TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a device for the treatment of waste varying in nature and material, in particular for separating and shredding the same. Moreover, the device is suitable for collecting and storing treated and untreated waste .

STATE OF THE ART

Separate waste collection is an activity that in recent decades has assumed an increasingly important role both at the community level and at the level of the individual user. In particular, an optimal waste management for separate collection can have an enormous economic value. In fact, waste can be raw material for recycling companies and for manufacturing plants such as paper mills, glassworks, etc.

Separate collection can take place downstream of the waste chain, i.e. after an undifferentiated collection of waste by the competent authorities for the management of municipal waste. Alternatively, the collection can be carried out upstream by the user who undertakes to dispose of his/her own waste after a careful selection into suitable containers present in the territory or directly at home.

In particular, three ways of collecting waste can be considered. The first is the classic way, wherein the user throws away the waste in a large rubbish container in the street, which waste is sent to landfill where it is disposed of and possibly separated. The second way is to collect and separate the waste at home and then throw it away in suitable containers in the street. The third way is the door-to-door collection .

However, one of the main problems related to separate collection is the contamination of materials of different nature. In fact, it is not always possible to organise an optimal separation of the waste. This may be due to the laziness of the single user who prefers to throw away the waste indistinctly or to the lack of knowledge about the nature of the waste, which is thus thrown into the wrong containers . The possibility of separating products with minimal or no contamination with each other increases the value of waste exponentially. For example, taking as reference waste with approximately 15% contamination, waste with approximately 4% contamination increases its value by at least ten times.

Currently, separate collection free of contamination is difficult to obtain. In fact, in order for this type of collection to be possible, large spaces would be necessary both at home as regards the individual user and, in the street, as regards the competent authority. In addition, as regards the individual user, in some cases the motivation for engaging in such an activity is lacking.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the known devices and provide a device for treating and collecting waste separately, which is more efficient and functional, i.e. minimizes the degree of contamination .

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Herein a device for the treatment and separate collection of waste according to the independent claim is provided. Specific applications and embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

The device according to the present invention is suitable to treat and collect waste varying in nature and material and can be used both at the domestic level and at the commercial or industrial level.

The device object of the present invention comprises a treatment unit for receiving and treating waste. The treatment unit can have one or more housings to locate at least one shredding means adapted to shred waste of a certain nature and material.

The device also comprises a collection unit coupled to and communicating with the treatment unit via at least one opening to receive the treated waste leaving the opening and insert it in at least one container made of a material similar to or the same as the treated waste material. The collection unit comprises a movable support means for supporting the container inside a location area and positioning said container at the opening.

The device further comprises a management and control unit for managing and controlling the operation of the shredding means and the movement of the support means according to the nature and material of the waste treated by the treatment unit . Depending on the nature and quantity of different types to be treated, the device according to the present invention can take different dimensions and configurations. For example, the device can be a modular electric household appliance, which is variable in shape or size and can be built-in or external. For small environments or small spaces, the device can process a single type of material. However, thanks to the compactness of the housings for receiving the shredding means and of the movable support means, it is possible to process and collect a plurality of materials of different nature in a small space. This is extremely useful in the home environment. However, more extensive configurations are also conceivable, in which it is possible to process and collect various types of waste and in large quantities. This can be useful, for example, in the case of blocks of flats or medium-sized businesses. In addition, for large-sized businesses, it is also possible to envisage a system of devices, each of which is dedicated to the treatment and collection of a single type of waste. Waste treatment takes place with different types of materials: glass, paper, plastic, aluminium, etc. The material that cannot be treated or that is not appropriate to treat, such as, for example, batteries, medicines, light bulbs, etc., is inserted in suitable containers inside the device. The so-called "wet" material can be inserted inside a special container of the device for example provided with an odour removal filter. It should be noted that the container for wet food can transform food waste into compost to be used to fertilize the plants in a matter of days. In this way, the wet part is reduced by approximately 80%. In particular, the shredding means are positioned in suitable housings, making the device a modular system. The housings can be self-propelled thanks to the presence of guides, hinges or similar mechanisms. In this way, it is possible to facilitate the cleaning and the possible replacement of the shredding means .

