WO2009127806A1

WO2009127806A1 - System for collecting refuse in a segregated manner

Info

Publication number: WO2009127806A1
Application number: PCT/GB2009/000857
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giles Timothy Sergant
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-04-15
Filing date: 2009-03-31
Publication date: 2009-10-22
Anticipated expiration: 2010-10-15
Also published as: GB2471038B8; GB2471038B; GB0806833D0; GB2471038A; GB201016242D0

Abstract

System (2) for collecting refuse in a segregated manner, comprising a plurality of wheeled bins (4) a road vehicle (6), whereby each (4) has a plurality of separate compartments (10) and each compartment (10) has its own door (12) the vehicle (6) has a plurality of containers (14) and a lifting and transport mechanism (16) which lifts the bins (4) and transports the bins (4) across the vehicle (6) with the bins (4) being held against the vehicle (6) such as to create a pressure on doors (12) of the compartments (10) and stop the doors (12) opening until each one of the compartments (10) is in registry with an opening (18) in the appropriate container (14) for receiving the particular type of refuse whereupon the pressure ceases, the door (12) of the compartment (10) opens under gravity, and the refuse is emptied under gravity into the appropriate container (14).

Description

SYSTEM FOR COLLECTING REFUSE IN A SEGREGATED MANNER

This invention relates to apparatus for collecting refuse and, more especially, this invention relates to apparatus for collecting refuse in a segregated manner.

Concerns regarding the adverse affect of refuse disposal on the environment have led to waste disposal authorities coming under ever increasing pressure to divert municipal household waste from land fill sites. Various initiatives are being implemented in order to raise the volumes of waste set aside by households for recycling. The greater the proportion of waste extracted for recycling, the lower the proportion of residual municipal waste that might be destined for landfill disposal.

Household refuse that is able to be recycled may be in the form of paper, glass, metals and plastics materials. Where a wheeled bin is used to collect recycling, the refuse is mixed together in a single wheeled bin which is collected by a refuse-collecting road vehicle. Upon loading, the bin's refuse is further mixed with the refuse on board which may be compacted. The refuse then has to be sent to a materials recovery facility where the mixed refuse is separated by a combination of mechanical and human means on a processing line. The segregated refuse is then collected in groups until there is sufficient of the refuse to be sent to specialist re-processing centres for recycling.

Where a carry bin is used to collect recycling, kerbside refuse collectors may segregate refuse as it is unloaded into a refuse-collecting road vehicle by hand. This action by the kerbside collectors avoids the need for subsequent segregation at a materials recovery facility. The hand segregation by kerbside collectors is however inefficient, prone to inaccuracy as segregation takes place under time duress, and given the carry weight of the bins may present a health risk to operators.

The value of segregated refuse is very much dependent upon the quality of the segregated refuse at the point of arrival at specialist re- processors. This quality is adversely affected by contamination. Contamination may come in two forms. The first form may be due to the presence of alien objects such for example as plastics materials mixed in with paper, or metals mixed in with glass. The second form may be due to embedded alien particles or residues such for example as shards of glass mingled in with paper, or the residues of bottles, tin cans and yoghurt pots on papers. The collection of refuse in a mixed together manner, the inefficient hand segregation at kerbside and the further mixing and/or compacting for transportation in a refuse collecting road vehicle serves to compound contamination.

The contamination may be so bad that the output of many forms of recycling is of such a low quality that the recycled products are only in demand in countries where the quality of raw materials required for manufacturing is low.

Heightened public awareness and consciousness, together with various council or state-run initiatives, are increasing the amount of recycling per household. However as the recycling volumes rise, so do the above mentioned problems.

It is an aim of the present invention to reduce the above mentioned problems.

Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention there is provided apparatus for collecting refuse in a segregated manner, which apparatus comprises a plurality of bins for receiving the refuse, and a road vehicle for lifting the bins and emptying the refuse from the bins into the vehicle, and the apparatus being such that:

(i) the bins are wheeled bins;

(ii) each one of the bins has a plurality of separate compartments for receiving different types of refuse;

(iii) the separate compartments are such that each compartment has its own door;

(iv) the vehicle has a plurality of containers for receiving the different types of refuse; and (v) the vehicle has a lifting and transport mechanism which lifts the bins and transports the bins across the vehicle with the bins being held against the vehicle such as to create a pressure on doors of the compartments and stop the doors opening until each one of the compartments is in registry with an opening in the appropriate container for receiving the particular type of refuse in the compartment whereupon the pressure ceases, the door of the compartment opens under gravity, and the refuse is emptied under gravity into the appropriate container.

