WO2008117063A1

WO2008117063A1 - Waste management

Info

Publication number: WO2008117063A1
Application number: PCT/GB2008/001086
Authority: WO
Inventors: John James Monaghan
Original assignee: John James Monaghan
Priority date: 2007-03-28
Filing date: 2008-03-28
Publication date: 2008-10-02
Also published as: GB2448074A; GB0705928D0; GB0805665D0

Abstract

To manage waste at a construction sites or the like, a steel skip (2) is provided with a liner (10) sized and configured to correspond to the internal dimensions of the skip. The liner having an open top, a closed bottom (15), and is provided with a plurality of straps (20) attached to and running beneath the bottom of the liner to strengthen the liner. Each strap terminates in a distal portion (21) incorporating an eye (22). The liner is lifted, when filled, on to a vehicle. The vehicle may be provided with a lifting rig mounted on the vehicle (28) and coacting with the eyes. A plurality of filled liners are transported on the vehicle to a waste treatment site.

Description

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Background

This disclosure relates to the field of waste management.

Industrial and trade waste created at industrial, construction, demolition, building, extraction, development, transportation and other engineering sites (hereafter: "construction and like sites") poses numerous environmental problems.

The conventional practice for collecting and disposing of such waste is to have a heavyweight steel skip, often hired by the construction site manager, delivered to the construction site using a skip transporter designed for the purpose, and to have the transporter return to pick up the skip when filled, and to transport the filled skip to a central site, often a land-fill site or waste transfer station, where it is emptied. The skips may then be rehired. The skip transporter is generally employed only to pick up and transport a single filled skip, so that this method of waste management will usually entail four trips by the transporter between the central site and the construction site to deliver an empty skip and to return to pick up a filled skip unless the skip transporter operator can arrange for a transporter to pick-up a filled skip at or near the location and time for delivery of an empty skip . The steel skips are required to be robust and are thus heavy in weight.

Major construction projects such as Heathrow Terminal Five or the site for the 1012 London Olympics produce a constant flow of waste skips, and even small construction projects will generate many skip movements.

Pressure towards pre-sorting of waste to allow recycling and to reduce land-fill is likely to require construction sites to hire several skips for different categories of waste and require even more journeys transporting the skips.

There is a pressing need for a more environmentally friendly approach to the management of waste from construction sites and the like. Sand and gravel, previously delivered to construction sites by builders' merchants in bulk, may now be delivered in individual 1 m³ bags of generally cubic configuration formed of woven plastics, usually polypropylene, and provided with a pair of strap handles. A crane mounted on a flat bed delivery truck and provided with a hook may lift individual bags from the truck by the handles for deposit on the ground where required.

Summary

In accordance with a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method of waste management for construction sites and the like comprises the steps of: providing a steel skip with a liner sized and configured to correspond to the internal dimensions of the skip, the liner having an open top, a closed bottom, and being provided with a plurality of straps attached to and running beneath the bottom of the liner to strengthen the liner, each strap terminating in a distal portion incorporating an eye; lifting a said liner, when filled, on to a vehicle, and transporting the filled liner on the vehicle to a waste treatment site.

In preferred embodiments of the method: The filled liner is lifted on to the vehicle by a lifting rig mounted on the vehicle and coacting with said eyes. The lifting rig comprises a plurality of spaced hooks, each adapted to coact with an individual eye. The vehicle has a flat bed and is adapted simultaneously to transport a plurality of filled liners. The liner may be a single user liner intended for disposal with the waste filling it. The liner may be emptied at the waste treatment site for re-use.

The liner is believed novel in its own right.

Accordingly, in a second and alternative aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a liner for a skip adapted to receive waste at a construction or like site, the liner being sized and configured to correspond to the internal dimensions of the skip, the liner having an open top, a closed bottom, and being provided with a plurality of straps attached to and running beneath the bottom of the liner to strengthen the liner, each strap terminating in a distal portion incorporating an eye.