The operation of the device according to the present invention can be divided into three distinct steps. Initially, the waste is separated according to the nature of the material to be treated. In this step, the waste to be treated will be directed towards the shredding means, while that not to be treated towards specific containers. This can occur automatically, manually, or a combination thereof. Subsequently, the waste to be treated is treated, i.e. shredded. Lastly, the treated waste is inserted in containers selected by the management and control unit according to the nature of the waste material.

In order to facilitate the insertion of the waste in the containers, a funnel-shaped element or the like can be provided at the opening located between the treatment unit and the collection unit. It is also possible to couple a pusher or a screw conveyor to facilitate the conveyance of the treated material into the container.

"Insertion" of the waste in the containers is intended to mean a real bottling when the containers are bottles or flasks, boxing when the containers are cardboard boxes, canning when the containers are cans and so forth. In particular, each container is filled with a treated (e.g., shredded) material of the same or similar nature as the material of which the container is made.

By means of the device according to the present invention, it is therefore possible to create a new way of disposal, i.e. no longer a collection, but a (possibly paid) preparation of a product ready to be recycled, without contaminants and without unnecessary waste, thus representing a concrete example of circular economy. The goods are used, the packaging containing the goods is transformed and returned to those who produce packagings or other items, who reuse it.

The present invention identifies shredding as the form of waste processing. However, it should be noted that other forms of processing can be taken into consideration, such as, for example, composting, compression, etc.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the support means comprises height and/or width adjustable locking means for changing the size of the location area and locking the container inside said location area.

In this way, any type of container can be used to collect the treated, i.e. shredded, waste. The possibility of adjusting the locking means allows any container of different sizes and shapes to be employed. In other words, without having to purchase special containers, it is possible to recycle bottles, cans, boxes, etc., and use them as containers. Moreover, in consideration of the material to be treated, it is possible to use a container of the same material and greatly simplify the recycling phase. For example, a glass bottle can be used to collect crushed glass (a glass bottle of a suitable colour can be used, depending on the different colours of the glass, for example a clear glass bottle to contain colourless glass and a coloured glass bottle to contain other types of glass), a plastic bottle to collect plastic (a water bottle, a washing liquid bottle, etc. can be used, depending on the type of plastic, for example plastics can be separated based on the type of polymer) , a can to collect aluminium. It should be noted that a 75 cl glass bottle can contain therein crushed glass from about 6 bottles, a 1.5 litre plastic bottle can contain crushed plastic from about 20 bottles and a 33 cl can can contain therein crushed aluminium from about 12 cans.

Therefore, large containers are no longer required for the storage of shredded material, but it is possible to collect the treated material in spaces optimized for the containers used, for example bottles, cans, flasks, cartons, etc. In fact, once the containers are filled, it is certainly very simple, hygienic and safe to transport them and deliver them to the collection centres. Such a system could also be easily used in a "pneumatic rubbish" project according to which underground pipes could automatically transport the separated waste from the users towards the collection centres.

By using the device according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the contamination to below 4%. In particular, the locking means comprise at least one height-movable bracket on which the base of the container is located . In this way, containers with different heights can be used indifferently (a can, a bottle, a washing liquid bottle, etc . ) .

According to one embodiment of the invention, the locking means are rotatably attached, at their lower part, to the support means through a pin. In this way, the fastening means, i.e. the container holder, is rotatable in order to facilitate the insertion and removal of the container. In a further embodiment, the shredding means is configured to shred glass and comprises a aw mill.

Specifically, a shredder of this kind allows large amounts of glass to be shredded even in a relatively small space. Unlike shredders in large machines, the glass shredder according to the present invention is devoid of flywheels and/or counterweights. To increase the shredding power, the inside walls of the mill may be coated with special coatings, such as for example industrial diamonds.

In one embodiment of the invention, the shredding means is configured to shred paper, plastic or aluminium indifferently, and includes package blade means and an opposite comb.

In this way, by using a single housing in the treatment unit, it is possible to employ a single means for shredding materials of different nature, thus ensuring a greater compactness of the device.