The apparatus of the present invention is able to operate in an efficient manner by enabling householders to segregate their refuse, and segregation to be maintained up to the point of presentation at specialist re-processors for recycling.

The apparatus may be one in which the lifting and transport mechanism causes the doors of the compartments in the bins to open in a sequential manner.

The apparatus may be one in which the sequential opening of the doors is such that the doors open in a sequence which commences with the door of a lowermost compartment opening first, and which terminates with the door of an uppermost compartment opening last. Other sequences of opening the doors may be employed.

The apparatus may be one in which the lifting and transport mechanism comprises a plurality of transport belts, drives and rollers which transport the bins up a first end of the vehicle, across a top part of the vehicle, and down a second end of the vehicle, and in which the transport belts act to maintain constant pressure on the doors of the bins at all times. The first end of the vehicle may be a front end, and the second end of the vehicle may be the rear end. The opposite arrangement may be employed if desired.

The lifting and transport mechanism may comprise a bin-docking station.

The lifting and transport mechanism may comprise a bin-release station.

The lifting and transport mechanism may be on one side only of the vehicle, whereby loading of the bins is from that side only of the vehicle. Alternatively, the lifting and transport mechanism may be on both sides of the vehicle, whereby loading of the bins is from both sides of the vehicle.

The vehicle may include a compacting device for compacting the refuse in the containers and thereby maximizing on the storage capacity of the containers. The container for glass may be provided with noise insulation, for example baffles, to reduce noise pollution caused by glass falling into the container and/or being compacted.

The vehicle may include weighing means for weighing the bins before and after emptying in order to obtain the net weight of refuse collected from each household.

The vehicle may also include recording means for recording collection data. The recording means may record the weighed information or other collection data, for example visual inspection records. The recording means may comprise analyzer means for analyzing the recorded collection data. The analysed recorded collection data can then be sent on including via Internet means for further action and/or provided as a hard copy printout.

The apparatus may be one in which each one of the bins is provided with identification means for use in the recording of the collection data. The identification means may be radio frequency identification means.

Preferably, the vehicle is powered by a refuse-derived fuel energy source, or by a renewable energy source. The renewable energy source may be, for example, an electric battery, photovoltaic cell(s), hydrogen fuel cell(s) or biofuel(s).

Preferably, the apparatus is one in which each one of the bins has lifting posts by which the bin is lifted and transported over the vehicle. Other types of emptying formations may be employed.

The doors on the bins may open and close via side arrangements which move in dedicated refuse-free areas in the bins so that the doors open and close freely without obstruction by the refuse. The side arrangements additionally help to provide an obstruction-free exit for the refuse upon emptying from bin to container.

The apparatus may be one in which the doors of the bins are hinged by a base pivot arrangement which is positioned within a refuse-free area in the bin. This allows for a fixed compartment floor which provides for an efficient obstruction free emptying of the refuse from the bin to containers.

The bins may be provided with vision panels for allowing inspection of the refuse in the compartments. Quick checks may thus be made to ensure that householders are correctly segregating their refuse. The vision panels may be positioned in the doors of the compartments. Alternatively, the vision panels may be positioned in side walls or a rear wall of the bins.

The bins may be such that each bin has a rear formation for receiving a person's foot in order to facilitate pivoting of the bin onto rear wheels without a jerking action.

The vehicle will usually be a lorry. The vehicle may however be a van or other type of road vehicle if desired.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows apparatus of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the bins shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the bin shown in Figure 2 and illustrates how the bin is docked in a docking station on the road vehicle shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 shows in detail how doors of the bin shown in Figure 2 open and close; and

Figure 5 shows how the doors open and close via side arrangements in dedicated refuse-free areas in the bin.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown apparatus 2 for collecting refuse in a segregated manner. The apparatus 2 comprises a plurality of bins 4 for receiving the refuse, and a road vehicle 6. The vehicle 6 is for lifting the bins 4 and emptying the refuse from the bins 4 into the vehicle 6. The bins 4 are wheeled bins having rear wheels 8. Each bin 4 has a plurality of separate compartments 10 for receiving different type of refuse. The separate compartments 10 are such that each compartment 10 has its own door 12. Each bin 4 has a rear formation 13 for receiving a person's foot in order to facilitate pivoting of the bin 4 onto the rear wheels 8 without a jerking action.

