Abstract:
A system for releasing and separating labels from containers has a releaser for mixing the containers with introduced fluids and for providing the containers with a sufficient retention time and agitation to clean the containers and release the labels therefrom. The system further includes a separator for receiving the containers and labels from said releaser. The separator has an inclined base with a plurality of counter-rotating rollers adapted to urge the labels and introduced fluid away from said containers. The rollers are spaced to encourage some of the containers to become wedged therebetween to enhance performance of the separator.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a system for removing labels from containers in general, and in particular for washing plastic bottles and for releasing and separating labels and other contaminants from plastic bottles for further use and recycling. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Commercial recycling of post consumer plastic bottle and like containers typically involves the removal of labels from the bottles before the bottles can be further processed for re-use. Labeled bottles usually arrive at a processing facility in the form of large compacted bales that contain many contaminants, such as caps, cap rings, foil and dirt. The labels, whether made of plastic, paper or other material, are almost always glued to the bottles. The delabeling process typically has two general stages: the first is the loosening and/or releasing of labels from a stream of bottles; and the second is the separation and removal of the labels from the stream of bottles. 
     While the delabeling process may be done by hand, this is an extremely inefficient and expensive option in a large volume commercial operation. Hence, mechanical delabeling processes have been developed, but the label separation efficiencies remain fairly low. First, there is room for improvement in the release stage to decrease the amount of fluid (usually water) and energy required for label liberation. Second, the most notable problem remains the inefficiencies in separating the released labels from the bottle stream. 
     Many different processes have been developed, such as those employing high-pressure jets of water or pocketed conveyors for holding and moving individual bottles. While such methods may work with a uniform stream of solid bottles of a specific shape, such as glass bottles, they can not effectively handle a stream of plastic bottles of various shapes and sizes, many of which are crushed or otherwise deformed and damaged. 
     Another currently employed process which targets plastic bottles typically employs a high rpm (revolutions per minute) drum for aggressively removing labels from the bottles, and some kind of perforated screen for label separation. Such screens sometimes resemble ones used to screen gravel or dirt, namely a long cylindrical shell with perforations thereabout, but designed to have separated labels exit through the perforations and to have the delabeled bottles exit at the far end of the shell. A problem with such perforated shells is that even with short use, the perforations get plugged with labels and plastic bottles, hence requiring either frequent cleaning (which is not practical) or another (secondary) stage of label separation, such as hand sorting of the exiting stream of bottles and labels. 
     Yet another process employs counter-rotating shakers or shaker tables for label removal, but there is a relatively high loss of bottles into the removed label stream, particularly with those bottles where the labels remain attached and can&#39;t be shaken off. Hence, some of the delabeling and removal must usually be supplemented by hand. Further, water removal from the bottles is generally inadequate with such systems. 
     What is therefore desired is a novel label removal and separation system with a high efficiency for label separation from plastic bottles of various shapes and sizes. The label release stage should provide for label liberation with the use of steam and a minimum of hot water. Alternately, steam alone should be used to minimize or eliminate the introduction of water into the bottles, and hence to minimize or eliminate the need for subsequent water extraction from the bottles. A drum rotated at low rpm should be employed to agitate the bottles, and to reduce wear and tear on machinery and operating costs. A distinct label separation stage should be provided after the label release stage for effective and efficient separation of labels from the bottles. The separation stage should employ a series of rollers, rather than a perforated drum or shaker, to urge the labels away from the stream of bottles and labels exiting the removal stage. Preferably the series of rollers should allow the labels to be discarded below the rollers and the delabeled bottles to be substantially de-watered and transported over the rollers for further processing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     In a first aspect the invention provides a system for releasing and separating labels from containers comprising a release portion for mixing the containers with an introduced fluid and for providing the containers with a sufficient retention time and agitation to clean the containers and release the labels therefrom; and, a separation portion for receiving the containers and labels from the release portion, the separation portion comprising a plurality of rollers adapted to urge the labels and introduced fluid away from the containers. 
     In a second aspect the invention provides an apparatus having a releaser and a separator for removing labels from a stream of containers wherein the releaser comprises a rotatable hollow drum member housing a helical screw member for urging the containers through said drum member and for mixing said containers with fluids introduced therein, said drum member being adapted to provide said containers with adequate retention time and agitation to clean said containers of contaminants and release said labels therefrom. 
     In a third aspect the invention provides an apparatus having a releaser and a separator for removing labels and fluids from a stream of containers wherein the separator comprises a plurality of rollers adapted to urge the labels and fluids away from the containers, the rollers being driven in a counter-rotating manner to the prevailing movement of the containers along the rollers. 
     In a fourth aspect the invention provides a method for removing labels from containers comprising the following steps: 
     feeding a plurality of the containers into an upstream end of a releaser; 
     introducing fluids into the releaser; 
     maintaining a temperature within the releaser sufficient for cleaning the containers and for urging the release of the labels therefrom; 
     revolving the releaser to propel the containers and labels toward a downstream end of the releaser; 
     oscillating the releaser to provide sufficient retention time and agitation for washing the containers and promoting label release; 
     discharging the containers, labels and fluids from the downstream end of the releaser toward a first end of a separator; 
     passing the discharged containers and labels onto a plurality of rollers of the separator; 
     urging the containers to travel by gravity over the rollers by maintaining the separator inclined; 
     driving the rollers in a counter-rotating manner to the prevailing travel of the containers along the rollers for urging the labels away from the containers; and, 
     discharging the labels from the separator in a first direction and discharging the containers from the separator in a second direction for further processing. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
     Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a transparent elevational view of a label release and separation system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, namely a label separating apparatus downstream of a washing (i.e. label release) apparatus; 
     FIG. 2 is an end view from the right side of FIG. 1 showing the label separating apparatus in front of the washing apparatus; 
     FIG. 3 is a close-up elevational view of the separation system, and in particular the label separating apparatus, downstream of the washing apparatus, shown from the right side of FIG. 2 (i.e. the mirror image of FIG.  1 ); 
     FIG. 4 is a partially transparent isolated view of the label separating apparatus of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a broken out elevational view of a portion of the label separating apparatus of FIG. 4 in the area indicated by reference numeral  5 ; and, 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of the label separating apparatus of FIG. 3, including the drive mechanism for the apparatus. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                  10 
                 label release and separation system 
               
