The invention relates to a device for storing and trans¬ porting waste products, in particular household refuse, comprising a primary holder which is open on at least one side and closable by closing means and which has at least two separate compartments accessible from the open side and rotatable transport means arranged close to its underside. Such a device is known from the German patent specification 35.31.554.

The increasing concern for the environment has recently resulted in intensified interest for the manner in which the continually growing waste product flows are processed. One of the most important components of the waste flows is household refuse. At the present time most households col¬ lect all the household refuse in one common holder, for instance a refuse bag or bin, which is then processed by a sanitation department. This method of collecting or proces¬ sing household refuse entails great drawbacks and is to a large degree environmentally unfriendly.

Household refuse comprises a great number of different components, each of which requires a different treatment. Household refuse can generally be divided into waste pro¬ ducts which are environmentally harmful, waste products which are not environmentally harmful and substances which can be recycled. The drawback of tendering all these waste products together for processing is that those materials which are recyclable are lost, which results in an unne¬ cessarily high consumption of (scarce) raw materials. At the same time, because of the combined collection and proces¬ sing, harmful waste products are released into the environ- ment.

These drawbacks are for the most part obviated by the device known from the stated patent specification as accor¬ ding to the preamble of claim 1. Such a device offers namely the possibility of collecting waste products sorted accor- ding to type in separate compartments of the primary holder, and of offering the thus separated waste products to a sanitation department for processing.

The known device has several important drawbacks, howe¬ ver. In the first place the device can only be emptied into a special collection vehicle, in which placing of the unloa¬ ding device relative to separate vehicle compartments must be adapted to the construction and dimensions of the device. In addition, the separate compartments of the known device are particularly difficult to clean, which is a disadvantage from a public health point of view.

The invention therefore has for its object to provide a device as described in the preamble of claim 1, wherein the above mentioned drawbacks are obviated. This is achieved according to the invention in that the compartments are separate secondary holders arranged removably in the primary holder.

The open side is preferably the top side, whereby the device can easily be filled and emptied.

In a possible embodiment of the invention, the primary holder has a bend about half way down and the open side is oriented at least substantially transversely of the upper part. This improves the accessibility and stability of the device.

The primary holder can be open on a standing side, and at least one of the secondary holders can be mounted slidably in lying guide means. Thus provided are compartments which are simple to fill and unload.

In yet another embodiment of the invention at least one of the secondary holders is provided with a separate, child- proof closing member.

The invention further relates to a method for storing and transporting waste products, in particular household refuse,

comprising sorting the waste products according to type and depositing the sorted waste products into separate compart¬ ments of a device according to the invention. Chemical waste products are preferably deposited into a closable compart- ment of the device.

Mentioned and other features of the invention are further elucidated hereinafter with reference to the annexed dra¬ wing, in which corresponding reference numerals designate corresponding components and wherein: fig. l. shows a dismantled view of a first embodiment of the device according to the invention; fig. 2. shows a view of this embodiment when assembled; fig. 3. is a view of a second embodiment of the device according to the invention; and fig. 4. is another view of this embodiment.

A primary holder 1 comprises a standing frame 2 and plates 3, 4, 5 fixed thereto (fig. 1). On the top side the frame 2 has openings 6, which give access to separate com¬ partments of the holder 1. The compartments are formed by secondary holders 7 arranged removably in the openings 6. The secondary holders 7 comprise standing dividing means 8 and lying dividing means 9.

The primary holder 1 is provided on the top side with first closing means 10 consisting of a covering plate 11, which is provided with a hand-grip 12 and edges 20 gripping round the holder 1 and which is mounted swivellably about a lying axis in bearing means 13 fixed on the plate 5.

The primary holder 1 has a bend about halfway and the upper part of the frame 2 and the secondary holders 7 arran- ged therein are oriented transversely of the upper part of the first holder 1. Below the bend the frame 2 has lying guide means 14, in which secondary holders 15 are mounted slidably. The primary holder 1 is provided underneath the bend and adjoining the plate 4 with second closing means 16 consisting of two doors 17 provided with hand-grips 18 and mounted swivellably about a standing axis in bearing means 19 fixed on the plates 3.

The device displays a first gripping member 21 fixed directly on the upper and lower part of the frame 2, which member is provided on the underside with lying shafts 22 on which transport means 23 are rotatably mounted. The trans- port loads on the device are thus admitted directly into the frame 2.

When domestic refuse is stored and transported in the household with the method according to the invention, the user sorts the waste products according to type, whereafter the first and second closing means 10, 16 of the primary holder 1 are opened and the secondary holders 15 for use are pulled outward over the guide means 14 (fig. 2) . The secon¬ dary holders 7, 15 are filled with the correct waste pro¬ ducts, wherein an information carrier, for instance instruc- tions for use, arranged on the inside of the closing means 10, 16, makes it clear to the user in which of the secondary holders 7, 15 the waste products should be deposited. Harm¬ ful waste products, so called small chemical waste, are de¬ posited in a holder 24 arranged as high as possible in the device and provided with a separate, child-proof closing member 25.

After use the closing means 10, 16 are closed and the device can be transported by being tilted by means of the gripping member 21 so far backward that the front part of the device leaves the ground and the device can be moved by rolling, using the transport means 23.

When the transport means 23 are mounted about a single lying shaft 22', which is arranged between flanges 26 fixed on the plate 5 (fig. 3) , a device is obtained with a minimal total width. In this embodiment of the device, the hand-grip necessary for handling the device is formed by a second gripping member 27 lying in the main plane of the upper part of the frame 2.

When it is not being transported, the device stands on a number of elongate supporting bodies 28 arranged on the underside of the frame 2 (fig. 4) which are formed such that the device can stand stably thereon and can still be tilted

without undue exertion when it has to be transported.

The embodiments of the device shown in the drawing have the following advantages:

- through the use of separate compartments it is possible to collect waste products sorted according to type whereby recycling is encouraged and the release of harmful waste products into the environment is prevented;

- because the compartments are embodied as removable secondary holders, the device is simple to empty and to clean;

- because the primary holder displays a bend and the upper part thereof faces forward, the centre of gravity in the rest position is practically straight above the suppor¬ ting bodies, which helps stability, and in the tilted trans- porting position it is practically straight above the trans¬ port means whereby the device is simple to transport;

- because the holder for harmful waste products is placed as high as possible in the device and provided with a child¬ proof closing member, it is virtually impossible for chil- dren to come into contact with harmful waste products.

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