IL112012A - System for collection and disposal of refuse - Google Patents

Description

112012/2 A SYSTEM FOR COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF REFUSE A SYSTEM FOR COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF REFUSE The present invention relates to a system for collecting refuse, particularly urban refuse, and for transporting and disposing thereof. The system makes use of special refuse storage houses, strategically placed near the sites where the refuse is generated, and wherein the refuse is compacted into special containers which are readily removed, emptied and returned for re-use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The problem of refuse disposal has become very acute, particularly for municipalities. In general, refuse is collected in a city or from an industrial area and transported to a location not too distant for dumping in a disposal site. In large cities there are often intermediate sites where the refuse is compacted and subsequently transported to the ultimate disposal site. The amount of refuse being generated per capita has increased significantly and poses a serious problem for those responsible for sanitation and refuse disposal, particularly in urban areas. In recent years there has also been a hightened ecological awareness, which has focused attention to the fact that there are too many waste disposal sites in existence close to urban centres, presenting a sanitary and ecological hazard. Thus, responsible authorities have decided to significantly reduce the number of these sites by closing them down, and leave only a few selected strategically located sites to service regional disposal needs. This means that significant amounts of refuse will have to be transported long distances from the site of origin to the disposal site, which may be over 100 kms . This situation will require a whole new fleet of trucks or other means of transportation, such as trains, as well as auxiliary equipment, such as containers, compacters etc., which will substantially increase the costs of collecting and transporting refuse with the present means available.

Furthermore, there has been increased pressure on the part of environmentalists, as well as government ministries responsible for sanitation and environment, to bring about changes and improvements in the way refuse is stored locally, i.e. in containers of all kinds presently in use. These containers vary in size and present not only sanitation problems but safety hazards as well. Thus, for example, refuse storage bins, particularly the larger ones of 6-8 cubic meters, which are found in streets, parking lots and commercial centres, usually have their doors open with refuse spilling out and spreading all about, so that cats and dogs can roam near them and even inside them. These large containers are often found in the gutter next to the sidewalk, where they present safety hazards of the first degree for anyone trying to bring refuse to the container. One has to first step into the gutter and find one's way between moving cars in order to get to the opening for dumping the refuse. The situation with smaller containers located near residences with few apartments is not much better. These containers are often filled to overflowing, since they fill up very quickly, particularly when empty boxes are thrown out.

Collection of refuse from the smaller container generally involves a garbage truck passing by at regular intervals, such as daily or several times a week, with sanitation workers either manually taking the container and emptying it into the rear of the truck or hooking it up to a mechanical hoisting and dumping device which empties the container into the truck. The truck is usually equipped with moving blades which convey and transfer the refuse to its interior while at the same time compacting it slightly. The larger refuse bins are generally loaded onto trucks by roll on roll off means and transported either directly to the refuse disposal site or to an intermediate storage station for compacting and further transporting to a dump site.

A more advanced known refuse disposal method provides garbage trucks which have compacting chambers into which the refuse is dumped from smaller containers, where it is compacted and pushed into the main storage area of the truck. This system of course enables the truck to collect and transport significantly more refuse per volume of truck space than was possible with the older type of refuse collecting trucks. The compacted refuse is transported to an intermediate station or directly to the disposal site.

It would therefore be desirable to have a refuse collecting, transporting and disposing system which would require relatively few refuse disposal sites and which would provides maximum utilization of refuse storage space beginning at the location where the refuse is generated through its transportation to the refuse disposal site.

Furthermore, it would be desirable to have refuse storage containers that are maintained closed on all sides and open only to receive fresh refuse, thus preventing animals from getting into them.

It would also be desirable to have a refuse container which initially receives the refuse placed within a courtyard or close to the property line of houses, away from the gutter, so that it is safely accessible.

Another desirable feature for refuse containers would be to provide them with drainage facilities, so that liquid wastes would not accumulate therein.