The vehicle 6 has a plurality of containers 14 for receiving the different types of refuse from the compartments 10 of the bins 4. The vehicle 6 has a lifting and transport mechanism 16 which lifts the bins 4 and transports the bins 4 along the vehicle 6 with the bins 4 being held against the vehicle 6 such as to create a pressure on the doors 12 of the compartments 10. This pressure stops the doors 12 opening until each one of the compartments 10 is in registry with an opening 18 in the appropriate container 14 for receiving the particular type of refuse in the container 14. When this registry occurs, the pressure ceases, the door 12 of the compartment 10 opens under gravity, and the refuse is emptied from the compartment 10 under gravity and into the appropriate container 14.

As can be appreciated from Figure 1, the lifting and transport mechanism causes the doors 12 of the compartments 10 in the bins 4 to open in a sequential manner. This sequential manner of is such that the doors 12 open in a sequence which commences with the door 12 of the lowermost compartment opening first, and which terminates with the door of an uppermost compartment opening last. The lifting and transport mechanism 16 comprises a plurality of transport belts 20, 22, 23, 24, 26. These transport belts 20, 22, 23, 24, 26 transport the bins 4 up a front end of the vehicle 6, across a top part of the vehicle 6, and down a rear end of the vehicle 6 as shown in Figure 1. The transport belts 20, 22, 23, 24, 26 act to apply continual pressure on the doors 12 of the bins 4 at all times using an arrangement of claws which grip the bins 4.

As also shown in Figure 1 , the lifting and transport mechanism 16 comprises a bin-docking station 28. A bin 4 ready for emptying is presented to the bin-docking station 28. After emptying, the emptied bin 4 arrives at a bin-release station 30 where the bin 4 is released from the vehicle 6.

The lifting and transport mechanism 16 is on one side only of the vehicle 6. Thus loading of the bins 4 is from one side only of the vehicle 6.

The vehicle 6 includes a compacting device or compacting devices (not shown) for compacting the refuse in the containers 14 and thereby maximizing on the storage capacity in the container.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, each bin 4 has vertical lifting posts 32 by which the bin 4 is lifted and transported over the vehicle 6. The lifting posts 32 are gripped by claws 34 which engage as shown in Figure 3. Each bin 4 also has horizontal lifting posts 35 which are used by the belts 22, 24 with a similar claw arrangement.

Figure 4 shows how the doors 12 have side arrangements in the form of side panels 36 which move backwards and forwards in dedicated refuse- free areas 38. This ensures that the side panels 36 are always able to move easily and their movement is not obstructed by refuse in the compartments 10. Thus the doors 12 are always able to open and close easily under gravity and the refuse in the compartments 10 will empty without obstruction.

The apparatus 2 gives a fail-safe operation of the lifting and transport mechanism. To complete an emptying cycle a bin must be transferred across 5 belts on four separate occasions (1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5). Three belts move the bin in a horizontal motion whilst two others deal with raising and lowering. Figure 2 illustrates the positioning of posts 32 and 35 on the bin 4. Their location is significant to the fail-safe means of belt to belt transfer. The posts 32 are located at the edge of the bin 4 and these are used to attach the bin to belts 1 , 3 and 5. The posts 35 are inboard and are used to attach the bin to belts 2 and 4. The fail-safe operation of belt to belt transfer is provided (for example at 1-2 transfer) as the transport mechanism computer controller would only allow belt 1 to disengage with the posts 32 when the belt 2 sensor has confirmed a positive hold of the posts 35. Health and safety is an essential aspect of load handling, particularly so when operating in public areas.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiment of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings has been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example the vehicle 6 may have the lifting and transport mechanism 16 on its other side, for example in countries where driving is on the right hand side of the road. Alternatively, the lifting and transport mechanism 16 may be on both sides of the vehicle 6. The bins 4 may have lifting devices other than the lifting posts 32 and 35. The doors of the compartments 10 may be different than those shown and they may be of any suitable and appropriate design. The doors of the compartments 10 are shown as being provided with handle means in the form of holes 40 but other handles may be employed. The vehicle 6 may be provided with weighing means for weighing the bins 4 before and after emptying, in order to obtain the net weight of refuse collected from each household. The vehicle 6 may also be provided with recording means for recording the weighed information. The bins 4 may be provided with vision panels for enabling the refuse in the compartments 10 to be seen, in order to ensure that householders are correctly segregating their refuse. The vision panels may be positioned in the doors 12 of the bins 4, or alternatively in side walls or a rear wall of the bins 4.

