Abstract:
Systems and methods for efficiently collecting and disposing waste from disparate locations within a facility, the method including coupling a series of empty waste receptacles to a tow vehicle and transporting the receptacles to a first location. At the first location, identifying a first full waste receptacle and exchanging it with one of the empty receptacles coupled to the vehicle. The full waste receptacle and remaining empty receptacles are thereafter transported via the tow vehicle to a second location, where a second full waste receptacle is exchanged with one of the remaining empty receptacles. Thereafter, the first and second full waste receptacles are transported to a waste processing location. In some embodiments, the process may be repeated until all the empty waste receptacles on the vehicle have been exchanged with full waste receptacles, at which point the vehicle transports the full waste receptacles to the waste processing location.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
     This application is a nonprovisional of and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/823,701, filed May 15, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The field of the disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for efficiently handling trash and recyclable waste particularly in large facilities and complexes. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In facilities that handle an abundance of waste (e.g., trash, composting, recyclable waste, etc.), such as those that may specialize in the collection and disposal of waste, or in which cleaning, manufacturing, public assembly or other activities result in the ancillary generation or aggregation of substantial volumes of waste, efficient waste management may be critical to the overall effectiveness of the facility. For example, some facilities may specialize in cleaning out the interior cabins of cars, trucks, buses, or other vehicles as part of preparation of the vehicles for subsequent use. In some of these facilities, waste may be, and often is, touched or otherwise handled five or more times by the same or different personnel as it is removed from the vehicles, transported through the facility, and ultimately removed from the premises. 
     For example, waste may first be cleaned out of a vehicle and placed into a bag-lined or unlined trash and/or recycle receptacle. Thereafter, as each receptacle becomes full, the bag liners or receptacles are moved, with or without manual or mechanical closure, from an initial location near the vehicle clean-out area to a staging area where they are aggregated or stored. Janitorial or other personnel then pick up the bags or receptacles from the staging area and transport them to a waste processing area. There, the bags are placed into, or the receptacles are dumped into, one or more large dumpsters or compactors (e.g., separate dumpsters or compactors for trash and recycling). Finally, the serially-handled waste is either emptied from the dumpster or compactor into a truck for removal from the premises, or the dumpster or compactor itself placed on or attached to a truck or trailer and transported off the premises. 
     The present inventors have, thus, recognized a need for improved systems and methods of handling waste to reduce the number of times waste is touched or handled, and to thereby streamline the waste management process by reducing the required labor. 
     Additional aspects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating an example facility layout and an example waste management process according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a waste receptacle according to one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of waste receptacles positioned in series and coupled together, with one end of the series coupled to a tow vehicle for transport as a train of receptacles. 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic illustration of a waste receptacle being emptied into a compactor. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the drawings, this section describes particular embodiments and their detailed construction and operation. Throughout the specification, reference to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or “some embodiments” means that a particular described feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” or “in some embodiments” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the described features, structures, characteristics, and methods of operation may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In view of the disclosure herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various embodiments can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other methods, components, materials, or the like. In some instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or not described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the embodiments. 
     On some occasions, the description of the figures may reference a car-cleaning or car-service facility as an example setting for the described embodiments. It should be understood that a car-cleaning facility is merely one example setting for the described systems and methods and should not be considered as limiting. Systems and methods with the characteristics and features described herein may also be used to streamline a waste management processing in other complexes, such as manufacturing facilities, amusement parks, malls, stadiums, parks, and zoos. 
     In the context of the illustrated figures, the following description may refer to various embodiments relating to “waste” or “waste material” management. It should be understood that these terms are meant to broadly encompass a variety of forms and states of waste and other substances excess to, or undesirable for retention in, their location or condition. Accordingly, some examples of “waste” or “waste material” may include, but are not limited to, the following: trash, recyclable materials, compostable materials, hazardous materials, biological waste, and other items whether solid or liquid and regardless of value. In addition, when used specifically, the term “recyclable waste” refers to a material which can be processed, treated, or otherwise altered to recover at least a portion of material that can be re-purposed or reused, including as a material for re-processing or re-manufacture. For instance, “recyclable waste” may include, but is not limited to, paper, cardboard, metal, glass, plastics, polymers, batteries, tires, textiles, timber, concrete, or the like. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating a layout of a facility  10  according to one embodiment. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the facility  10  may be configured for receiving and processing one or more vehicles  12 , and may include services such as: washing the vehicles via a car wash  14 , refueling and cleaning-out the vehicles  12  at one or separate “quick-turn” or maintenance stations  16  (or  16   a ,  16   b ), and thereafter parking the serviced vehicles  12  in a parking lot or structure  18 . 
