston moves toward the right hand end of the cylinders 48.

When a bottle 12 is positioned between the fixed crusher bars 14 and the movable crusher bars 16, the trigger 94 pivots to the position shown in dash-dot lines in FIG. 2 and the valve spool 62 is moved upwardly to assume the position shown schematically in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5 it can be seen that the

lands

108, 110, and 112 have moved upwardly so that inlet port 64 is directly connected to port 81 so that the flow of water through the four-way valve 60 is now reversed and inlet water is now caused to flow into chamber 92 on the right side of piston 54 to thereby force the piston 54 towards the left in cylinder 48. Simultaneously, port 71 is connected to the exhaust or drain port 68 to thereby facilitate the draining of water from chamber 80 as the piston 54 moves to the left within cylinder 48. Thus, as the piston 54 is forced to travel to the left within the cylinder 48, the frame 42 and movable crusher bars 16 are forced to pivot in toward the fixed crusher bars 14. This movement of the movable crusher bars 16 continues to point where the compressive force on the bottle 12 forces it to break into a number of pieces which then fall into the collection container 58. Once the bottle 12 has broken and the pieces fallen away from the trigger flanges 96, the pilot water pressure within the chamber 106 is sufficient to force the valve spool 62 to slide downwardly and return to the position shown in FIG. 4. Once it has returned to the position shown in FIG. 4, the four-way valve 60 is again reversed so that the inlet water port 60 is communicating directly with port 71 to conduct water to chamber 80 and force the piston 54 to move to the right within cylinder 48 to thereby pivot the movable crusher bars 16 to the open position for receipt of a new bottle to be crushed.

Thus, the unique control system of this bottle crusher 10 which incorporates a four-way valve 60 and a trigger mechanism 94 is adapted to sense the presence of a bottle between the fixed and movable crusher bars to reverse the flow of water through the four-way valve to thereby actuate the double-action piston 54 to advance the movable crushing bars 16 toward the fixed crushing bars 14 to thereby compress and crush the bottle placed therebetween. Once the bottle has broken and fallen away from the crusher bars, the control system of this device senses the absence of the bottle and reverses the flow of water through the four-way valve so that the double-action piston moves to pivot the movable crusher bars to an open position for receipt of a new bottle to be crushed.

Therefore, from the preceding description, it should be apparent that the unique bottle crushing device of this invention, which operates completely on hydraulic pressure derived from a municipal or home water supply system, is well suited to quickly and economically crush bottles into small pieces for recycling. The device as disclosed by this invention is well suited to be utilized in any number of bottle collection locations such as a home, restaurant, or food store. ln addition, a unit such as disclosed in this invention is well suited to be attached to a group of beverage dispensing machines so that the bottles can be crushed for recycling and return by the same organization that services the dispensing machines.

lclaim:

l. A bottle crusher unit for breaking bottles into pieces which is adapted to utilize municipal or household water pressure as a hydraulic power source comprising, in combination:

a fixed crusher member having a plurality of bars positioned parallel to each other at spaced intervals and interconnected at their ends by frame members;

a movable crusher member including a plurality of bars positioned parallel to each other at spaced intervals and interconnected at their ends by frame members, said movable crusher member positioned adjacent to and spaced from said fixed crusher member so that a bottle to be crushed may be received therebetween, said movable crusher member being pivotable toward said fixed crusher member to compress and crush said bottle into pieces and pivotable away from said fixed crusher member for receipt of another bottle to be crushed therebetween;

hydraulically responsive actuation means for controlling the position of said movable crusher member relative to said fixed crusher member;

valve means connecting said hydraulically responsive actuation means to said source of municipal or household water pressure;

control means for said valve means responsive to both the presence and the absence of a bottle between said fixed and movable crusher members to adjust the position of said valve means to thereby control the flow of water to said hydraulically responsive actuation means;

said hydraulically responsive actuation means including at least one cylinder having first and second hydraulic fluid openings in the opposite ends thereof connected to said valve means, a double-action piston positioned for sliding movement within said cylinder between said first and second hydraulic openings in the opposite ends of said cylinder and a piston rod connecting said piston to said movable crusher member;

said valve means including a four-way valve member including a valve spool adjustable to variably interconnect said source of water pressure, the first hydraulic opening in one endof said cylinder, the second hydraulic opening in the opposite end of said cylinder, and a drain line, said valve spool being engaged at one end of said control means and subjected to the source water pressure within said valve member at the other end;

and said control means includes a movable cam pivotally mounted on said fixed crusher bars and engaging one end of said valve spool, said movable cam being pivotable toward said four-way valve when a bottle is present between said fixed and movable crusher bars to force said valve spool to a position which connects said! source of water pressure to said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder and said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder to said drain line to thereby force said piston toward said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder and advance said movable crusher bars toward said fixed crusher bars to crush said bottle therebetween, and said movable cam being pivotable away from said four-way valve in the absence of a bottle between said fixed] and movable crusher bars to allow said water source pressure to return said valve spool to a position which connects said source of water pressure to said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder and said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder to said drain line to thereby force said piston toward said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder and retract said movable crusher bars away from said fixed pressure bars.