Preferred embodiments may have one or more of the following features: The liner is formed of woven plastics material, preferably polypropylene. The woven plastics material has a density of around 250 g/m². The straps are formed by plural superposed layers of the woven plastics material. The liner has a load capacity of 3 tonnes or more. The bottom is generally rectangular. The liner has generally hexagonal side surfaces, bottom edges of which are joined by stitching to long sides of the bottom; and generally rectangular end surfaces joined by stitching both to short sides of the bottom and to side edges of the hexagonal side surfaces and having a free edge. The liner has first straps in the medial central plane of the liner that extend longitudinally of the bottom and of the end surfaces and extend beyond the free edges of the end surfaces. The liner has second straps that extend diagonally of the bottom and then vertically up the side surfaces and beyond upper edges of the side surfaces.

Brief Description of the Drawings

A novel method of waste management for construction sites and the like is described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig.1 shows a prior art arrangement with a conventional skip being transported on a conventional skip transporter;

Fig. 2 shows a skip together with a skip liner therefore;

Fig. 3 shows the bottom surface of the liner of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shows a vehicle for transporting filled skip liners;

Fig. 5 shows a lifting rig; and

Fig. 6 shows another skip configuration.

Description of Preferred Embodiments

Before describing arrangements employing the teachings of the present disclosure, a brief description is given of a conventional prior art skip transporter 1 with reference to Fig. 1. Such prior art transporters are generally used only to handle a single filled skip 2 at any one time. Respective arms 3 coupled by a crossbar 4 are pivoted at 5 towards the rear of transporter 1 and moveable by rams 6. Chains 7 are mounted to crossbar 4 and coact by means of hooks, eyes or other coupling means with trunnions 8 on the sides of the skip 2 so that as the arms 3 are raised the skip 2 is swung upwardly and rearwardly of bed 9 of the transporter and on to the ground behind the transporter. The reverse operation is required to load a filled skip back on to the transporter 1 to be driven to a waste treatment site such as a landfill site. The weight of the skip itself represents a significant proportion of the total weight of a filled skip.

In contrast, now referring to Figs. 2 to 5, a skip 2 is shown in Fig. 2 fitted with a liner 10 therefor. Skips may come in a number of different sizes for waste from construction sites and the like from a 2 cubic yard (1.53 m³) mini-skip suitable only for a do-it-yourself householder up to the typical 8 cubic yard (6.12 m³) builder's skip. While larger skips, often known as "roll on/offs", are available they are handled in a different way, and are not suitable for general construction waste as a conventional transporter 1 would be incapable of lifting them when full. They tend only to be used within opencast extraction sites or on large scale construction sites for groundwork operation, where specialist heavy transporters are available. Skips may also come in different shapes, as shown in Fig. 6, which illustrates a so-called "single-ended" skip 11 capable of being loaded with waste only at one end 12 rather than at both as in the skip 2 shown in Fig. 2. Some skips, particularly the aforesaid mini-skips, may not have sides 13 that extend vertically higher than the ends 14. Whatever the size and configuration of the skip, it should have a liner that is sized and configured to correspond to the internal dimensions of the skip.

Most skips, whatever their capacity, have the general shape shown in Figs. 1 and

2. Accordingly, illustrated skip liner 10 has an open top and a closed bottom 15, best shown in Fig. 3, that is of generally rectangular shape, having long sides 16 and short sides 17. It has side surfaces 18 that are preferably generally hexagonal, and end surfaces 19 that are generally rectangular. The liner 10 is formed of heavy duty woven plastics, preferably polypropylene. The 1 m³ bags used by builders' merchants to deliver sand or gravel are formed of a similar material. However, a higher gauge material is preferred for the present skip liners 10. Builders' merchants' bags typically have a density of 100 g/m². The present skip liners 10 preferably have a density of around 250 g/m².