               
                   
                  12 
                 mixture of labeled bottles and contaminants 
               
               
                   
                  14 
                 delabeled bottles 
               
               
                   
                  16 
                 labels 
               
               
                   
                  18 
                 hot water piping 
               
               
                   
                  20 
                 support structure/frame 
               
               
                   
                  21 
                 second support structure/frame 
               
               
                   
                  22 
                 floor 
               
               
                   
                  23 
                 steam header 
               
               
                   
                  24 
                 steam boiler(s) 
               
               
                   
                  30 
                 washer/label releaser 
               
               
                   
                  32 
                 inlet of 30 
               
               
                   
                  34 
                 outlet of 30 
               
               
                   
                  36 
                 drum 
               
               
                   
                  37 
                 corrugations inside 36 
               
               
                   
                  38 
                 steam injection points 
               
               
                   
                  39 
                 steam supply pipe 
               
               
                   
                  40 
                 helical screw inside 30 
               
               
                   
                  41 
                 chamber inside 30 
               
               
                   
                  42 
                 longitudinal axis of 36 
               
               
                   
                  43a 
                 360 degree rotation 
               
               
                   
                  43b, c 
                  45 degree oscillation 
               
               
                   
                  44 
                 rotation mechanism for 36 
               
               
                   
                  46 
                 wheels 
               
               
                   
                  48 
                 tracks on exterior of 36 
               
               
                   
                  50 
                 chute 
               
               
                   
                  60 
                 first conveyor 
               
               
                   
                  62 
                 expelled water 
               
               
                   
                  64 
                 plate member 
               
               
                   
                  70 
                 label separator 
               
               
                   
                  71 
                 counter-rotation 
               
               
                   
                  72 
                 rollers 
               
               
                   
                  73 
                 outer surface of 72 
               
               
                   
                  74 
                 first/upper end of 70 
               
               
                   
                  75 
                 second/lower end of 70 
               
               
                   
                  76 
                 frame 
               
               
                   
                  78 
                 bearing mechanisms for 72 
               
               
                   
                  79 
                 drive mechanism for 70 
               
               
                   
                  79a 
                 drive motor for 79 
               
               
                   
                  80 
                 first gap 
               
               
                   
                  82 
                 rod 
               
               
                   
                  84 
                 second gap 
               
               
                   
                  86 
                 bars 
               
               
                   
                  87 
                 edges of 86 
               
               
                   
                  90 
                 optional second label separator 
               
               
                   
                 100 
                 hot water tank 
               
               
                   
                 110 
                 vibrating filter 
               
               
                   