2. A bottle crusher unit as set forth in claim 1 further 3. In combination with a source of municipal or household water pressure, a bottle crusher for breaking bottles into pieces comprising, in combination:

a fixed crusher member having a plurality of bars positioned parallel to each other at spaced intervals and interconnected at their ends by frame members; i

a movable crusher member including a plurality of bars positioned parallel to each other at spaced intervals and interconnected at their ends by frame members, said movable crusher member positioned adjacent to and spaced from said fixed crusher member so that abottle to be crushed may be received therebetween, said movable crusher member being pivotable toward said fixed crusher member to compress and crush said bottle into pieces and pivotable away from said fixed crusher member for receipt of another bottle to be crushed therebetween;

valvemeans connecting said hydraulically responsive actuation means to said source of municipal or household water pressure;

said valve means including a four-way valve member including a valve spool adjustable to variably interconnect said source of water pressure, the first hydraulic opening in one end of said cylinder, the second hydraulic opening in the opposite end of said cylinder, and a drain line, said valve spool being engaged at one end of said control means and subjected to the source water pressure within said valve member at the other end;

and said control means includes a movable cam pivotally mounted on said fixed crusher bars and engaging one end of said valve spool, said movable cam being pivotable toward said four-way valve when a bottle is present between said fixed and movable crusher bars to force said valve spool to a position which connects said source of water pressure to said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder and said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder to said drain line to thereby force said piston toward said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder and advance said movable crusher bars toward said fixed crusher bars to crush said bottle therebetween, and said movable cam being pivotable away from said four-way valve in the absence of a bottle between said fixed and movable crusher bars to allow said water source pressure to return said valve spool to a position which connects said source of water pressure to said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder and said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder to said drain line to thereby force said piston toward said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder and retract said movable crusher bars away from said fixed pressure bars. 4. In combination with a source of municipal or household water pressure, a bottle crusher as set forth in claim 3 further including removable collection means positioned beneath said fixed and movable crusher members for receiving said crushed bottle pieces.

5. A bottle crusher unit for breaking bottles into pieces which is adapted to utilize municipal or household water pressure as a hydraulic power source comprising, in combination:

fixed crusher means; movable crusher means positioned adjacent to and spaced from said fixed crusher means so that a bottle to be crushed may be received therebetween, said movable crusher means being pivotable toward said fixed crusher means to compress and crush said bottle into pieces and pivotable away from said fixed crusher means for receipt of another bottle to be crushed therebetween;

hydraulically responsive actuation means for controlling the position of said movable crusher means relative to said fixed crusher means;

mechanically actuated hydraulic valve means connecting said hydraulically responsive actuation means to said source of municipal or household water pressure; and a movable control member for said mechanically actuated hydraulic valve means pivotably mounted on said fixed crusher means and responsive to both the presence and absence of a bottle between said fixed and movable crusher means to mechanically engage said mechanically actuated hydraulic valve means and adjust the position of said mechanically actuated hydraulic valve means to thereby control the flow of water to said hydraulically responsive actuation means.

Claims

1. A bottle crusher unit for breaking bottles into pieces which is adapted to utilize municipal or household water pressure as a hydraulic power source comprising, in combination: a fixed crusher member having a plurality of bars positioned parallel to each other at spaced intervals and interconnected at their ends by frame members; a movable crusher member including a plurality of bars positioned parallel to each other at spaced intervals and interconnected at their ends by frame members, said movable crusher member positioned adjacent to and spaced from said fixed crusher member so that a bottle to be crushed may be received therebetween, said movable crusher member being pivotable toward said fixed crusher member to compress and crush said bottle into pieces and pivotable away from said fixed crusher member for receipt of another bottle to be crushed therebetween; hydraulically responsive actuation means for controlling the position of said movable crusher member relative to said fixed crusher member; valve means connecting said hydraulically responsive actuation means to said source of municipal or household water pressure; control means for said valve means responsive to both the presence and the absence of a bottle between said fixed and movable crusher members to adjust the position of said valve means to thereby control the flow of water to said hydraulically responsive actuation means; said hydraulically responsive actuation means including at least one cylinder having first and second hydraulic fluid openings in the opposite ends thereof connected to said valve means, a double-action piston positioned for sliding movement within said cylinder between said first and second hydraulic openings in the opposite ends of said cylinder and a piston rod connecting said piston to said movable crusher member; said valve means including a four-way valve member including a valve spool adjustable to variably interconnect said source of water pressure, the first hydraulic opening in one end of said cylinder, the second hydraulic opening in the opposite end of said cylinder, and a drain line, said valve spool being engaged at one end of said control means and subjected to the source water pressure within said valve member at the other end; and said control means includes a movable cam pivotally mounted on said fixed crusher bars and engaging one end of said valve spool, said movable cam being pivotable toward said four-way valve when a bottle is present between said fixed and movable crusher bars to force said valve spool to a position which connects said source of water pressure to said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder and said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder to said drain line to thereby force said piston toward said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder and advance said movable crusher bars toward said fixed crusher bars to crush said bottle therebetween, and said movable cam being pivotable away from said four-way valve in the absence of a bottle between said fixed and movable crusher bars to allow said water source pressure to return said valve spool to a position which connects said source of water pressure to said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder and said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder to said drain line to thereby force said piston toward said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder and retract said movable crusher bars away from said fixed pressure bars.

