APPARATUS FOR SORTING HOUSEHOLD WASTE

Abstract: In an apparatus for sorting household waste at source from multistorey dwellings equipped with rubbish chutes a slide (1) is arranged under the chute discharge (3) and is able to rotate on a vertical shaft (2) to direct waste bags dropped down the chute (3) to a preselected skip among a plurality of skips (13) arranged in a circle under the slide.

Description: Description APPARATUS FOR SORTING HOUSEHOLD WASTE 1 This invention relates to a sorting apparatus for mounting under the discharge of a rubbish chute of the type often found in multistorey dwellings. 5 These rubbish chutes are usually constructed in such a way that a disposal hatch is provided on each floor through which household waste packed in bags of stan¬ dard size are dropped. The bags fall freely down the rubbish chute and land in a skip or sack placed under 10 the chute discharge. In recent years the need has arisen to sort the waste so that a certain amount of, for example, glass and paper can be recycled, but also to enable the removal 15 of some of the waste that causes pollution when incine¬ rated or dumped and to enable the reduction of the amount of waste that has to be dumped. This sorting is performed most hygienically and econo- 20 mically in the form of sorting at source. There are several systems in which waste from single-family detached houses, terraced houses, etc. is sorted. The invention presented is aimed at the sorting of 25 household waste at source, from multistorey dwellings. The invention comprises a sorting apparatus, the di¬ stinguishing feature of which is an inclined slide located under the chute discharge. The slide can be rotated around its vertical axis and since its position can be controlled from a pushbutton panel located at the disposal hatches the bags of waste dropping down the chute can be distributed into skips placed in a circle under the slide. In a preferred version the slide is located centrally under the chute discharge. The vertical shaft of the slide, about which it rotates, is supported in a guide bearing under the slide. The bearing is mounted in a light frame which can, for example, be suspended from the ceiling of the chamber which accomodates the dis¬ charge. The skips in which the waste is to be collected are placed under the frame, in a circle around the slide. The length of the slide is such that it reaches the skips. In principle, there can be as many skips as space in the discharge chamber allows. A horizontal circular ring is fitted around the slide with its centre coinciding with the vertical axis of the slide. An electric motor is installed in the fixed frame. A motor-driven wheel is in contact with the ring around the slide and is able to rapidly rotate the slide. A contact maker is fitted to the ring and on the frame a pulse source is mounted for every skip. The pulse source, is connected to an electronic control unit and at each hatch in the chute there is a panel with a pushbutton for each category of waste. By pressing one of these pushbuttons the slide is set in rapid rotation and when the contact maker reaches the pulse source, also activated by the pushbutton, the motor is stopped and the slide stops precisely over the skip corresponding to the pushbutton selected. The principle of the control system is familiar, as are the components. The pushbuttons incorporate a lamp that lights up a short time after the pushbutton has been depressed, but only when the slide has stopped in the position indicated by the lamp. When a pushbutton lamp lights up, the pushbutton for the same category of waste also lights up on every floor. A switch is in- stalled at the door of the discharge chamber and is activated when the door is open. The switch cuts off current to the apparatus and lights up a lamp on all pushbutton panels to indicate that waste must not be disposed of. This arrangement prevents error addressing and for safety reasons ensures that the discharge cham¬ ber remains closed when the slide rotates and the chute is in use. There is nothing to prevent several of the skips being used for the same category of waste because the control system can be programmed to stop the slide at the rele¬ vant skips in sequence. For example, due regard can be taken of the fact that experience shows one category of waste constitutes the greatest part of the total amount of waste. If the chute discharge in the ceiling of the discharge chamber is located close to a wall or in a corner there could be insufficient space for placing the skips con- centrically around the discharge and the slide rotation point. In this case the skip nearest the wall can be omitted or moved and the location of the pulse source on the frame adjusted accordingly. If there is insuffi¬ cient space for slide rotation the whole apparatus can be moved away from the wall and a short permanent trough can be mounted under the discharge to guide dropped waste bags over to the upper end of the slide, assuming the necessary height is available. In an alternative version not requiring extra height, when the discharge is close to the wall or in a corner the slide does not travel through a complete revolu¬ tion, but reciprocates through a half or quarter circle. In a special version the slide is replaced by a broad circular hopper which is rotated under control com¬ pletely analogous to and by the same means as the above-described rotating slide with built-on circular ring. A section of the hopper, from its deepest point near the centre and out towards its periphery, is cut out. This opening is large enough to ensure that a waste bag landing at any point in the hopper will fall through it and drop into the skip placed at the appro- priate position. An apparatus having this form is inde¬ pendent of the location of the discharge and therefore distribution, erection and production become much easier. The following drawings show the sorting apparatus. Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a sorting apparatus with rotating slide central under the discharge. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the apparatus in fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a plan view of an apparatus where the discharge is close to a wall and where the slide reciprocates through a half circle. Fig. 4 shows a side elevation of the apparatus in fig. 3. Fig. 5 shows a plan view of an apparatus with rotating hopper, for any discharge position. Fig. 6 shows a vertical cross-section a-a of the apparatus in fig. 5. The sorting apparatus shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2 has a slide 1 which can rotate about a vertical shaft 2 placed under the chute discharge 3. On the slide 1 a circular ring or rims 4 are located concentrically in relation to the vertical shaft 2 of the slide. The shaft is supported in an axial bearing 5. The bearing is fitted to a light frame 6 suspended from the dis¬ charge chamber ceiling 7. A number of guide rollers 8 are mounted on the frame 6 to support the slide ring 4. Fig. 1 shows the motor 9 with the friction wheel in contact with the ring 4 to rotate the slide 1. The skips 13, in this case four in number, are placed on the discharge chamber floor to collect sorted waste. Opposite the ring 4 , the frame 6 carries a pulse source 11 for each skip 13. Mounted on the ring 4, a contact maker 12 gives a signal via the electronic control unit, when it travels near one of the pulse sources 11, provided it is activated by a pushbutton at the dispo¬ sal hatch. The motor 9 is then stopped so that the slide 1 stops at precisely the position where a bag will drop into the skip at the activated pulse source. There is nothing to prevent the placing of more or fewer skips. Ring 4 and frames 6 must then be adapted to suit the changed skip arrangement. The above-described sorting apparatus is based on the discharge 3 being located at a reasonable distance from the walls of the chamber. If this is not the case the apparatus can be formed as shown in figs. 3 and 4. The slide 1 here, like the one shown in figs. 1 and 2, is located centrally under the discharge 3. Since the discharge is too close to the wall to allow the slide 1 to rotate freely the control system is programmed so that the slide reciprocates through a half circle. In principle the apparatus is analogous to the above-de¬ scribed apparatus, except that the ring 4 and frame 6 are adapted to suit the available distance to the wall. There is nothing to prevent the same apparatus being erected in one of the corners of the chamber. This just means that the pulse sources and skip placings have to be adapted. Figs. 5 and 6 show an apparatus as described above, but which is special in that the slide is replaced by a broad hopper 10. The hopper must have a diameter suffi¬ ciently large at the upper edge so that it reaches over the skips 13 beneath it. The upper part of the hopper 10 is supported by guide rollers 8, is equipped with a contact maker 12, and can be rotated by the motor 9. An opening 14 cut out of the hopper must be sufficiently large to allow a waste bag falling from the discharge 3 to inevitably drop through the opening 14 and land in the skip above which the opening is preset to stop. The form of the apparatus shown in figs. 5 and 6 need not be changed, whatever the location of the discharge. This means more rational production.

