FIELD OF THE INVENTION;

The invention relates to a trash bag, and in particular a trash bag with at least two separable compartments which can be pulled apart to form separate bags.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION;

There is an increasing awareness that each individual must do his or her part to help preserve the environment for future generations to come. As concern grows over the problem of where to put solid waste, the principal object of the invention is to ease the burden of separating recyclable trash from perishable or otherwise nonrecyclable trash. A further object of the invention is to provide an incentive for each individual to do his or her share to curb the buildup of solid waste. Laws have been passed in some nations which require the separation of recyclable trash from non-recyclable (e.g. perishable) trash. The invention will allow the individual to use a simple container for that separation, thereby eliminating the need for two or more receptacles.

According to a feature of the invention, a trash bag is divided and separable into at least two

individual compartments. This feature enables an individual to separate recyclable trash from perishable or other non-recyclable trash, all in the same receptacle. Perishable or otherwise nonrecyclable trash will be placed in one compartment which will be made of a degradable (e.g., biodegradable, photodegradable, etc.) plastic, and recyclable trash such as bottles, cans and paper will be placed in the other compartment which will be made of a recyclable plastic.

An embodiment of the invention comprises two bags connected by two vertical plastic zippers centered between them. The composition of each zipper half is the same as that of the bag it is attached to. In other words, the degradable plastic bag will have two degradable zipper halves that will fit into corresponding recyclable zipper halves of the other bag.

Trash can be put in a single container but in separate compartments formed by the two compartments of the bag. The invention can then be removed as a whole and be easily separated by pulling apart the compartments which have been held together by the plastic zippers. The result is two bags, one bag holding perishable trash in a degradable plastic and the other bag holding recyclable trash in a recyclable plastic.

According to another aspect of the invention, the bag compartments need not be made of degradable plastic or any specific type of recyclable plastic.

There may be more than two bag compartments, thereby permitting, for example, three types of trash to be separated. For example, metal, glass and plastic can be sorted with this embodiment. The invention is generally for use in the kitchen trash can, to prevent the unsightliness of several receptacles and to promote convenience and cleanliness.

Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be understood from the following detailed description of several embodiments thereof, in which like reference numerals indicate like elements and parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS; Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of the invention after separation of the two bag compartments;

Figs. 2 is an enlarged view of a plastic zipper, the zipper being halfway closed; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the plastic zipper, showing how the zipper interlocks; Fig. 4 is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the invention, wherein the bag compartments have drawstrings for self-sealing; Fig. 5 is an exploded view of a third embodiment of the invention, wherein the bag has three compartments, and one of the compartments has a volume ratio of approximately 30;70 with respect to at least one of the other compartments; and Fig. 6 is an exploded view of a fourth embodiment of the invention, including plastic zippers for sealing the bag compartments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS;

Referring to Fig. 1, the first embodiment of the invention comprises a trash bag 10 with two compartments 10a and 10b which can be separated. The trash bag 10 is held together by two plastic zippers 1, 2. This embodiment can be described as one bag that can be separated into two, or two bags that can be connected to form one. Either way, the bag enables an individual to separate trash in one receptacle by forming two compartments.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the zipper 1 comprises a male half la and a female half lb. A suitable location and length for the zippers is shown in Fig. 1. The manner and process of making the disclosed trash bag will be a typical plastic extrusion method used in making plastic trash bags. The composition of matter will be, in one trash bag compartment, degradable plastic, and in the other trash bag compartment, recyclable plastic.

The separable bag compartments can be made respectively of many well-known recyclable and degradable plastic materials. Several appropriate degradable plastic materials are disclosed in U.S. Patents 3,762,454 and 3,903,029, which are expressly incorporated by reference in the present patent application.

Well-known methods of making the bags can be used. The plastic zippers in particular may be similar or identical to the Zip-Loc (trademark) brand bags manufactured by the Dow Chemical Company.

However, the respective bag compartments are not necessarily made of specific types of plastic compositions. Rather, the invention includes any two or more bag compartments that are interconnected by any easily releasable and reattachable connecting means.

Fig. 4 shows a trash bag 10' according to a second embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, respective drawstrings 12a, 12b are provided for closing the tops of the bag compartments 10a, 10b. Advantageously but not necessarily, the drawstrings are retained in a pocket or tube formed by folding over top portions of the bag compartments along respective seams 14a, 14b.

A third embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 5. According to one inventive feature, the third embodiment comprises bag compartments 10a, 10c interconnected by plastic zippers 1 (with zipper halves la, lb) and 2 (with zipper halves 2a, 2b). The volume of compartment 10c is about 20 to 40 percent, preferably about 30 percent, of the combined volume of compartments 10a and 10c. Correspondingly, the volume of compartment 10a is about 60 to 80 percent, preferably about 70 percent, of that combined volume. Thus, if one type of trash exceeds another type in a given location, the bag compartments 10a, 10c can be combined so that their respective volumes will be tailored to the expected volumes of the two types of trash.

Optionally but not necessarily, one compartment, for example 10c, may have a second pair of zippers halves la' and 2a' for linking with one or more further bag compartments. In the embodiment of Fig. 5,

a trash bag 10" comprises the above-mentioned compartments 10a and 10c, plus a further compartment 10b which is linked to the compartment 10c by zippers 1* (la', lb') and 2' (2a', 2b'). Other types of closures may be used. For example, the tops of the bags may be closed by plastic zippers of the same type as the zippers 1 and 2. For example. Fig. 6 shows a fourth embodiment, wherein the compartment 10a has a plastic zipper with front half 16a which mates with a back half 16a' to make a substantially complete seal. Similarly, the compartment 10b is sealed by a plastic zipper with a front half 16b and a back half 16b' .

Although several preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein, the spirit and scope of the appended claims is not limited to those embodiments. Several variations and alternatives have been mentioned, and others will occur to skilled individuals, which should be considered as being fairly within the scope of the invention.