Claims

1. Apparatus for collecting refuse in a segregated manner, which apparatus comprises a plurality of bins for receiving the refuse, and a road vehicle for lifting the bins and emptying the refuse from the bins into the vehicle, and the apparatus being such that:

(i) the bins are wheeled bins;

(iv) the vehicle has a plurality of containers for receiving the different types of refuse; and

(v) the vehicle has a lifting and transport mechanism which lifts the bins and transports the bins across the vehicle with the bins being held against the vehicle such as to create a pressure on doors of the compartments and stop the doors opening until each one of the compartments is in registry with an opening in the appropriate container for receiving the particular type of refuse in the compartment whereupon the pressure ceases, the door of the compartment opens under gravity, and the refuse is emptied under gravity into the appropriate container.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the lifting and transport mechanism causes the doors of the compartments in the bins to open in a sequential manner.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the sequential manner of opening the doors is such that the doors open in a sequence which commences with the door of a lowermost compartment opening first, and which terminates with the door of an uppermost compartment opening last.

4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the lifting and transport mechanism comprises a plurality of transport belts, drives and rollers which transport the bins up a first end of the vehicle, across a top part of the vehicle, and down a second end of the vehicle, and in which the transport belts act to maintain constant pressure on the doors of the bins at all times.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 in which the first end of the vehicle is a front end, and in which the second end of the vehicle is a rear end.

6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the lifting and transport mechanism comprises a bin-docking station.

7. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the lifting and transport mechanism comprises a bin-release station.

8. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the lifting and transport mechanism is on one side only of the vehicle, whereby loading of the bins is from that side only of the vehicle.

9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 - 7 in which the lifting and transport mechanism is on both sides of the vehicle, whereby loading of the bins is from both sides of the vehicle.

10. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the vehicle includes a compacting device for compacting the refuse in the containers and thereby maximizing on storage capacity in the containers.

11. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the vehicle includes weighing means for weighing the bins before and after emptying in order to obtain the net weight of refuse collected from each household.

12. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims and including recording means for recording collection data.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12 in which the recording means comprises analyzer means analyzing the recorded collection data.

14. Apparatus according to claim 12 or claim 13 in which each one of the bins is provided with identification means for use in the recording of the collection data.

15. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the vehicle is powered by a refuse-derived fuel energy source.

16. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 - 14 in which the vehicle is powered by a renewable energy source.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16 in which the renewable energy source is an electric battery, photovoltaic cell(s), hydrogen fuel cell(s) or biofuel(s).

18. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which each one of the bins has lifting posts by which the bin is lifted and transported over the vehicle.

19. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the doors on the bins open and close via side arrangements which move in dedicated refuse-free areas in the bins so that the doors are able to open and close freely without obstruction by the refuse, and an obstruction-free exit is facilitated for the refuse upon emptying from bin to container.

20. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the doors of the bins are hinged by a base arrangement which is positioned within a refuse-free area in the bin.

21. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which each one of the bins has vision panels for allowing inspection of the refuse in the compartments.

22. Apparatus according to claim 21 in which the vision panels are positioned in the doors of the compartments.

23. Apparatus according to claim 21 in which the vision panels are positioned in side walls or a rear wall of the bins.

24. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which each bin has a rear formation for receiving a person's foot in order to facilitate pivoting of the bin onto rear wheels without a jerking action.

25. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the vehicle is a lorry.