     In some configurations, the facility  10  may include a number of maintenance stations  16 ,  16   a ,  16   b , arranged into a variety of rows or lanes as in a conventional gas station. The maintenance stations  16  may include one or more fueling stations  20  at or near which a number of waste receptacles  22 ,  24  are staged. The waste receptacles  22 ,  24  may each be specific to certain kinds of waste (e.g., co-mingled or distinct classes of recyclable waste, trash, etc.). For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , receptacle  22  may be specific to trash and receptacle  24  may be specific to recycling. In one embodiment, the waste receptacles  22 ,  24  are positioned between fueling stations  20  for easy access so that the vehicles  12  may be cleaned out while being refueled. 
     In an example servicing process, a vehicle  12  is driven toward a maintenance station  16  and parked adjacent one of the fueling stations  20  before or after being washed. If the car needs fuel, the car may receive fuel from the fueling station  20 . While fueling (or sometime thereafter), waste, recycling, or other abandoned or unwanted material is removed from the interior of the vehicle  12  and placed in one or more corresponding waste receptacles  22 ,  24 . Once the vehicle  12  has been thoroughly cleaned-out, refueled, and washed (in any order), the vehicle  12  exits the maintenance station  16  and is driven to the parking lot or structure  18  for later use. As lanes open up, additional cars may be brought through for cleaning, refueling, and washing, as necessary. 
     As vehicles  12  are processed, the waste receptacles  22 ,  24  are continually filled with waste. As the waste receptacles  22 ,  24  become full (or at worker shift changes, or any other desired frequency), they are typically collected, emptied, or replaced with empty (or previously emptied) waste receptacles, often repeatedly over the course of a 24-hour period. It should be noted that any description referring to “empty” or “emptied” waste receptacles should be understood as including a waste receptacle from which a majority of its previous contents has been removed, but that may thereupon retain some amount of waste. Accordingly, these terms are not meant to limit an “empty” waste receptacle to a waste receptacle devoid of all waste. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates one example embodiment of a waste management process that may be used to handle waste produced at the facility  10 . With particular reference to  FIG. 1 , a series or group of empty waste receptacles  28  may first be coupled directly or indirectly to a tow vehicle  26  via a coupling mechanism  60  (see  FIG. 3 ) to form a train (e.g., a series of receptacles each connected to the rear of a preceding receptacle) of such waste receptacles. Further details of the coupling mechanism  60  are described with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The tow vehicle  26  may be any type of powered cart, tractor, all-terrain vehicle, or other powered vehicle or towing mechanism with sufficient maneuverability and towing capability for transporting the waste receptacles  22 ,  24 . The vehicle  26  may be guided by an operator onboard the vehicle or not onboard the vehicle, such as by remote control, by a track or by another suitable control system. 
     The waste receptacles  22 ,  24  may be of any suitable dimensions, but are typically larger than a familiar 30 to 55-gallon receptacle ordinarily used as a first direct deposit receptacle for waste. For instance, in one embodiment, the waste receptacles  22 ,  24  may have a volume of up to one cubic yard (approximately 227 gallons). In other embodiments, the waste receptacles  22 ,  24  may be larger or smaller as desired. In addition, the waste receptacles  22 ,  24  preferably are equipped with wheels or casters  44 ,  46  (or mounted to a wheeled chassis  42 ) for easy movement. 
     Once the group of waste receptacles  28  is coupled to the tow vehicle  26 , an operator or control system drives or guides the tow vehicle  26  along a path or route  30  and transports the empty waste receptacles  28  through the facility  10 . As the tow vehicle  26  proceeds along the route  30 , the operator or other control system observes or otherwise senses the waste receptacles (e.g.,  22 ,  24 ) positioned near the fuel stations  20  to identify a waste receptacle, staged for use and similarly equipped or mounted, in need of emptying or replacement (i.e., a waste receptacle containing an amount of waste that needs to be collected and removed so the same or different receptacle can receive waste in that location until the tow vehicle  26  returns again, referred to herein as a “full waste receptacle” regardless of actual degree of fullness). 
