COMPARTMENTALISED RECYCLABLE WASTE CONTAINERThis invention relates to a compartmentalised container suitable for the collection of wet and various types of dry waste suitable for recycling.
The recycling of domestic waste has become an important ecological and economic issue. Local authorities and commercial companies already set out to some extent to distinguish and deal separately with different types of domestic waste suitable for recycling, in particular, by waste paper collections and by "bottle banks" for glass. However, present waste containers for the home and the workplace do not assist very well with the convenient separation and segregation of different types of waste materials. Commonly, a single compartment container is used and such a container must do the job of holding together waste of all sorts.
According to the present invention there is provided a compartmentalised recyclable waste container comprising a rectangular outer box containing a number of separate compartments for the collection of different types of waste, one or more of the compartments being removable boxes suitable for dry waste materials, another compartment being an area in which a disposable bin liner can be held for the convenient collection of wet waste materials, the whole waste container covered by a sliding and hinging lid which allows access to some or all of the internal compartments.
The waste container could be a free standing unit, perhaps housed below a kitchen work surface or a work bench, or it could be enclosed in cupboard space of built-in kitchen or workplace furniture. Alternatively, the container could be made as an integral part of kitchen or workplace furniture. If this latter example were the case then the lid provided would probably be in one piece and run level with and form part of the surrounding work surface, thus allowing the lid surface to be utilised as working surface space and facilitate the easy disposal of waste from surrounding work surfaces. If the container were free standing the base of the complete unit might be slightly curved at the front and back to ease the movement of the whole unit when it is pushed or pulled into position.
The waste container, together with all of its associated pieces, would probably best be made of plastic, preferably recycled plastic. However, where such a waste container were an integral part of kitchen or workplace furniture the container would probably be made of a matching material, probably wood.
A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:Fig. 1 shows in an exploded isometric drawing, the complete unitInset 1. shows a section through the lid and container wall illustratinga lid pin housed in a runner grooveFig. 2 shows internal waste boxes with internal lifting handles, hand guardfor metal waste box and safety barrier for glass waste boxInset 1. shows a section through a ledge handleInset 2. shows a section through a ledge handle and hand guard Fig. 3 shows a section through the full extent of lid with the lid in the closedpositionFig. 4 shows a section through the main container with the partitionwall shown as raised out of the main containerFig. 5 shows a side view of the main container with the front flap of thelid openedFig. 6 shows a side view of the main container with the lid hanging inthe forward positionFig. 7 shows a side view of the main container with the lid raised in thebackwards positionReferring to the drawings the whole waste container might slope down slightly towards the front for better visibility and access, the wet waste section being perhaps at a slightly steeper slope than the rest, see Fig.1.
Four rectangular internal boxes, of similar size and shape, group together towards the back of the main unit. These boxes are likely to be used for dry waste, typically glass, metal, paper and plastic. Each of these internal boxes sits separate and independent of the neighbouring boxes, each can be lifted clear of all other internal boxes and parts and out of the main unit to allow for emptying and cleaning.
Handles for the dry waste boxes shown in Fig. 2 represent ledges set just below the top of the front of each box. The fingers of the hand grasp the ledges sufficiently to allow removal of a box by lifting it upwards, see Fig. 2 inset 1. For an internal box which is intended to hold metal waste there could be a finger guard set around the relevant ledge handle, with sufficient space allowed for the fingers to go between ledge and guard, see Fig. 2 inset 2.
As a further safety feature an internal box to hold glass could have a small ledge set just below the top on all four sides of the container. On this ledge will rest a removeable flexible barrier, probably of plastic or rubber material, divided into overlapping triangular sections (as shown in Fig. 2) or in a similar arrangement. The guard will allow for glass waste to be pushed through but the flap will spring back immediately afterwards. The guard could be reversed periodically to lenghten its life.
The rectangular compartment which can be used for the collection of wet waste represents a space close to the removable internal boxes. This wet waste area could be separated and protected from the four dry waste boxes by a removeable partition wall which is able to slide upwards in vertically alligned grooves set into the walls of the main unit, see Fig.s land 4. A particular advantage of this arrangement is that the partition wall can be removed for ease of cleaning inside the whole unit.
Within the wet waste compartment a disposable bin liner can be held in place by the insertion of a plastic frame which sits just inside of the bin liner itself and pins the bin liner to a ledge moulded onto the sides of the front compartment on three sides and onto the partition wall on the fourth side. In this way the bin liner may be secured without recourse to folding it over the top edges of the compartment, this allows closer fitting together of the various internal parts of the unit and means that the bin liner can be completely hidden within the wet waste compartment, which would be more sightly. The ledge which holds the frame slopes downwards towards the front of the whole unit in order to maximise the space available within the wet waste compartment, see Fig. 3.The frame which holds the bin liner in position on the ledge could be attached to the partition wall by a connecting strip or band to keep the frame from becoming mislaid, see Fig 4.
A sliding and hinged lid could fit securely over the top of the whole unit, allowing access to internal compartments. The lid would be close fitting to help to cut down the likelihood of smells escaping, this being particularly important in the case of the wet waste compartment.
The lid would be able to run forwards and backwards on top of the main container. This could be achieved by having suitably placed runners on the outside of both sides of the main container in which would ride two strong pins fixed towards the back of the lid on the inside of an overlapping rim, see Fig.l inset 1.
The arrangement of the lid would allow it to be moved in three ways, reference to Fig.s 5-7.
The hinged flap which might form the front area of the the lid would cover the wet waste compartment. A small handle would extend forwards from the front flap (see Fig. 1) which would allow the user to easily flip the frontal flap upwards and back, in a motion described in the diagram Fig. 5. The wet waste flap and the rear section of the lid could form a simple hinge at the point denoted by broken lines in Fig 1. When wet waste were deposited in the relevant compartment at the front of the main unit, the front flap would hinge back and rest against the main area of the lid allowing access separately to the wet waste compartment. The front flap would also act as a guard when in the open position, preventing wet waste from being spilled onto for the main area of the lid.
In pulling the lid to the forward, hanging position (see Fig. 6) it would be necessary to grasp an external handle set on the dry waste area of the lid, and pull the lid upwards enough to raise the holding pins inside of the lid rim clear of the initial vertical groove of the runners, before pulling the lid forwards towards the user, the pins always moving in the runners. When the lid unit hangs in the position as shown, the user of the container is allowed both hands free to sort and deposit waste in the rear containers. The lid could be pulled forward to reveal the two rearmost internal containers if access is required only to these containers.
To push the lid into the back position shown in Fig. 7 it would be necessary to grasp the handle set in the front flap, lift the front flap slightly and apply sufficient force to push the lid upwards and backwards in the same motion.
The lid would pivot on the pins resting in the initial vertical groove of the runners. The motion of the lid would continue until the back edge of the rear section of the lid came to rest on a stop bar provided at a suitable place on the back of the main container. The angle at which this would occur is such that the lid will not fall back onto the main unit again until it is pulled back into position by the user. In order to take the lid back to its original position on top of the main container, the hand grasps the same external handle set on the front flap and pulls the lid back down.