2. A bottle crusher unit as set forth in claim 1 further including removable collection means positioned beneath said fixed and movable crusher members for receiving said crushed bottle pieces.

3. In combination with a source of municipal or household water pressure, a bottle crusher for breaking bottles into pieces comprising, in combination: a fixed crusher member having a plurality of bars positioned parallel to each other at spaced intervals and interconnected at their ends by frame members; a movable crusher member including a plurality of bars positioned parallel to each other at spaced intervals and interconnected at their ends by frame members, said movable crusher member positioned adjacent to and spaced from said fixed crusher member so that a bottle to be crushed may be received therebetween, said movable crusher member being pivotable toward said fixed crusher member to compress and crush said bottle into pieces and pivotable away from said fixed crusher member for receipt of another bottle to be crushed therebetween; hydraulically responsive actuation means for controlling the poSition of said movable crusher member relative to said fixed crusher member; valve means connecting said hydraulically responsive actuation means to said source of municipal or household water pressure; control means for said valve means responsive to both the presence and the absence of a bottle between said fixed and movable crusher members to adjust the position of said valve means to thereby control the flow of water to said hydraulically responsive actuation means; said hydraulically responsive actuation means including at least one cylinder having first and second hydraulic fluid openings in the opposite ends thereof connected to said valve means, a double-action piston positioned for sliding movement within said cylinder between said first and second hydraulic openings in the opposite ends of said cylinder and a piston rod connecting said piston to said movable crusher member; said valve means including a four-way valve member including a valve spool adjustable to variably interconnect said source of water pressure, the first hydraulic opening in one end of said cylinder, the second hydraulic opening in the opposite end of said cylinder, and a drain line, said valve spool being engaged at one end of said control means and subjected to the source water pressure within said valve member at the other end; and said control means includes a movable cam pivotally mounted on said fixed crusher bars and engaging one end of said valve spool, said movable cam being pivotable toward said four-way valve when a bottle is present between said fixed and movable crusher bars to force said valve spool to a position which connects said source of water pressure to said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder and said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder to said drain line to thereby force said piston toward said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder and advance said movable crusher bars toward said fixed crusher bars to crush said bottle therebetween, and said movable cam being pivotable away from said four-way valve in the absence of a bottle between said fixed and movable crusher bars to allow said water source pressure to return said valve spool to a position which connects said source of water pressure to said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder and said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder to said drain line to thereby force said piston toward said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder and retract said movable crusher bars away from said fixed pressure bars.

4. In combination with a source of municipal or household water pressure, a bottle crusher as set forth in claim 3 further including removable collection means positioned beneath said fixed and movable crusher members for receiving said crushed bottle pieces.

5. A bottle crusher unit for breaking bottles into pieces which is adapted to utilize municipal or household water pressure as a hydraulic power source comprising, in combination: fixed crusher means; movable crusher means positioned adjacent to and spaced from said fixed crusher means so that a bottle to be crushed may be received therebetween, said movable crusher means being pivotable toward said fixed crusher means to compress and crush said bottle into pieces and pivotable away from said fixed crusher means for receipt of another bottle to be crushed therebetween; hydraulically responsive actuation means for controlling the position of said movable crusher means relative to said fixed crusher means; mechanically actuated hydraulic valve means connecting said hydraulically responsive actuation means to said source of municipal or household water pressure; and a movable control member for said mechanically actuated hydraulic valve means pivotably mounted on said fixed crusher means and responsive to both the presence and absence of a bottle between said fixed and movable crusher means to mechanically engage said mechanically actuated hydraulic valve means and adjust the position of said mechanically actuated hydraulic valve means to thereby control the flow of water to said hydraulically responsive actuation means.