FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to bins for collecting waste and in particular, soft plastic waste.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Soft or flexible plastics are plastics that can be scrunched into a ball and reduced in volume. These soft or flexible plastics (herein referred to as soft plastic waste) include packaging films, shrink wrap, bubble wrap, and plastic bags of various sizes.

[0003] Because of their physical characteristics, soft plastic waste is difficult to collect especially with other forms of waste. When it is combined with other recyclable waste, it needs to be separated before it can be processed. The collection of soft plastic waste and the separation of soft plastic waste from general recyclable waste provides a number of problems that must be addressed before the soft plastic waste can be processed.

[0004] Consequently, soft plastic waste has been thrown out with general waste because Council recycling programs will not accept them. Most Councils in Australia can’t accept soft plastic waste for recycling with their recycling programs because they jam the hoppers, compactors and automated sorting machines.

[0005] Currently, recycling bale frames, also known as recycling frames, are used for collecting soft plastic waste. The recycling bale frames are designed to hold a bag that is used to collect soft plastic waste. When the bags are full, they are taken to a baler to be compacted, then sent to recycling plants for washing, shredding, sorting and finally turned into pellets and powder to be molded and cast into new plastic products and packaging.

[0006] While these recycling bale frames with their large bags are used to collect soft plastic waste in an industrial situation, there is currently no suitable solution to collect soft plastic waste on a smaller scale. In particular, there is no adequate solution to collect soft plastic waste for recycling purposes for homes and households.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least alleviate one or more of the abovementioned problems with bins and/or provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The inventor has identified a problem that there is no suitable collection bin for soft plastic waste that can be used in households, schools, or small community groups.

[0009] The inventor also found that one of the problems for collecting soft plastic waste is the difficulty in placing and retaining the waste within a bin due to the nature of the soft plastic waste. The inventor looked at ways of retaining the soft plastic waste within a bin as it would unfold or move and escape through openings. This problem was exacerbated when the soft plastic waste was compacted to occupy a smaller volume of space. The inventor has taken a different approach to dealing with the collection of soft plastic waste by developing a purpose specific bin rather than use a standard bin.

[0010] The purpose specific bin was developed through trial and error by the inventor to address the problem of placing, compacting and retaining the soft plastic waste in the bin.

[0011] In one aspect, the present invention broadly resides in a bin for collecting soft plastic waste, the bin including: a container portion; a lid having an aperture to insert soft plastic waste therethrough, the aperture having a configuration to allow the insertion of soft plastic waste and substantially prevent soft plastic waste from exiting out of the aperture; attachment means to attach the lid to the container portion so that the lid is attached or removably attached to the container portion and when attached is retained in a fixed position to prevent accidental opening; wherein in use, the lid is attached to the container portion and the configuration of the aperture and the attachment of the lid to the container portion work together to substantially prevent loss of collected soft plastic waste.

[0012] The attachment means is preferably attachment configured to attach the lid to the container portion so that the lid is attached or removably attached to the container portion and when attached is retained in a fixed position to prevent accidental opening.

[0013] The bin can be any suitable shape including cylindrical, rectangular, square or an irregular shape providing it has an openable lid and the lid has an aperture as described above. The bin can have an irregular shape such as adopting a sporting theme or a movie theme.

[0014] Preferably, the container portion has a bottom wall, at least one sidewall and an opening at the top of the container portion.

[0015] In one embodiment, the container portion is cylindrical in shape and the corresponding lid is circular in shape. In another embodiment, the container portion has a rectangular or square shape with a correspondingly shaped lid.

[0016] The configuration of the aperture has preferably a shape and a size to allow collection and retention of soft plastic waste. The aperture is preferably an elongate slot. The elongate slot preferably has a length and a width that allows the collection and retention of soft plastic waste. The elongate slot is preferably centrally located on the lid. Preferably, the elongate slot is rectangular in shape. More preferably, one or both of the ends of the elongate slot are rounded. Preferably, the sides of the elongate slot are smooth. The width to length ratio of the elongate slot is preferably in range of 2:10 to 2:20. Preferably, the width of the elongate slot is at least 1cm wide. Preferably, the maximum width of the elongate slot is 5cm. Preferably, the elongate slot is at least 10cm long.

[0017] In another embodiment, the elongate slot preferably has a non-enlarged section and an enlarged section. The enlarged section is preferably located at the end of the elongate slot. Preferably, the width of the enlarged section is greater than the width of the non-enlarged section of the elongate section and the length of the enlarged section is smaller than the length of the non-enlarged section. In a preferred embodiment, the elongate slot preferably has an enlarged section at one end only of the elongate slot. Preferably, soft plastic waste can be inserted into the container portion through the enlarged section.

[0018] The bin preferably has an elongate slot that has a width to length ratio of 2:10 to 2:20. The elongate slot preferably has a width of at least 1 cm wide and a length of at least 10 cm.

[0019] Where the lid is removably attachable, the attachment means includes a first attachment section on the container portion and a second attachment section on the lid. The first attachment section is preferably configured to operatively mate with the second attachment section to fixedly attach the container portion to the lid. The attachment means preferably includes clips, screw threads, snap-fittings, and friction fit members.