                 112 
                 open top of 110 
               
               
                   
                 114 
                 screen 
               
               
                   
                 116 
                 chamber 
               
               
                   
                 118 
                 vibrating mechanism 
               
               
                   
                 119 
                 exit port 
               
               
                   
                 120 
                 second conveyor 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The figures show a system according to the present invention (generally designated by reference numeral  10 ) for releasing and separating labels  16  from post-consumer plastic bottles  12 , namely “raw” or labeled bottles. The system  10  has two primary components, namely a washing apparatus  30  (also referred to as a “washer” or “label releaser”) followed at its downstream end  34 , or outlet, by a label separating and removing apparatus  70  (also referred to herein as a “label separator” or “separator”). In general, the system functions by introducing a mixture of raw labeled bottles and other contaminants, indicated by  12 , and some recycled hot water to an upstream end  32 , or inlet, of the washer  30 . The drum  36  of the washer is rotated in a pre-set manner to agitate the bottles and to mix them with steam that is injected at selected supply points  38  along the drum. An archimedian-type screw fixed within the drum urges the labeled bottles  12  through the drum. Most of the bottles will have had their labels released by the time the mixture of water/steam, labels  16 , delabeled bottles  14  and other contaminants is expelled from the outlet  34  and conveyed onto the inclined label separator  70 . Water from the mixture is channeled by gravity to a hot water holding tank  100  for re-circulation and re-use in the system. As shown in FIG. 1, the mixture is directed over a series of counter-rotating cylinders  72  having certain features and orientation (as discussed in more detail below) for urging the labels  16  away from the bottles  14  to fall below the separator into a vibrating filter  110 , and for urging the delabeled bottles to be substantially de-watered and to travel down the separator  70  where they are transported for further processing. 
     Referring now to the invention in more detail, the washer  30  has a generally elongate, cylindrical shell or drum  36  defining a hollow interior space for co-axially housing a helical screw  40  fixed therewithin. A super structure  20  supports the drum  36  above a floor  22 , and carries a drive mechanism  44  for rotating the drum about a longitudinal axis  42  in a pre-set manner to advance the drum&#39;s contents from the open inlet  32  to the open outlet  34  in the direction indicated (i.e. to the right in FIG.  1 ). The mechanism  44  drives a family of wheels  46  that travel along circumferential tracks  48  to spin the drum. A stationary hopper  50  is supported by the frame  20  at the drum&#39;s inlet  32  to introduce the mixture of labeled bottles  12 , including contaminants such as bottle caps, cap rings, loose labels and dirt, into the drum to begin the cleaning and label release stage of the process. A measured amount of hot water is introduced at the chute through hot water piping  18  to initially wet the incoming labeled bottles and to facilitate the forward motion (i.e. rightward in FIG. 1) of the load. Steam is further introduced into the drum at selected spaced locations along the length of the drum through peripherally located steam injector nozzles  38 . The steam is delivered to the nozzles at low pressure through a supply pipe  39  which communicates with a steam header  23  and steam boilers  24 . In this embodiment the nozzles  38  are spaced about the same distance as the longitudinal gap between vanes of the helical screw  40 , although such spacing may be varied depending on specific requirements. The steam is injected at low pressure into each “chamber”  41  of the screw to maintain a temperature that is high enough for cleaning the bottles and for effectively releasing labels from the bottles. The amount of steam injected into each chamber  41  of the drum can be independently regulated at each respective nozzle  38  so as to maintain a desired internal temperature gradient along the length of the drum to optimize cleaning and label release conditions. Further, the inside surface of the drum has corrugations  37  for enhancing agitation of the bottle mixture within. 
     The movement of the drum is designed to increase the retention, or residence, time for the bottles within the drum, and to further increase agitation of the bottles, while maintaining a fairly low rpm, namely under 2 rpm in the preferred embodiment, which may be adjusted as needed. The aim is to provide enough time and agitation to properly release labels and other contaminants from the bottles, yet not too much time to unduly slow down productivity. The drum movement is a combination of roll, or spin, and oscillation. A favourable sequence has been found to be one 45 degree oscillation for every full (i.e. 360 degree) revolution of the drum. Hence, referring to the end view of the drum in FIG. 2, for every 360 degree roll in a first direction indicated by  43   a , the drum is then turned (i.e. “oscillated”) 45 degrees in the opposite (second) direction and brought back 45 degrees in the first direction, as indicated by  43   b  and  43   c , respectively. The cycle is then repeated. Each roll propels the load forwardly toward the outlet  34 , and each oscillation promotes washing and label release. In the preferred embodiment the drum&#39;s movement provides a residence time of between 10 to 13.5 minutes on average. 
