Abstract:
A recycle bin is described having multiple enclosures to separate small waste from large waste. The enclosures may be configured with variable sized subdivisions and shelved on a track to allow complete detachment of the enclosure. Door panels may be secured with securing mechanisms and handles may be provided to facilitate moving. The recycle bin may include casters with locking mechanisms to prevent movement of the recycling bin. The casters may be attached on the bottom portion of the recycling bin. One or more pockets may be disposed on the recycling bin. The one or more pockets may be configured to accommodate lifting of the recycling bin. The recycling bin may be configured for recycling e-waste.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to containers, and more particularly containers employed in the recycling industry. 
     As cities become more populous waste recycling has increased in importance. Waste recycling of electronic materials or e-waste, in particular, is problematic because of the shrinking life span of electronic devices which creates increasingly larger amounts of this type of waste. Developing a local mature e-waste recycling program can reduce the risks associated with shipping e-waste to developing countries. Moreover, developing countries frequently dismantle e-waste via crude and often unsafe practices which may impact the global environment. Increasingly, municipalities are encouraging their citizens to recycle e-waste in a safe and socially responsible manner with a domestic e-waste recycler. One concern facing the recycling industry, however, is the cost of collecting and transporting discarded electronics. The variability in size and nature of electronic waste are also among the numerous challenges in handling e-waste. 
     SUMMARY 
     In some aspects, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a recycling bin comprising a top portion configured to be in an open or closed position, a bottom portion, an optional middle portion, the optional middle portion comprising solid walls about the outer surface, an enclosure portion comprising a shelf with a door panel within the recycling bin, the door panel being equipped with a securing mechanism, at least one handle adjoined the recycling bin to facilitate moving the recycling bin, casters with a locking mechanism to prevent movement of the recycling bin when the locking mechanism is engaged, the casters being attached on the bottom portion of the recycling bin, and one or more pockets disposed on the recycling bin, wherein the one or more pockets are configured to accommodate lifting of the recycling bin. 
     In some aspects, embodiments disclosed herein provide a recycling bin comprising a top portion configured to be in an open or closed position, a bottom portion, a middle portion, the middle portion comprising solid gate that can be lowered to facilitate placing articles towards the bottom of the recycling bin, an enclosure portion comprising a shelf with a door panel within the recycling bin, the door panel being equipped with a securing mechanism, at least one handle adjoined the recycling bin to facilitate moving the recycling bin, casters with a locking mechanism to prevent movement of the recycling bin when the locking mechanism is engaged, the casters being attached on the bottom portion of the recycling bin, and one or more pockets configured to accommodate lifting of the recycling bin, wherein the recycling bin is configured for recycling e-waste. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described herein below with reference to the figures wherein: 
         FIG. 1  shows a recycling bin in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which particular exemplary embodiments are shown. Unless otherwise defined, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present embodiments, suitable methods and materials are described below. Any publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including any definitions, will control. In addition, the materials, methods and examples given are illustrative in nature only and not intended to be limiting. Accordingly, embodiments may be provided in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these illustrated embodiments are provided solely for exemplary purposes so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of various embodiments to those skilled in the art. Other features and advantages of the embodiments disclosed herein will be apparent from the following detailed description, and from the claims. 
