Patent ID: 7810646

Claim:
A separation system for separating recyclable materials from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), comprising: an air separator configured to receive the MSW including recyclable MSW items and other heavier MSW materials, the recyclable MSW items including different combinations of non-shredded paper, non-shredded cardboard, non-shredded plastic containers, or non-shredded metal containers, the air separator further comprising: an elongated air chamber including a first opening at a first end configured to receive the MSW dropped into the air chamber and a second opening at a second opposite end; a first conveyor located at least partially within the air chamber and having a conveying direction oriented along the air chamber; and a fan configured to blow the recyclable MSW items dropped into the first opening in the air chamber in an upward diagonal direction up into the air chamber so that at least some of the recyclable MSW items land on the first conveyor as the first conveyor conveys the at least some of the recyclable MSW items out through the second opening at the opposite end of the air chamber while most of the other heavier MSW materials drop down from the first end of the air chamber, through a third opening in the air chamber; and a rotating drum located above the third opening in the chamber, wherein the fan blows the at least some of the recyclable MSW items up over the rotating drum and through the air chamber while at least some of the other heavier MSW materials drop vertically downward through the third opening.