In order to achieve the above objectives in an economical manner there is provided a system for refuse collection and disposal based on the principle of compacting the refuse at the initial disposal site into conveniently transportable compacting containers. According to one aspect of the invention the system includes a self-contained refuse storage house having a refuse receiving station, compacting and transferring means and a storage container for receiving the refuse which is compacted therein. Such a refuse storage house would generally be placed near residential buildings or industrial sites where refuse is discarded. A refuse storage house for general use would be about 4.5 meters long, 2 meters high and 2 meters wide and would be able to receive a storage container having a volume of about 2-3 cubic meters, able to accomodate about 2 tons of compacted refuse. Such a storage house would preferably be constructed of metal with perhaps a plastic exterior cover or coating to blend in aesthetically with the surrounding buildings. The refuse storage house contains an automatic hydraulic compacting piston and operates as follows: Refuse is thrown into a refuse receiving cell in the storage house. This can be done, for example, by throwing the refuse into a bucket and by pressing a switch or a lever, the bucket is pivoted, lifting the refuse which is poured into the refuse receiving cell. In the refuse receiving cell, the refuse is pushed by means of a hydraulic piston into a compacting storage container. The refuse will become compacted as it accumulates in the container. When the switch or lever is released, the pivoting bucket is returned to its initial position ready to receive a new load of refuse, the bucket being free of any refuse and closing off access to the refuse receiving cell by acting as a cover or door thereof. The above process can also be completely automatic, so that the bucket pours out the refuse into the refuse receiving cell and returns to its initial position when the person leaves the refuse house. This can be accomplished by means, for example, of an electric eye circuit like those operating elevator doors. Preferably the refuse storage house is connected to a water line and to the sewer system. This would enable the interior of the refuse house including the refuse receiving cell and container to be automatically flushed with water periodically to keep it clean and sanitary.

The refuse compacting storage container is preferably truncated cone-shaped with a capacity of about 2-3 cubic meters and able to accumulate about 2 tons of compacted refuse. The container will also preferably have an opening for drainage of liquids which may have been disposed of as such or which may be generated in the compacting process. The refuse storage house would of course be hooked up to the electrical system to provide power for the hydraulic piston, a fan and any lighting installed to make the refuse house accessible at night.

The entire refuse storage house is readily transportable, for example by crane or by roll-on roll-off means, as is conventionally known. It is also contemplated to place one or more such refuse houses close together, thereby saving the installation costs for electricity, water and sewer, as well as enabling the use of a simple motor to operate the hydraulic systems of all the adjacent refuse houses. Placing such storage houses next to one another has a further advantage, in that it makes it possible to designate each storage house for different types of refuse. Thus, one storage house can be designated, for example, for collecting paper and plastics and the other one for metals and glass. Such preselection would help reduce the frequency at which the containers need to be emptied.

The compacted refuse container is periodically removed from the storage house and emptied into a refuse collecting vehicle. The vehicle, which we will call the "colt", is equipped with mechanical lifting means that lift the compacted container and empty the compacted refuse into a refuse receiving cell on the vehicle from which it is transferred by hydraulic piston to another removable larger compacting container. The emptied refuse container is returned to the refuse storage house. The refuse collection "colt" moves to the next storage house for removing, emptying and returning its compacted refuse container. The refuse collecting "colt" thus collects compacted refuse, compacts it further and transfers it to a second larger transferable container carried on the vehicle. This larger container may be in the order of about 6 meters long, with a capacity of about 22 cubic meters, and able to contain up to 20 tons of compacted refuse. The larger container on the vehicle is of a similar construction as the smaller container held in the refuse house, i.e. it has a truncated conical shape where the refuse is introduced at the narrower end and is emptied at the wider end. The entire operation of removing the refuse from the refuse house and emptying it into the refuse collection "colt" can be accomplished by the driver of the "colt" from within the cab. This can be accomplished by having a pressure guage and transmitter attached to the hydraulic piston. The pressure guage thus indicatesg how compacted the container is. As the "colt" passes a refuse house, the driver, equipped with a receiver, determines whether the container in the refuse house is sufficiently compacted and, if it is, he aligns his vehicle near the refuse house and withdraws the full compacted container for emptying automatically with the mechanical lifting means. The container is then automatically returned to the refuse house and the "colt" continues to the next refuse house.

The large compacting refuse container mounted on the "colt" can be lowered from the vehicle by crane or roll-on roll-off means and transferred onto a long-distance hauling vehicle which can accommodate two such large compacted refuse containers. Thus, the refuse collecting "colt" can easily unload a full compacted refuse container, reload an empty one and continue its route of refuse collection. The large compacted container is unloaded at some intermediate storage station for eventual transport and emptying at a refuse disposal site or directly .