The skip liner 10 is provided with a plurality of heavy duty straps 20 attached to and running beneath the bottom 15 of the liner to strengthen it. As shown in Fig. 2, each strap terminates in a distal portion 21 formed with a lifting eye 22. The straps may be formed of heavy grade canvas. However, in the preferred arrangement, they are formed of strips of the same woven plastic material as the remainder of the liner, but in several, preferably up to four, superposed layers stitched together. Preferred liners as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 may be safely lifted with up to 3 tonnes of waste. As shown, the straps are preferably arranged so that there are medial straps 23 that extend longitudinally of bottom 15 and end surfaces 19 and extend beyond free edges 24 of end surfaces 19, and further straps 25 that extend diagonally of bottom 15 and then run vertically up side surfaces 18 to extend beyond upper edges 26 of those side surfaces. The individual panels of the skip liner are preferably stitched together using heavy duty thread, preferably of polypropylene, since the overlapped stitched portions and the thread all add to the strength of the liner. However, the end surfaces 19 may be formed in one piece with bottom 15.

Liner 10, when filled is adapted to be lifted on to flat bed 27 of a vehicle 28 (Fig. 4) provided with a lifting rig 29. The lifting rig is best shown in Fig. 6 and preferably comprises a hydraulically operable articulated arm 30 supporting a frame 31 provided with a plurality of spaced hooks 32, each adapted to coact with a respective strap lifting eye 22. This lifting arrangement is inherently safer than that of the conventional skip transporter 1 of Fig. 1 as the lifting rig is located centrally of the vehicle so that there is less danger of the transporter tipping. Moreover the weight of each lift will be significantly less as it will exclude the weight of the skip itself. The flat bed 27 of vehicle 28 and the ability of the lifting rig 29 to manoeuvre mean that vehicle 28 may transport several filled liners at any one time, whereas the conventional skip transporter of Fig. 1 is only capable of loading, transporting and unloading a single filled skip. Vehicle 28 suitably has a load capacity of 10-15 tonnes.

The novel waste management system disclosed herein is thus capable of significantly reducing the number of trips a transporter must make, reducing overall distances travelled by a skip hire/waste management operator, with consequent labour and fuel savings and benefits for the environment.

Claims

1. A method of waste management for construction sites and the like comprising the steps of: providing a steel skip with a liner sized and configured to correspond to the internal dimensions of the skip, the liner having an open top, a closed bottom, and being provided with a plurality of straps attached to and running beneath the bottom of the liner to strengthen the liner, each strap terminating in a distal portion incorporating an eye; lifting a said liner, when filled, on to a vehicle, and transporting the filled liner on the vehicle to a waste treatment site.

2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the filled liner is lifted on to the vehicle by a lifting rig mounted on the vehicle and coacting with said eyes.

3. A method according to Claim 2, wherein the lifting rig comprises a plurality of spaced hooks, each adapted to coact with an individual eye.

4. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the vehicle has a flat bed and is adapted simultaneously to transport a plurality of filled liners.

5. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the liner comprises a single use liner for disposal with the waste filling it.

6. A method according to Claim 1, comprising the further step of emptying the liner at the waste treatment site for re-use of the liner.

7. A liner for a skip adapted to receive waste at a construction or like site, the liner being sized and configured to correspond to the internal dimensions of the skip, the liner having an open top, a closed bottom, and being provided with a plurality of straps attached to and running beneath the bottom of the liner to strengthen the liner, each strap terminating in a distal portion incorporating an eye.

8. A liner according to Claim 7, formed of woven plastics material, preferably polypropylene.

9. A liner according to Claim 7 formed of woven plastics material with a density of around 250 g/m².

10. A liner according to Claim 7, wherein the straps are formed by plural superposed layers of the woven plastics material.

11. A liner according to Claim 7, having a load capacity of 3 tonnes or more.

12. A liner according to Claim 7, wherein the bottom is generally rectangular; wherein the liner has side surfaces, preferably generally hexagonal, bottom edges of the side surfaces being joined by stitching to long sides of the bottom, and has generally rectangular end surfaces joined by stitching both to short sides of the bottom and to side edges of the side surfaces and having a free edge; and wherein the liner has first straps in the medial central plane of the liner that extend longitudinally of the bottom and of the end surfaces and extend beyond the free edges of the end surfaces, and second straps that extend diagonally of the bottom and then vertically up the side surfaces and beyond upper edges of the side surfaces.