In particular, the shredding means further comprises a variable tilting plate coupled to the opposite comb. The tilted plate is positioned above the blades and the opposite comb and serves to lock and push the material to be shredded against the blades. Specifically, the plate is inclined with respect to the opposite comb at an angle between 110 degrees and 70 degrees, preferably of about 90 degrees, and the opposite comb is inclined with respect to the outer surface of the package blades at an angle between 30 degrees and 10 degrees, preferably of about 20 degrees. These inclinations have the effect of reducing the distance required of the shredder to reach the package blades for shredding the introduced material while avoiding jerky movements and increasing the grasp capability from the beginning of the shredding process. Advantageously, one end of the plate is fixed to the device via a pivot structure so that the angle between the plate and the opposite comb can be varied as necessary. Alternatively, the plate is fixed to the opposite comb at a fixed angle and the opposite comb can vary its angle with respect to the outer surface of the package blades by means of a pin system. This variation can be carried out manually through fastening means in the area of the pin (for example a screw/bolt system) or in an automated way by the coupling of the plate and/or the opposite comb to a dedicated actuator means. The actuator means can be adjusted and controlled via the management and control unit of the device. Furthermore, the shredding means may comprise a net structure with a mesh having a certain dimension and located downstream of the package blade means for re-conducting crushed waste having a dimension greater than that of the mesh towards the package blade means. Thanks to this suitably shaped net structure, only fragments of the desired size pass through. Those that do not pass through because they are too large are re-conducted towards the package blade means to be shredded again until the optimal size is reached. Specifically, to increase the functionality of the net structure, the latter is positioned so as to skim the package blade means.

In order to recognize the nature of the waste before it is treated, the treatment unit may comprise at least one automatic or semi-automatic sensor.

In this way, it is possible to reduce the contamination of the treated material. For example, the sensor may initially identify whether the material is made of glass and subsequently identify the glass as transparent or coloured. This is extremely useful, for example, to prevent ceramics, crystals, mirrors or other material other than glass from being introduced inside the material to be treated, as this would ruin the recycling products. Moreover, the separation of the glass by colour allows a differentiation in terms of quality of the treated material. In fact, for the purpose of recycling, transparent glass is more valuable than coloured glass.

The sensor can be automatic or semi-automatic. In the latter case, the user indicates the type of material to be treated by means of special buttons and the sensor serves to confirm the user' s selection so as to start the treatment or shredding phase. In addition, depth sensors may be provided, which detect (via a sound or a message on a special display) when the containers are full and are ready to be emptied or transported to a collection centre. In a further embodiment, the support means may comprise a swivel basket, also called a "revolver". In this manner, it is possible to position the containers at the exit of the treatment unit thanks to the rotary movement of the basket. Alternatively, the support means may comprise a crescent- shaped or circular conveyor belt.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become more apparent in the light of the following description of a few preferred embodiments described below.

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of the device according to one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the device according to one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3 a-b shows a cross section (a) and a top view (b) of the collection unit according to one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 a-d shows a top view (a) and a side view (b) of the paper, plastic and aluminium shredder, as well as two components of the package blades (c) , (d) according to one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of the glass shredder according to one embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 6 a-e shows some of the components of the support means according to one embodiment of the present invention .

Figure 1 schematically shows the components of the device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The device consists of a treatment unit 10, a collection unit 20 coupled to and communicating with the treatment unit 10 via the opening 21, and a management and control unit 30 connected to the treatment unit 10 and the collection unit 20, for example, by means of electrical cables 31.

The treatment unit 10 comprises a housing 11 inside which a shredding means 12 is contained. The collection unit 20 comprises a support means 23 for supporting a container 22 and placing it inside a location area 24. In particular, the support means 23 comprises locking means 25 and a height adjustable bracket 26 to fix the container 22 inside the location area 24. A funnel 28 is located at the opening 21 to facilitate the passage of the treated waste from the treatment unit 10 to the collection unit 20. The funnel 28 can be coupled to the opening 21 or the support means 23 of the container 22.

The management and control unit 30 manages and controls the operation of the shredding means 12 and the movement of the support means 23 according to the nature of the waste treated by the treatment unit 10. It should be noted that the device 1 shown in Figure 1 is purely exemplary in order to show the basic components of the system and that different variants and configurations may be provided. For example, a plurality of housings may be provided, each containing a shredding means 12 for treating the same or different materials. Similarly, a plurality of containers 22 of different shapes and sizes can be provided, which can be moved from one location to another through the movement of the support means.