     Upon each revolution of the drum a mixed load of labels  16 , delabeled bottles  14 , bottles with labels still clinging, water (including condensed steam) and other contaminants is expelled from the outlet  34  onto a first conveyor  60  for moving the load forward (in the direction of arrow  61 ) toward the separator  70 . The conveyor  60  also serves to spread out the load into a more uniform stream before it reaches the separator  70 . In particular, numerous chains (not shown) are suspended immediately above the conveyor belt across its width to contact and even out any mounds of bottles that are deposited from the washer. The conveyor  60  is also inclined to the rear (i.e. down to the left toward the outlet  34  in FIG. 1, where the incline is exaggerated) to drain the expelled water (as indicated by arrow  62  in FIG. 3) onto a forwardly inclined (i.e. downwardly to the left in FIG. 3) plate member  64 . The plate member  64  channels the water, and any labels which might be caught up in the water, into a vibrating filter  110 , whose function is described later. It is noted that in the drum of the present embodiment all of the hot water  18  and steam introduced into the drum is expelled from the outlet  34 , and not at any intermediate point along the drum, to help with washing of labels down the plate  64  into the vibrating filter  110 . 
     The first conveyor  60  discharges the wet bottle mixture onto the label separator  70 , shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3 to  6 , at its first, or higher, end  74 . A second structure  21  supports the separator frame  76  inclined to the horizontal by an angle A, which in the preferred embodiment is set at about 29 degrees. The frame  76  carries a series of elongate steel cylinders, or rollers  72 , oriented in parallel relationship, all of which are rotatably driven in the same direction on a bearing mechanism  78  by a drive mechanism  79 , which includes a drive motor  79   a . Each roller&#39;s longitudinal axis is preferably set horizontally and perpendicular to the line of travel of the bottles  14 . Each roller  72  is driven counter to the prevailing movement of the bottles  14  along the separator, namely in the counter-rotating direction indicated by  71  (i.e. clockwise in FIGS.  3  and  4 ). 
     The separator has several important features. Firstly, a first gap  80  is provided between opposing outer surfaces  73  of each set of adjacent rollers to encourage some bottles to randomly jam or wedge between the rotating rollers. Elongate rods  82  are also fixed parallel to the rollers, namely one rod directly below each first gap at a perpendicular distance to form a second gap  84  from each roller to encourage the wedged bottles to remain in the first gap  80  for some time rather than being quickly pushed through the first gap. It has been found that a bottle typically stays wedged for up to several hours or days of operation until it gets so mutilated that it is pushed through the first and second gaps  80 ,  84  and falls onto the inclined plate  64  where it is urged by gravity and the expelled water  62  onto the vibrating filter  110 , from where it may be removed by hand. The expelled bottle is eventually replaced by another bottle  14  as it passes across the separator  70  and gets wedged between the rollers. In the preferred embodiment where plastic pop bottles of various shapes and sizes are processed, it has been found that optimal first and second gaps  80  and  84  are each about 0.75 inch (19 mm), within a range of about 0.25 inch (6 mm). 
     A second important feature is the fixing, as by welding, of at least one solid metal bar  86 , or “scraper”, to the surface  73  of each roller  72  in a substantially longitudinal direction across most or all of the width of the roller. Although in alternate embodiments of the invention the bar  86  may be placed on one or more selected rollers, it is preferred that each roller have at least one bar thereon. The bar should be small enough to pass through both gaps  80  and  84 , and to pass by another bar from an adjacent roller should both bars enter the first gap  80  simultaneously. The bars  86  help perform a “self cleaning” function, namely as the bars pass through the first gap  80  the bars help push through (i.e. clear) any labels and contaminants that have fallen in the vicinity, which then fall through the second gap  84  and onto the inclined plate  64 . These labels and contaminants are urged down the plate by gravity and the expelled water  62  onto the vibrating filter  110 . The bars  86  also fulfill other related functions, such as impacting the bottles  14  on the separator to help dislodge any labels and contaminants that are mixed in with the bottles to provide the labels with an opportunity to fall onto the rollers  72 , and to help scrape away labels which adhere to the wedged bottles between the rollers. Hence, it is desireable that the bars  86  have fairly sharp edges  87  to enhance performance of the above noted functions. As the edges of a bar become blunt and reduce its effectiveness, the bar is either replaced with a new bar having “sharp” corners, or the new bar is merely welded onto the roller&#39;s surface  73  a distance from the old blunt bar. A 0.25 inch (6 mm) square bar has functioned desireably in the preferred embodiment, although other polygonal cross-sections may also be effective. The bars may also be made integral with the manufacture of the rollers if desired. 