     Embodiments disclosed herein relate to recycling bins with an eye toward improving the handling of e-waste in particular. Among the beneficial features of the e-recycling bins disclosed herein is the ability to sort e-waste by size. This is particularly useful because the breakdown of larger components may differ quite significantly from smaller materials. Embodiments of recycling bins disclosed herein also feature designs that may be compact for collection and efficient storage, including the ability to stack the units. Moreover, the bins are configured to be easily movable by man or machine. These and other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     In some embodiments, there are provided recycling bins comprising a top portion configured to be in an open or closed position, a bottom portion, an optional middle portion, the optional middle portion comprising solid walls about the outer surface, an enclosure portion comprising a shelf with a door panel within the recycling bin, the door panel being equipped with a securing mechanism, at least one handle to facilitate moving the recycling bin, casters with a locking mechanism to prevent movement of the recycling bin when the locking mechanism is engaged, and one or more pockets configured to accommodate lifting of the recycling bin. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a recycling bin  100  in accordance with one embodiment. Although shown in a generally rectangular configuration, recycling bin  100  may be of any geometry, including for example cylindrical. Recycling bin  100  comprises a top portion  110  configured to be in an open or closed position. Top portion  110  may comprise doors that open outward as shown in  FIG. 1 . Although top portion  110  is shown as two halves that open out to either side, top portion  110  may also comprise a single door. Furthermore, top portion  110  may comprise one or two doors that open vertically rather than horizontally as shown. Where recycling bin  100  is cylindrical one or two doors may open outwardly. Alternatively, the one or two doors may be configured to slidably move circumferentially into open and closed positions. In some embodiments, top portion  110  is configured to accommodate a locking mechanism on the one or more doors, such as a pad or combination lock. In some embodiments, the top portion  110  comprises a mesh portion allowing visual inspection of the contents of the bin. In some embodiments, only a door portion may comprise the mesh portion as shown. In other embodiments, any portion and all sections of top portion  110  can include a mesh. In some embodiments, top portion  110  can include a door on number of sides of recycle bin  110 . In some embodiments, one set of doors may be configured for access by a residential user while the other doors provide access to recycling transportation personnel. 
     In some embodiments, recycle bin  100  comprises a bottom portion  120 . In some embodiments, the bottom portion comprises a mesh portion. As described above with respect to top portion  110 , bottom portion  120  may include a mesh portion along any and all sides of recycle bin  100 . Various features that may be included in bottom portion  120  are described herein further below. In some embodiments, bottom portion  120  may integrate directly with top portion  110 . In some embodiments, bottom portion  120  may include an opening mechanism akin to the doors of top portion  110 . In some embodiments, a section of bottom portion  120  is a solid gate which may be configured to change position into a ramp to allow particularly heavy e-waste to be rolled up and into recycle bin  100 . In some embodiments, bottom portion  120   a  of a first bin  100   a  may be configured to fit into top portion  110   b  of a second bin  100   b . In some such embodiments, stacked bins  100   a  and  110   b  may be locked together, via any mechanism, for storage and transportation. 
     In some embodiments, recycle bin  100  may include an optional middle portion  130  intervening between top portion  110  and bottom portion  120 . Middle portion  130  may comprise solid walls about the outer surface. In some embodiments, optional middle portion  130  comprises a solid gate that can be lowered (see curved arrow A in  FIG. 1 ) to facilitate placing articles inside of bottom portion  120  of recycling bin  100 . In some embodiments, the solid gate can be locked in place in the open or closed position for this purpose. For example, the solid gate can be locked into the open position until such a time that bottom portion  120  is filled. Once filled, the solid gate may be closed and locked into place while the remainder of recycle bin  100  is filled. The solid gate may be optionally equipped with a handle to facilitate repositioning from the open and closed positions. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 1 , recycle bin  100  includes an enclosure portion  140  comprising a shelf with a door panel within the recycling bin, the door panel being equipped with a securing mechanism. Enclosure portion  140  is provided in the recycle bin to separate out smaller e-waste, such as cell phones, from larger e-waste. Enclosure  140  can be equipped with a mesh screen as well to provide visual inspection of the compartment. Enclosure  140  may be further subdivided into portions to separate small electronics by type. In some embodiments, Enclosure  140  may be secured with a lock such as a key lock, a padlock, or a combination lock. Although enclosure  140  is shown in  FIG. 1  in the upper left corner of recycle bin  100 , it may appear anywhere within recycle bin  100 . In some embodiments, multiple enclosures  140  may be provided, each of which may vary in its dimensions. Enclosure  140  may also comprise an access door at the rear of the recycle bin. In some such embodiments, the rear access door may also be a mesh screen allowing for visual inspection of the contents of enclosure  140 . In some embodiments enclosure  140  may include a shelf on a track that can be pulled out into an extended shelf. In some embodiments, enclosure  140  may be completely detachable from recycling bin  100 . In some embodiments, the rear wall of recycling bin  100  may be configured in a modular manner to accommodate any number of enclosures  140  which are removable, allowing separate transport of the smaller enclosure  140  from the rest of the recycle bin. Thus, the user need not wait for recycle bin  100  to be entirely full before processing contents of enclosure  140 . 