Figure 2 shows the device 1 according to one embodiment comprising a control cover 32 and a plurality of wheels 40. The device is divided into several parts that can be configured as a trolley structure 2. The treatment unit 10 and the collection unit 20 are inserted inside two drawer means 3, 4, the top drawer 3 and the bottom drawer 4, respectively. The control cover 32, instead, contains the management and control unit 30 with a suitable electronic board to coordinate all the movements of the device. A trolley structure 32 of this kind makes the device 1 extremely compact and clean, as well as easy to move.

At least one display 33 and a plurality of buttons 34 are located on the control cover 32 to indicate the current working status of the device and confirm the entered commands .

Advantageously, the display 33 can be configured as a touch screen .

The bottom drawer 4 has a support means 23 consisting of a swivel basket 27 useful for containing the various containers 22 of different sizes and materials. Each container 22 collects the treated waste of the corresponding material, i.e. PVC in containers for PVC, coloured glass in containers for coloured glass, and so on. Thanks to a command and to the movement of the swivel basket 27, the containers 22 are automatically placed under the opening 21 from where the treated material drops. For example, when in the top drawer 3, i.e. in the treatment unit 10, coloured glass is crushed, the management and control unit 30 determines the movement of the basket 27 so that the funnel 28 corresponding to a coloured glass container 22, for example a green or brown or yellow glass bottle, places itself under the opening 21. And so on for other types of inserted material. The swivel basket 27 is composed of an upper disk 41 and a lower disk 42. The upper disk 41, besides containing the funnels 28, also comprises a region 43 where a collection bin 44, for example for wet waste, is to be inserted. The upper disk 41 is separated from the lower disk 42 by means of column assembly structures 45. In particular, the space between the two disks 41, 42 can house a locking means 25 or container holder, whose upper part is supported by the funnel 28 and whose lower part is supported by a pin 46. In this way, the container holder 25 can rotate so as to facilitate the insertion and removal of the container 22. In particular, each funnel 28 is applied at each hole 411 on the upper disk 41. The container holder 25 further comprises a height adjustable bracket 26, so as to be able to securely lock containers 22 of different sizes.

Inside the bottom drawer 4, four triangular bins 47 for the collection of non-treatable material (batteries, light bulbs, medicines, etc.) can be positioned in the space between the walls of the drawer 4 and the swivel basket 27.

Figure 3a shows the inside of the bottom drawer 4 in cross section.

The collection unit 20 comprises a motor element 48 positioned at the base 49 of the support means 23. The motor element 49 is associated with the swivel basket 27 and serves to move the various containers 22 so that the corresponding funnel 28 positions itself at the opening 21. Each locking means or container holder 25 comprises a fastening pin 46 and a height adjustable bracket 26. In particular, the container holder defines a location area 24 inside which the container 22 is supported and locked between the bracket 26 and the funnel 28.

The central part of the swivel basket 27 has a region 43 with a support base 50 on which a collection bin 44 is positioned to contain, for example, wet waste. The collection bin 44 is equipped with a lid 51 provided with an odour removal filter 52.

Figure 3b shows the inside of the bottom drawer 4 seen from above. From the figure it can be seen that four triangular containers/bins 47 are placed at the four vertices of the drawer 4 to collect non-treatable material. The upper disk 41 and eight locking means 25 or container holders placed symmetrically along the circumference of the disk 41 can be seen in the middle. It should be noted that a funnel means 28 is arranged between the disk 41 and each individual locking means 25 to convey the treated material coming from the opening 21 towards the corresponding container 22 and at the same time lock the container 22 in its upper part. The motor 48 can be seen through the central opening of the disk 41, which motor acts on the basket 27, ensuring the rotary movement thereof.

Figures 4a and 4b show a detail of the shredding means 60 adapted to treat paper, plastic or aluminium indifferently. The shredding means 60 comprises package blade means 61 and an opposite comb 62. The package blades 61 are advantageously made up of a series of circular blades 64, 65 placed side by side alternately. Each circular blade 64, 65 has the shape of a spiral disk and comprises a protruding tooth 68, at the end of which there is a cutting surface (blade) 66. According to a variant of the invention, the circular blade may comprise two or more cutting surfaces at two or more protruding teeth. The two circular blades 64, 65 differ from one another in that one (for example the blade 64) has a tooth 68 which protrudes more than the other (for example the blade 65), see figures 4c and 4d. Circular blades 64, 65 have a central opening 69 passed through by a drive shaft 67.