The system as described above allows one refuse collecting vehicle, such as a "colt", to replace several conventional refuse collecting vehicles, since in a normal working day the "colt" can collect and transport a substantially larger quantity by weight of refuse than is presently possible. The turnaround time from collection to unloading the refuse is also much shorter for the refuse collection vehicle of the present invention, since it involves merely unloading a container rather than and not dumping loose refuse.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a smaller refuse collecting vehicle which we will call a "pony". This vehicle also contains a refuse receiving cell into which refuse is emptied from conventional non-compacted containers for compacting on the vehicle into a compacting container of the type used in the refuse house. The "pony" is suitable for making collection rounds in areas where larger vehicles have no access. The "pony", therefore, takes conventional non-compacted refuse, compacts it into a removable refuse compacting container and transfers the compacted container in a similar manner as the container of the refuse house, either onto a "colt", where the refuse is further compacted, or by unloading the compacted container from the "pony" at an intermediate refuse storage station or terminal dump site where it is emptied.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a cut-away upright side view of a refuse storage house in accordance with the invention; Figs. 2 and 3 are upright front and rear views respectively of the storage house of Fig. 1 ; Figs. 4-7 illustrate the process of removing a refuse container from the refuse house and emptying the refuse into a collection truck; Figs. 8 and 9 are blown up illustrations of a refuse container in accordance with the invention, showing the cover locking and unlocking mechanism; Figs. 10 and 11 are side and rear views respectively of a "pony" refuse collection vehicle in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 12 is a side view of a "colt" refuse collection vehicle for compacting and transporting large containers in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; Figs. 13 and 14 are rear views of the vehicle of Fig. 12 with lifting arm retracted and extended respectively; Fig. 15 illustrates various sizes and types of refuse containers generally available and the mechanical arms used to lift and empty them into refuse collecting trucks; and Figs. 16-19 illustrate a method according to the present invention of dumping compacted refuse at a dump site .

Referring now to Figs. 1-3, there is illustrated a self-contained refuse storage house 10 which has a housing 12 generally made of metal covered with plastic to aesthetically fit in with the surrounding buildings. The storage house is about 2 meters high, so that a person can conveniently enter into a foyer 14 which shelters the person during inclement weather. The storage house 10 contains a refuse receiving and transferring station 16 and a removable container 18 mounted therein for - - receiving, compacting and storing compacted refuse. The receiving and transferring station 16 has a refuse receiving bucket 20 and refuse entry port 22. The bucket 20 is connected pivotally at a point 24 at its bottom 26 to a hydraulic piston 28 which pivots the bucket and pours any refuse contained therein into a refuse receiving cell 30. Piston 32 is enclosed in a movable box 34 and operates to push box 34 forward, transferring any refuse in cell 30 to container 18 via container opening 37. When bucket 20 is empty and the refuse is forced into the container 18, the hydraulic pistons 28 and 32 automatically return to their original positions, pivoting bucket 20 and retracting box 34 back to their original positions. The activation of the pistons may be by means of switches or levers, but preferably is automatic, for example by means of an electric eye activating the system when the person thorwing out the refuse leaves the foyer 14 of the refuse storage house 10.

The container 18, as can be noted, is in the shape of a truncated cone with the smaller diameter bottom end 36 close to the compacting receiving cell 30 and the larger diameter top end 27 near the terminal end 29 of the refuse house. The container 18 also has a drainage port 38 for draining out any liquids that may have been thrown out, as well as liquids formed during the compacting process. These liquids will drain off through the drainage pipe 40 located at the bottom of the refuse house, which may be directly tied into the sewer line (not shown) . The drainage capability both in the container 18 and in the - - refuse house is important for keeping the system clean, since it enables the use of water, with or without cleaning agents, to periodically wash the house 10 and container 18. The refuse house may also be provided with a fan 42 with ducts 44 connected to the interior of the refuse house to help dissipate unpleasant odours that may have lingered from the refuse. An electrical cable 46 attaches the refuse house to the main electric line. A lid 48 mounted on top of the refuse house 10 covers the exit 50, through which container 18 is inserted and removed. The entire refuse house 10 is mobile in that it can be moved by loading and unloading it on a truck via roller wheels 52 in a known roll-on roll-off manner.

The container 18 is releasably mounted in the refuse house 10 and rests in a lying position therein with its conical bottom end 36 facing the receiving cell 30. An internal door 35, which may be slidable, opens and shuts access to container opening 37. Container 18 is also provided with wheels 54 to help remove it from its lying down position in the refuse house 10.