     Recycle bin  100  includes at least one handle  150  to facilitate moving the recycling bin. In some embodiments, a handle can be configured to fold down so that multiple recycling bins can be stacked close together without hand  150  being in the way. In some such embodiments handle  150  can lock in either the open and/or closed positions. Although  FIG. 1  indicates handle  150  located at optional middle portion  130 , it may also be placed at top portion  110  or at bottom portion  120 . When placed at bottom portion  120 , handle  150  may be configured in a manner similar to a trailer hitch allowing linkage of multiple recycle bins  100  in a chain. Thus, one side of recycle bin  100  may be equipped with male handle  150   m , while the opposing side may be equipped with a female handle  150   f . This may allow a plurality of recycling bins  100  to be moved by machine such as an electric or gas powered cart. 
     Recycle bin  100  further comprises casters  160  with a locking mechanism to prevent movement of the recycling bin when the locking mechanism is engaged. Casters  160  may be optionally configured to be retractable into the floor of bottom portion  120  to facilitate stacking. Casters  160  may also be non-retractable. In some such embodiments, top portion  110  may include grooves into which the wheels of casters  160  may be fitted for stacking purposes. In some embodiments casters  160  may be fit onto the underside of bottom portion  120 . They may be affixed by any mechanical means including welding, by screw, nail, or other conventional means. 
     Recycle bin  100  further comprises one or more pockets  170  configured to accommodate lifting of the recycling bin. As indicated in  FIG. 1 , one embodiment of one or more pockets may include a pair of pockets configured for use with a forklift and placed on the underside of bottom portion  120 . In some embodiments, a single pocket may also accommodate the prongs of a forklift. In some embodiments, one or more pockets  170  may be oriented in the long (perpendicular as shown) or short direction (as shown) of recycle bin  100 . In other embodiments, one or more pockets  170  may appear on one or more of the side walls of recycle bin  100 . 
     In some embodiments, recycling bin  100  is configured for stacking as briefly described above. In some such embodiments, top portion  110  may be equipped with grooves into which the casters  160 , one or more pockets  170 , or both may be fitted. Either or both of these elements may be used to prevent sliding of stacked recycling bins  100  when stacked. In some embodiments, one or more pockets  170  may comprise a female portion  170   f  for engaging in lifting and/or to engage a male portion  170   m  configured to interlock with female portion  170   f  when stacked. In some embodiments, stacked boxes may be provided with a clamping or other securing mechanism to hold the recycle bins  100  in stable in the stacked position. Stacked recycle bins  100  may be secured for transportation or simply for more efficient use of storage space. 
     In some embodiments, recycling bin  100  may be made of steel construction optionally with a corrosion resistant coating. In some embodiments, at least one side of the recycling bin may comprise corrugated panels for increased strength. The inner portion of recycle bin  100  may comprise dividers, open shelves, and other features to separate e-waste by classification type. In some embodiments, recycle bin  100  may be equipped with a means for grounding as deemed necessary. 
     In some embodiments, there are provided recycling bins comprising a top portion configured to be in an open or closed position, a bottom portion, a middle portion, the middle portion comprising solid gate that can be lowered to facilitate placing articles towards the bottom of the recycling bin, an enclosure portion comprising a shelf with a door panel within the recycling bin, the door panel being equipped with a securing mechanism, at least one handle to facilitate moving the recycling bin, casters with a locking mechanism to prevent movement of the recycling bin when the locking mechanism is engaged, and one or more pockets configured to accommodate lifting of the recycling bin. 
     In some such embodiments, the top portion is configured to accommodate a locking mechanism. In some such embodiments, the top portion comprises a mesh portion. In some embodiments, the bottom portion comprises a mesh portion. In some such embodiments, at least one side of the recycling bin comprises corrugated panels. In some such embodiments, the solid gate can be locked in place in the open or closed position. In some such embodiments, the one or more pockets are located under the bottom portion. In some such embodiments, the one or more pockets are located on a side portion of the recycling bin. In some such embodiments, the recycling bin is configured for stacking. 
     Accordingly, in the drawings and specification there have been disclosed typical embodiments and although specific terms may have been employed, the terms are used in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Embodiments have been described in considerable detail with specific reference to these illustrated embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that various modifications and changes can be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the foregoing specification and as defined in the appended claims.