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s 1. Apparatus for sorting household waste at source from multistorey dwellings in which rubbish chutes are installed c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n h a t a short slide (1) is arranged below the chute discharge and able to rotate on a vertical shaft (2) and which can be controlled from a push¬ button panel on the individual floors in the buil- ding to direct a dropped waste bag to a selected skip among the skips (13) placed in a circle under the slide (1) and so sort waste into predetermined categories designated by the pushbutton panels. 2. Apparatus for sorting waste as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t dropped waste bags land in a broad hopper (10) which can rotate on a vertical shaft located in the centre of the hopper and which has an opening (14) cut from the deepest point (15) of the hopper near its point of rotation out towards its periphery and suffi¬ ciently large to allow a full waste bag to drop freely through it.

Inventors: HALGREEN EDWARD HUGH MC QUISTO, PEDERSEN JESPER JUHL, TREBBIEN RALPH, HALGREEN, EDWARD, HUGH, MC. QUISTON, PEDERSEN, JESPER, JUHL, TREBBIEN, RALPH
Applicants: HALGREEN EDWARD HUGH MC QUISTO, PEDERSEN JESPER JUHL, TREBBIEN RALPH, HALGREEN, EDWARD, HUGH, MC. QUISTON, PEDERSEN, JESPER, JUHL, TREBBIEN, RALPH
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B65F1
IPC codes: B65F1, B65F5