Periodically, the container with the compacted refuse is removed from the refuse house and emptied, as illustrated in Figs. 4-7.

Fig. 4 illustrates how a lifting mechanism 66 with lifting hook 60 engages container 18 by means of jaw 62, which engages pin 64 of the container 18 while it is still in a lying down position with the refuse house cover 48 open in an upright position. The lifting mechanism 66 is raised, pulling the cotainer 18 out of the refuse house 10 (Fig. 5) and lifting the container 18 (Fig. 6) over a refuse collecting truck 67 (Fig. 7) where its contents are poured out into the truck 67 as the container lid 63, hingedly connected at point 68 to container 18, flies open .

The closure of the refuse receiving opening 37 is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. The internal door 35 of container 18 which is open (Fig. 8) while refuse is transferred into the container 18 from the refuse receiving cell 30, is shut closed, for example by sliding over opening 37 (Fig. 9), when the compacting process is not in operation. This can be done by various methods not illustrated herein.

The mechanism for locking the lid 63 to the container 18 while in a lying down position and releasing the locking mechanism when the container 18 is lifted vertically is also illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9.

Initially the container 18 is maintained in a lying down position (Fig. 8) in the refuse house 10 with its cover 63 locked in a closed position. The cover 63 is locked in place by means of a locking hook 74 pivotally mounted at point 71 on container 18 engaging pin 78 of cover 63. The hook 74 is kept in the locked position by tension exerted against the bottom 73 of the hook arm 75, with spring 77. When the lifting mechanism 66 draws container 18 out of the refuse house 10 and the container 18 assumes a more upright position (Fig. 9), arm 72 pivots around container 18, causing a roller 80 located on the inside of arm 72 to press down on the bottom 73 of hook arm 75, forcing the hook 74 to disengage pin 78, thereby unlocking cover 63.

After the container 18 has been emptied, it is replaced in the refuse house 10 by pushing it back on its wheels 52 up against the refuse receiving cell 30 and mounted in place. Cover 63 is closed by spring 77 pressing against the bottom 73 of hook arm 75, thereby pivoting hook 74 over pin 78. It is to be noted that the tapered cone-shaped nature of the container 18 helps to dispense the refuse, because its top opening is larger than its bottom refuse receiving opening 37.

Referring now to Figs. 10 and 11, there is shown a "pony" refuse collection vehicle 100 comprising a truck cab 102, a refuse receiving and transferring compartment 104, a removable refuse container 106 loaded on the platform 108 and lifting mechanism 110 mounted on the side of the receiving compartment 104 for lifting and emptying refuse containers into the receiving and transferring compartment 104 from where it is transferred and compacted into container 106. The container 106 is easily detached from the refuse vehicle 100 on which it is mounted by conventional roll-on roll-off means. The container comprises a refuse opening 37 through which the refuse is transferred from the refuse receiving and transferring compartment 104 into the container 106 by hydraulic means (not shown). Thus, container 106 is comparable to the refuse container 18 in Fig. 1, only instead of being placed in a refuse house, it is mounted on a "pony" collection vehicle. In essence, the "pony" refuse collection vehicle 100 is a mobile refuse house. The purpose of the "pony" vehicle 100 is to complement the refuse storage house, primarily for use in areas where - - such houses cannot be installed and where small non-compacting refuse containers are used, as is the convention now. The advantage of the "pony" is that it can replace the present refuse collection vehicles, since it can collect the refuse from the same type of containers of 150-350 liter capacity, for example as illustrated in Figs. 15A and 15B, and compact the refuse into container 106 where it is stored in a compacted state until transported to an intermediate disposal station or to a final disposal site. There the container is merely rolled off from the chassis 108 by conventional roll-off means which is not time-consuming. The "pony" 104 then loads on an empty refuse container 106 for a further round of collection and compacting of refuse.