     A third important feature is the incline of the separator  70  and the counter-rotation of the rollers  72 . The counter-rotating rollers, and in particular the bars  86  on the rollers, strike the bottles  14  and cause them to bounce into the air, which allows the labels and is bottles to separate, and urges de-watering. While the bottles are being bounced around, the denser (i.e. wet) labels fall onto the rollers and are urged through the gaps  80 ,  84  toward the vibrating screen below. The incline of the separator allows gravity to advance the bottles to the separator&#39;s second, or lower, end  76  where the delabeled bottles bounce onto a second conveyor  120  for further processing. The separator&#39;s incline should be great enough to allow gravity to advance the bottles from the first to second ends  74 ,  75 , but shallow enough to allow the bottles to contact as many rollers as possible. If the angle is too great, then the bottle/label mixture will arrive too quickly at the second end  75  and allow too many labels to continue on the second conveyor, thus decreasing the effectiveness of the label separator. If the angle is too shallow, then the bottles will not advance toward the second end  75 , causing a backlog. Hence, the angle must be such that the bottles are advanced at an acceptable rate while being provided with enough “retention time” to optimize separation of the labels from the bottles. It has been found that an angle A of about 29 degrees from the horizontal provides very good results. 
     It will be appreciated that the bottle retention time on the label separator  70  impacts on the efficiency of label separation. A greater retention time is preferable over a shorter one to ensure that the labels have adequate time and opportunity to encounter the rollers and be pushed below the separator. One manner of increasing retention time would be to extend the separator&#39;s frame  76  and add more rollers, or to place two label separators  70  in series. In the present embodiment very good results have been achieved using  10  sequentially placed rollers  72 . Whereas it appears that prior art label removing devices which employ rotating meshes have a separation rate of about 80% (i.e. 20% of labels are not removed as desired and continue on with the delabeled bottles), the label separator of the present invention should achieve a separation rate in excess of 90%, and has been found to achieve separation rates in the range of 99%. It will also be appreciated that the size of the gaps, and in particular of the first gap  80 , may have to be altered depending on the types of bottles, materials or products being processed. For example, the first gap may have to be increased for 4 liter (or 1 gallon) plastic milk jugs due to their greater dimensions than plastic pop bottles, so as to encourage favourable wedging of such larger bottles between the rollers. 
     Once the removed labels  16  fall through the second gaps  84  onto the inclined plate  64 , expelled water  62  from the washer  30  moves the wet labels through the open top  112  of a drum-like vibrating filter  110 , and onto a surface formed by a screen  114 . The expelled water falls by gravity through the screen  114  into the chamber  116  from where it is channeled to the hot water tank  100  for re-use. The drum  110  sits on a mechanism  116  which vibrates the filter in such a manner as to urge more water to separate from the labels, and to advance the labels toward an exit point  119  from where the labels are carried to a compactor for other use. The reclaimed hot water in the tank  100  is recirculated via piping  18  to the chute  50  for re-use e in the washer  30 . It is noted that the steam header  23  also communicates with the tank  100  through piping  104  so that any excess condensed steam is re-used in the system. 
     The operation and many advantages of the present invention may now be better understood. To summarize the process, a mixture of raw bottles (i.e. with labels attached), including bottle caps, cap rings, loose labels and dirt, indicated by  12 , are fed into the washer drum  36  at its feed end  32 , and hot water is pumped in from the water feed  18  to facilitate the forward motion of the mixture through the drum. As the washer is rotated and the fixed helical screw  40  within moves the mixture forward, steam is injected into the drum to maintain a temperature sufficiently high to clean the bottles and to release the labels from the bottles. The drum is also oscillated between each full rotation to agitate the mixture and promote washing and label liberation. Unlike prior art systems, the introduced water (including the steam and the condensed steam), travels the length of the drum to its outlet  34 . The water, steam and movement of the drum result in the release of labels  16  from the now substantially “delabeled” bottles  14 . Although many of the labels fall from the bottles, some remain on the bottles, albeit in a loosened state. Not all labels need to be released from the bottles upon exiting the outlet end  34  since the next stage, namely the label separator  70 , should complete the task of removing the labels and other contaminants from the bottles. The mixture of bottles, water, labels and contaminants exiting the drum next encounters the first conveyor  60  which allows water to be expelled from the mixture into the hot water tank  100 , via the filter  110 , for re-use. 