[0020] Preferably, the first attachment section is located adjacent the opening at the top of the container portion.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the first attachment section is an attachment protrusion. In the preferred embodiment, the second attachment section is four flaps removably attachable to the lid. Each flap preferably has a projecting hook to cooperatively mate with the attachment protrusion on the container. Preferably the lid is attachable to the container portion by one or more flaps each of which have a hook protrusion that can friction fit to a complementary attachment portion. Preferably the lid has the one or more flaps and the container portion has the complementary attachment portions.

[0022] Preferably the lid has four flaps spaced equidistant around the outside of the lid and the container portion has four complementary attachment portions positioned around the outside of the container portion and located in a position to attach to the lid and fix the lid to the container portion.

[0023] With respect to the embodiment where the lid is attached to the container, it is preferably attached in a single attachment position and the lid can pivot about the single attachment position to open and close the lid with the container portion. The single attachment portion can be a hinge arrangement, an integral attachment portion or another suitable arrangement.

[0024] With regards to the embodiment of the bin where the lid is fixedly attached or integral with the container portion, the lid can be opened using a single hand and the open lid will remain attached to the container portion without the lid requiring separate handling.

[0025] In another aspect, the present invention broadly resides in a bin for collecting soft plastic waste, the bin including: a cylindrical container portion with a bottom wall, at least one sidewall and an opening at the top of the container portion, the cylindrical container portion having one or more protrusions about and adjacent the top of the container portion; a circular lid having an elongate rectangular slot to insert soft plastic waste therethrough, the elongate rectangular slot having a length and a width that allows the insertion of soft plastic waste and substantially prevent soft plastic waste from exiting out of the elongate rectangular slot; the lid having one or more flaps wherein each flap has a projecting hook that can mate with a corresponding protrusion to fixedly attach the lid to the container portion; wherein in use, the lid is attached to the container portion and the size and shape of the elongate rectangular slot and the attachment of the lid to the container portion work together to substantially prevent loss of collected soft plastic waste.

[0026] The features described with respect to one aspect also apply where applicable to all other aspects of the invention. Furthermore, different combinations of described features are herein described and claimed even when not expressly stated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order that the present invention can be more readily understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and wherein:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the bin according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention with the lid attached to the container portion.

Figure 2 is a front view of the bin of Figure 1 showing soft plastic waste collected and retained in the bin.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the lid of the bin of Figure 1 with the flaps having a projecting hook in the open configuration.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the lid through the line AA-AA of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a top perspective view of the lid of the bin of Figure 1 with the flaps in the closed configuration.

Figure 6 is a bottom view of the lid of the bin of Figure 1 with the flaps having a projecting hook in the open configuration.

Figure 7 is a front sectional view of the lid of the bin of Figure 1 with the flaps having a projecting hook in the open configuration. Figure 8 is a bottom perspective view of the lid of the bin of Figure 1 with the flaps having an alternative arrangement of the projecting hook.

Figure 9 is an exploded view of the bin of Figure 1 with the lid detached from the container portion.

Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view of a second embodiment of the bin showing a square shaped bin with a lid that has an elongate slot extending from side to side.

Figure 11 is a side view of the bin with the lid in Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a diagrammatic view of a third embodiment of the bin showing a square shaped bin with a lid that has an elongate slot extending from corner to corner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0028] With reference to the Figures 1 to 8, the bin 10 is used to collect soft plastic waste. The bin 10 has a cylindrical container portion 12 having a bottom wall 14, a sidewall 16, and an open top. The bottom wall 14 and the sidewall 16 define an interior space. A circular lid 22 is attached to the container portion 12 such that it substantially covers the open top of the container portion 12. The lid 22 has a centrally located rectangular elongate slot 24 at the upper surface of the lid 22. The elongate slot 24 has rounded edges 37, rounded corners 38 and smooth sides 39 to prevent injury to a user during insertion of soft plastic waste into the container portion 12. The elongate slot 24 has a size and shape that inhibits soft plastic waste from exiting out of the container portion 12 through the elongate slot 24. When there is an accumulation of soft plastic waste within the bin, there is an expansion force associated with the compacted soft plastic waste. This force is exerted against the lid 22 and the attachment of the lid 22 to the container portion 12 is made to withstand the exerted force.

[0029] The width and length ratio of the elongate slot 24 is approximately in the range of 2:10 to 2:20. Preferably, the width of the elongate slot is at least 1cm wide. Preferably, the maximum width of the elongate slot is 5cm. Preferably, the elongate slot is at least 10cm long. The lid can be any suitable size from 10 centimetres to 60 plus centimetres. With different sized lids, the elongate slot 24 will be of different sizes but substantially within the ratio range of 2:10 to 2:20 (width-length). In the preferred embodiment, the elongate slot 24 is 2.4 cm wide and 14cm long.