     Once a full waste receptacle is identified (e.g., waste receptacle  22 ), the operator or control system stops the tow vehicle  26  and decouples an empty waste receptacle (e.g., waste receptacle  22 ′) from the group of towed waste receptacles  28 . After it is decoupled, the empty waste receptacle  22 ′ is exchanged with the full waste receptacle  22 ; that is, the empty waste receptacle  22 ′ is left behind and the full waste receptacle  22  is coupled to the tow vehicle  26  (or to the end of or at another position in the train of waste receptacles). Once the full waste receptacle  22  is properly coupled to the tow vehicle  26  or to the train of receptacles, the operator or control system continues driving or guiding the tow vehicle  26  along the route  30  in search of additional full waste receptacles and repeats the exchange between empty and full waste receptacles. 
     The process may be repeated until the train of receptacles has completed the route  30  through all or a portion of the facility and then heads toward one or more dumpsters or compactors  32 ,  34 . The facility  10  may include a single separate dumpster or compactor, or, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the facility  10  may include separate dumpsters or compactors  32 ,  34  for processing trash and recyclable waste, respectively. In other embodiments, facilities may include additional dumpsters or compactors, such as for processing compostable materials, hazardous waste, or other distinct classes of recyclables and other waste. The efficiency of movement of waste from receptacles staged over an area or facility may reduce the number of compactor or dumpster sites otherwise needed to serve any particular size area or facility. 
     Once at the dumpster or compactor site, the full waste receptacles may be decoupled from the tow vehicle  26  and loaded onto a mechanism (such as a forklift as further described with reference to  FIGS. 2-4 ) attached to or separate from the dumpsters or compactors  32 ,  34 , designed to empty the full waste receptacles  22  into the dumpster or compactor and emptied. Once emptied, the empty waste receptacles are re-coupled, one onto the tow vehicle  26  and the other receptacles to another in a series, to form a new train of empty receptacles and the process is repeated to collect and replace other full waste receptacles with emptied waste receptacles. 
     In some instances, the operator may shorten the route  30  and proceed directly to the compactors  32 ,  34  when the train consists of only full waste receptacles without any remaining empty waste receptacles in the train, or when the train reaches an appropriate number, volume, or weight of full receptacles. It should be understood that the route  30  is drawn simply for illustration purposes and is not meant to be limiting. For instance, the route  30  could be any desired path through the facility  10  to collect and dispose waste receptacles  22 ,  24 . In addition, the tow vehicle  26  may run the route  30  at specific time intervals throughout the day, or may run the route  30  on an on-call basis, or may travel to specific destinations on an on-call basis (e.g., when alerted that a waste receptacle is full at a particular location). 
     In some embodiments as shown in  FIG. 1 , the facility  10  may be segregated into smaller subdivisions of maintenance stations  16 ,  16   a ,  16   b , each of which contain fuel stations  20  and waste receptacles  22 ,  24 . The maintenance stations  16 ,  16   a ,  16   b  may be identical to one another, or one or more may be tailored with specific services, such as hand-washing, waxing, etc. to serve individual needs of various customers or distinct user companies (e.g., Company  1 , Company  2 , Company  3 ). In some instances, such separation may facilitate customizing such services on an individual basis for each of the user companies  1 ,  2 ,  3 . In addition, separate maintenance stations  16 ,  16   a ,  16   b  for each user company may allow the waste management service provider to track individual usage by the various user companies to charge different service rates based on fuel consumption, volume of waste produced, or other factors. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example waste receptacle  22  that may be used in the waste management process described with reference to  FIG. 1 . The waste receptacle  22  may be a conventional waste receptacle having an open top construction with a front wall  36 , a rear wall  38 , and two side walls  40 . Preferably, the waste receptacle  22  is formed (e.g., injection molded) of durable, lightweight material, such as medium or high density polyethylene. In addition, the waste receptacle  22  is preferably a self-contained, hygienic plastic container which allows for easy cleaning, no spills, no pests, and no damage to surrounding equipment/vehicles if accidentally bumped or scraped. In other embodiments, the waste receptacles  22  may be formed of other materials, such as plastics, metals, or combinations of these materials. 