A larger refuse collection and compacting vehicle, "colt", is illustrated in Figs. 12-14. The vehicle 200, also comprises a cab 202, a receiving and transferring compartment 204 and a compacted refuse container 206 for receiving and compacting refuse from the receiving and transferring compartment 204 via opening 37 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the refuse house illustrated in Fig. 1. The vehicle 200 also has a lifting mechanism 210, for lifting various size refuse containers from 500 to 4000 liter capacity up to about 2 tons, as illustrated in Figs. 15C-15E. The refuse container 206 in this particular case is quite large - about 6 meters in length - and has a capacity for collecting up to about 20 tons of compacted refuse. The "colt" can make the rounds and collect the refuse from larger containers, such as those from refuse houses illustrated in Fig. 1. The "colt" also has roll-on roll-off facilities for mounting and dismounting of containers. The container 206 is also slightly conical in shape with the diameter of the end 220 closer to the compacting station 204 being smaller than the diameter of the other end 222, facilitating emptying the compacted refuse therefrom when tilted. The "colt" 200 can also collect and empty conventional types of containers and compact the refuse, however it is primarily suitable for collecting larger containers, such as those in the refuse house. The "colt" can lift them and empty them into the compacting station 204, where the refuse is compacted and transferred into the larger refuse container 206. The empty refuse container is lowered and returned to its refuse house for further use. These large container 206 can collect and compact therein about to about 30 tons and more of refuse in an 8-9 hour working day. This is a significant increase per volume of space available for refuse collection compared with ordinary refuse collecting vehicles. Furthermore, the detachable containers 206, fully loaded with compacted refuse, can be rolled off the chassis 108 at an intermediate station or at the terminal dumping site and an empty container immediately rolled on to the platform 108, making the turn around time for unloading the refuse and returning to the collection route very short.

If the refuse dumping site is at a considerable distance, then the compacted refuse container 206 can be stored at an intermediate station, where it can be loaded onto a long-distance hauling vehicle, a "camel", as illustrated in Fig. 1 6 . Such a "camel" comprises a cab 300 with a trailer platform 302 , hydraulic jack means 304 and capacity on the trailer platform 302 for two refuse compacted containers 206 and 206A . The two containers, 206 and 206A , are positioned back to back with their covers 23 and 23A at opposite ends and the hydraulic jack means 304 between them. The "camel" is then driven to the refuse disposal site 240 with its rear facing the dump site. The lifting jack mechanism 304 is attached to the refuse container 206A , which is lifted at one end (Fig. 1 7 ) , thereby dumping the refuse through the larger diameter opening 21 2 . Container 206A is then lowered to rest again on the platform 302 . The cab 300 then turns the platform 302 , as illustrated in Fig. 1 8 . Lifting jack 304 is then attached to the container 206 , which is lifted and its compacted refuse discharged into the waste disposal dump 240 . The empty containers 206 and 206A can then be unloaded for mounting onto "colts", as in Fig. 1 2 . Alternatively, platform 302 can be disconnected from cab 300 , as illustrated in Fig. 1 9 , and the container 206 emptied in the same manner as discussed previously.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to what has been shown and described above by way of example. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined solely by the claims which follow .

Claims (11)

112012/2 - 19 - C L A I M S

1. A refuse collection and disposal system which comprises a refuse storage house for collection, compacting and storing refuse having: refuse receiving means; a refuse container removably mounted within said storage house for receiving refuse from said refuse receiving means; means for transferring refuse from said refuse receiving means to said refuse container and compacting said refuse therein; and means for disposal of compacted refuse including: means for removing said compacted refuse container from said storage house; and means for emptying compacted refuse from said compacted refuse container onto a vehicle for transporting for disposal.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein the refuse compacting means are also the means for transferring refuse to the refuse container.

3. A system as in claims 1 or 2 wherein the refuse compacting means comprise hydraulic pressure means.

4. A system as in any one of claims 1-3 wherein the refuse container is of truncated conical shape and comprises a refuse entry port near its end having the 112012/2 - 20 - smaller diameter and a refuse exit port near its end with the larger diameter.

5. A system as in claim 4 wherein said container comprises a closable entry port.

6. A system as in claim 4 wherein the refuse container comprises a refuse exit port cover releasably engaged to the container.

7. A system as in any of the previous claims wherein the container also comprises drainage means.

8. A system as in any of the previous claims wherein the refuse storage house also comprises drainage means.

9. A system as in any of the previous claims including means on said refuse storage house for loading and unloading it onto said vehicle.

10. A system in accordance with any of the previous claims wherein the refuse storage house comprises a cover for covering the exit port of the refuse container.

11. A system in accordance with any of the previous claims wherein the refuse storage house includes a ventilation system. AGENT FOR APPLICANT