     The first conveyor  60  helps spread out the load before it is dropped onto the first end  74  of the separator  70 . The separator essentially separates the labels  16  and other contaminants (i.e. caps, cap rings and dirt) from the mixture to provide a supply of cleaned and delabeled plastic bottles  14 . The separation is accomplished by passing the mixture onto the series of counter-rotating rollers  72  mounted to the frame inclined at 29 degrees to the horizontal. The rollers, including the bars  86  fixed thereto, cause the bottles to bounce and flip, thus urging any still-attached labels to peel off and water removal from inside the bottles. The loose labels and other contaminants fall into the first gap  80  between the rollers, and either fall through to the inclined plate  64  below or are pushed through by the bars  86  as they pass by the first gaps. The separator is designed to have some bottles jammed in the first gaps to aid in the separation of labels and contaminants, and in scraping labels adhering to the roller surfaces. The fixed rods  82  typically help retain the jammed bottles in the first gap for as long as several hours or days, since it is undesireable to have a large volume of bottles escaping into the vibrating filter below. The delabeled bottles  14  that proceed by gravity to the separator&#39;s lower end  75  are carried away, as by conveyor belt  120 , for further processing, namely sorting according to colour, type of plastic, shredding and pelletization. The water, labels and contaminants that fall from the separator into the vibrating filter  110  are further separated by the filter so that the water is channeled to the hot water tank  100  where the water may be re-heated for re-use at the inlet  32  of the washer. The labels  16  are separated by the vibrating filter and packaged for further use. 
     In addition to the advantages already mentioned, the present invention requires little supervision, maintenance and shut-down time for cleaning and removal of paper/plastic jams. In fact, certain jams, such as the plastic bottle jams in the first gaps  80  of the label separator  70 , are incorporated into the invention to aid rather than hinder in the processing of the bottles. Hence, down-time is minimized and 24 hour operation is made possible. 
     The present system does not require large volumes of water to process the bottles and pass them through. The screw mechanism is adapted to push the bottles through the washer  30  with little water, and gravity (not water) moves the bottles along the label separator  70 . Very good results have been achieved using 35 to 40 gpm (gallons per minute) of hot water input at chute  50 , in combination with about 1.33 rpm of the washer 30 (i.e. 1 full rotation and  1  complete oscillation of the drum every 45 seconds). 
     The present process has been found to handle between 4000 to 8000 lbs. (about 1800-3600 kg.) of raw material (i.e. mixture of bottles and contaminants) per hour, resulting in less than 10% of bottles having unremoved contaminants. Hence, with such a high percentage (i.e. over 90%) of delabeled bottles in the exit stream from the label separator  70 , it facilitates the implementation of a secondary process for removing any remaining contaminants, as for example the addition of a second label separator  90  after the first separator  70  (shown at the end of the second conveyor  120  in FIG.  2 ). 
     The present invention minimizes the loss of bottles to the separated label stream entering the vibrating filter  110  due to the very restricted openings provided by the first and second gaps  80 ,  84 . Hence, very few bottles end up on the vibrating filter  110 , thus avoiding the cost of extra personnel for sorting out bottles from the separated labels. 
     The present invention avoids any extra steps for removing water from within the cleaned bottles. The bouncing and flipping action of the delabeled bottles  14  across the label separator  70  urges removal of such water from the bottles. 
     The present invention also avoids the use of chemicals in the delabeling process. Optionally, however, a liquid other than just heated water may be employed if required for removal of certain labels and/or glues. For instance, the liquid may include water as a base for carrying certain chemicals, or may avoid water all together and instead use a mixture of chemicals. 
     Yet another advatage is that, in an alternate embodiment of the invention, the washer may be run without any hot water input. Rather, the hot water is substituted with a greater volume of steam injected into the drum at high pressure. Advantages of this variant include the ability to effectively process a greater volume of bottles in the same drum, and little if any water is introduced into the bottles, thus avoiding the need to extract introduced water out of the bottles at the label separation stage. The temperature of the steam may also be regulated above 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit) for optimal label release. 
     The above description is intended in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and variations to the specific configurations described may be apparent to skilled persons in adapting the present invention to other specific applications. Such variations are intended to form part of the present invention insofar as they are within the spirit and scope of the claims below.