     The waste receptacle  22  is mounted to a cart, or preferably a chassis  42  fitted to a bottom or base of the receptacle  22 . The chassis  42  includes a front set of wheels or casters  44  and a rear set of wheels or casters  46  to allow for rolling and easy maneuverability of the waste receptacle  22 . In some embodiments, the rear set of casters  46  may have a swivel lock  48  for locking the casters into a straight position when desired. For instance, during transport of the waste receptacle  22  along the route  30 , swivel-locking the rear casters  46  may help stabilize the waste receptacles  22  and prevent the waste receptacles  22  from swaying or fishtailing, whether moved individually or in a train of coupled waste receptacles. Preferably, the rear casters  46  are swivel-locked during transport, but are otherwise maintained in an unlocked position for easy movement/maneuvering of the waste receptacle  22  as needed. Alternatively, the rear casters  46  may be swivel-locked when in position at the maintenance stations  16  to help prevent the waste receptacles  22  from moving out of position when bumped. In some embodiments, the chassis  42  may further include a pair of pockets  50  formed or welded on either side of the chassis  42  for receiving forklift prongs (see  FIG. 4 ). The prongs are inserted through the pockets  50  to lift and empty the waste receptacles  22  into the dumpsters or compactors  32 ,  34 . 
     In some embodiments, the side walls  40  may include hooks, carabiners (or other attachment devices)  52 , which may be attached to side bars  54 . The attachment devices  52  may be used to hold or secure a netting  56  that extends over the open top of the waste receptacle  22 . The netting  56  may help prevent loose waste from inadvertently falling or blowing out of the waste receptacle  22 , such as during transport. Preferably, the openings in the netting  56  are sufficiently large such that waste can be dropped between the netting  56  and directly into the waste receptacle  22 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the chassis  42  further includes a coupling mechanism  60  operable to couple waste receptacles  22 ,  24  together and/or to the tow vehicle  26  for transport. The coupling mechanism  60  includes a tongue  62  and a receiving hitch  64 . The tongue  62 , which may extend from the front of the chassis in the direction of transport or from the rear of the chassis, includes an elongated bar  66  with a tow ring  68  (or other attachment mechanism) mounted or welded toward an end portion  70  of the bar  66 . The tongue  62  further includes a hinge or other articulation mechanism near the chassis  42 , with a spring-loaded lock mechanism  72 , allowing the end portion  70  of the bar  66  to be lifted to bring the tongue  62  into a vertical position, and for locking and unlocking the tongue  62  in or out of that position as desired. For instance, when the waste receptacle  22  is not coupled to another waste receptacle  24  or to the tow vehicle  26 , the tongue  62  may be locked in an upright position via the spring-loaded lock mechanism  72  as shown in  FIG. 3 . During use, the lock mechanism  72  may be released to allow the tongue  62  to drop downward and toward the hitch  64  of an adjoining waste receptacle. 
     In some embodiments, the tongue  62  may further include a supporting mechanism, such as a flexible arm or linkage (not shown), to help prevent the tongue  62  from dropping to the ground when the lock mechanism  72  is released. In addition, the supporting mechanism may limit the range of motion of the tongue  62  to help maintain the height position of the tow ring  68  approximately equal to the height position of the hitch  64  of an adjoining waste bin (or to the height of the drawbar (not shown) of the tow vehicle  26 ) to simplify the coupling process. 
     With reference to  FIG. 3 , the receiving hitch  64  may be generally hook shaped and complement the tow ring  68  of the tongue  62 . In a coupled configuration, the hitch  64  is inserted through the opening on the tow ring  68  and the hitch  64  is thereafter closed. Similarly, to decouple the waste receptacles  22 ,  24 , the hitch  64  opens up and frees the tow ring  68 . The waste receptacles  22 ,  24  may thereafter be manually separated after raising the tongue  62  away from the hitch  64 . It should be understood that in other embodiments, different coupling mechanisms may alternatively be used. 
     With particular reference to  FIG. 3 , the tow vehicle  26  may also be outfitted with a hitch  64 ′ similar to hitch  64  for coupling with the tongue  62  of the waste receptacles  22 ,  24  in a similar fashion as described above. Alternatively, since the waste receptacles  22 ,  24  include both a tongue  62  and a hitch  64  on opposites sides, the tow vehicle  26  may instead include a tongue or other component (not shown) that mechanically engages the hitch of the waste receptacles  22 ,  24 . 
     As briefly described previously,  FIG. 4  illustrates a schematic of a waste receptacle  22  being lifted via a forklift mechanism  74  and emptied into a dumpster or compactor  32 . 
     Although the description above contains much specificity, these details should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merely providing illustrations of some embodiments of the invention. It should be understood that subject matter disclosed in one portion herein can be combined with the subject matter of one or more of other portions herein as long as such combinations are not mutually exclusive or inoperable. 
     The terms and descriptions used above are set forth by way of illustration only and are not meant as limitations. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations can be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the invention.