[0030] The bin 10 has an attachment in the form of a first attachment section 34 on the container portion 12 and a second attachment section 30 on the lid 22. The first attachment section 34 is configured to operatively mate with the second attachment section 30 when the container portion 12 is attached to the lid 22.

[0031] The first attachment section 34 is an attachment protrusion 36 located adjacent the open top of the container portion 12.

[0032] The second attachment section 30 is a flap that is movably attached to the lid 22. The flap 30 has a projecting hook 32 to operatively mate with the attachment protrusion 36 on the container portion 12. The lid 22 has four flaps 30 spaced equidistant from each other to secure the lid 22 to the container portion 12.

[0033] With reference to Figure 8, the lid 22 is shown with the flaps 30 having an alternative arrangement for the projecting hook 32a. Projecting hook 32a of the flap 30 engages attachment protrusion 36 of the container portion 12 when the lid 22 is fixedly attached to the container portion 12. In use with respect to the preferred - io - embodiment of the bin 10, the lid 22 is placed over the open top of the container portion 12. The flaps 30 are then moved downwards to engage the attachment protrusion 36 of the container portion 12. The flaps 30 attach the lid 22 to the container portion 12 in a fixed manner. Soft plastic waste can then be inserted into the bin 10 through the elongate slot 24. As the container portion 12 becomes full of soft plastic waste, a user will exert a compacting force on the soft plastic waste when inserting more waste into the container portion 12 through the elongate slot 24. This is because the volume of collected soft plastic waste is high compared to its mass and despite the soft plastic waste being easily compacted, it readily expands again if not physically restrained in the compacted state.

[0034] This expansive force will try to force the soft plastic waste out from the container portion 12 through the elongate slot 24. Due to the size of the elongate slot 24, soft plastic waste will be prevented from exiting out of the container portion 12 through the elongate slot 24. The user can insert a liner such as a plastic bag or a netting in the container portion 12. The liner serves to hold the collected soft plastic waste as a single unit and prevent it from expanding when the liner is removed from the bin 10.

[0035] With reference to Figures 10 and 11 , there is shown a second preferred embodiment of the bin 100 having a container portion 101 and a removable lid 102. The bin 100 has a square shape. Both the container portion 101 and the removable lid 102 have a square shape. The lid 102 has an elongate opening 105 extending from side to side. The elongate opening 105 has a smooth peripheral edge 106, rounded edges and rounded ends 107 to prevent the skin on fingers from being cut when soft plastic waste is inserted into the bin 100. The features of the second - n - preferred embodiment of the bin 100 are substantially the same as those described for the first preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1.

[0036] In Figure 12, there is shown a third preferred embodiment of the bin 110 having a container portion 111 and a removable lid 112. The bin 110 has a square shape. Both the container portion 111 and the removable lid 112 have a square shape. The lid 112 has an elongate opening 115 extending from corner to corner. The elongate opening 115 has a smooth peripheral edge 116, rounded edges and rounded ends 117 to prevent the skin on fingers from being cut when soft plastic waste is inserted into the bin 110. The features of the third preferred embodiment of the bin 110 are substantially the same as those described for the first preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1.

ADVANTAGES

[0037] The advantages of the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the ability to collect and retain soft plastic waste inside the bin.

[0038] Another advantage is that the connection between the first and second attachment means creates a strong fixed connection between the lid and the container portion so that the lid is not accidentally detached due to the expansive forces of the soft plastic waste.

[0039] Another advantage is that after the lid is attached to the container, significant compaction of the collected soft plastic waste is achieved as more soft plastic waste is pushed into the container portion through the aperture on the lid. This compaction is enabled by the solid construction of the lid and the container portion and their respective attachment means. [0040] A further advantage when the bin has a cylindrical shape is that the shape substantially prevents the formation of empty pocket spaces. With non-cylindrical container portions, empty pocket spaces can form particularly near the corners of the bin.

[0041] Another advantage is that the bin for the soft plastic waste can be of any suitable size from a small kitchen bin to a large waste bin used in a school playground.

[0042] The advantage of the preferred embodiment of the invention is to provide a bin that can collect soft plastic waste while at the same time prevent its escape from the bin. The preferred embodiment is a bin that has a cylindrical container portion with a bottom wall, at least one sidewall and an opening at the top of the container portion. The cylindrical container portion has one or more protrusions about and adjacent the top of the container portion. The bin has a circular lid with an elongate rectangular slot to insert soft plastic waste therethrough. The elongate rectangular slot has a length and a width that allows the insertion of soft plastic waste and substantially prevent soft plastic waste from exiting out of the elongate rectangular slot. The lid has one or more flaps wherein each flap has a projecting hook that can mate with a corresponding protrusion to fixedly attach the lid to the container portion. The attachment of the lid to the container portion and the size and shape of the elongate rectangular slot co-operate to allow the insertion of soft plastic waste while preventing escape of collected soft plastic waste.

VARIATIONS [0043] It will of course be realised that while the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein set forth.

[0044] Throughout the description and claims of this specification the word “comprise” and variations of that word such as “comprises” and “comprising”, are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.