The shredding means 60 also comprises a plate 63, which is inclined to facilitate the conveyance of the material to be treated towards the package blades 61 and positioned essentially tangentially to the outer surfaces of the package blades 61. One end of the plate 63, far from the tangential point, is located in the vicinity of the opposite comb 62 and forms therewith an angle β of about 90°. The opposite comb 62, in turn, forms an angle a of about 20° with the outer surface of the package blades 61. Specifically, considering the side section of the shredding means 60 shown in Figure 4b, it can be seen that the opposite comb 62 has a longitudinal component extending along a direction 1, which does not pass through the centre of the disk package 0 and forms an angle a with the radius r of said package that intersects the opposite comb 62. Consequently, since the end of the plate 63 forms an angle β with said longitudinal component of the opposite comb 62, the plate 63 forms an angle of 180°- - β with the radius r of the blade package. Figure 5 shows a detail of the shredding means 70 adapted to crush glass. In particular, this figure shows the arrangement of the shredding means 70 in a housing 11 within the treatment unit 10 together with the shredding means 60 adapted to shred paper, plastic or aluminium, as described in Figure 4, again placed in a corresponding housing 11 within the treatment unit 10.

The glass shredding means 70 comprises a pair of opposite aws 71 designed to crush glass. The aws are activated by an actuating mechanism 72, which includes, for example, joints, pulleys and belts.

Figure 5 also shows the presence of a pusher or screw conveyor 73 that serves to assist the normal gravity force in letting the treated material fall from the treatment unit 10 into the collection unit 20, inside the containers 22.

Lastly, Figure 6 shows characteristic elements of the collection unit 20, and in particular of the support means 23, taken separately. Specifically, Figure 6a shows the locking means 25, Figure 6b shows the bracket 26, Figures 6c and 6d show the upper disk 41 and the lower disk 42, respectively, while Figure 6d shows the funnel 28.

The container holder 25 is configured with an elongated C- shaped profile having an upper opening 251, which can be coupled to the funnel 28, and a lower opening 252, which can be coupled to the pin 46. In the elongated central portion, the container holder 25 comprises a plurality of holes 253 and a longitudinal slot 254.

The bracket 25 is configured with an L-shaped profile having a shorter component 262 attachable to the container holder 25 and provided with two horizontal holes 261 extending along the horizontal direction of the component 262 and two vertical holes 264 extending along the vertical direction of the component 262. Moreover, the bracket 26 comprises a longer component or base 263 for supporting the base of the container 22. Both the upper disk 41 and the lower one 42 are provided with openings 411 and 421 (for example eight) . These are larger in size for the upper disk 41 and smaller in size for the lower disk 42. In particular, the openings 411 of the upper disk 41 have a size comparable with the opening 251 of each container holder 25, while the openings 421 of the lower disk 42 have a size comparable with the opening 252 of each container holder 25. It should be noted that both the disks 41, 42 comprise a plurality of openings 412 and 422 (for example 4) located at the edges of the disk, which serve to fix the column structures 45 positioned between one disk and the other. The funnel 28 comprises an upper portion 281 in the shape of a hollow truncated cone and a lower portion 281 connected to the upper cylindrical one. In an assembled configuration, each individual container holder 25 and each individual bracket 26 are coupled by matching the horizontal holes 261 of the bracket 26 with the holes 253 of the container holder 25 and using locking means such as screws, nails or the like to fasten the bracket 26 to the container holder 25. Of course, the bracket can be fastened at different heights by suitably selecting the holes 253 of the container holder 25 to be coupled to the holes 261 of the bracket 26. Moreover, the bracket 26 is associated with the container holder 25 by retaining means (for example a spring) in connection between the vertical holes 264 and the slot 254 so as to prevent the bracket 26 from falling during the coupling step, i.e. when the bracket 26 is varied in height. The upper 41 and lower 42 disks are mounted above and below the horizontal surfaces of the container holder 25 in a sandwich configuration so that the openings 411 of the upper disk 41 are located at each opening 251 of the container holders 25 while the openings 421 of the lower disk 42 are located at each opening 252 of the container holders 25. Moreover, the funnel 28 is located at the openings 411 of the upper disk 41 so that the upper portion 281 is above the disk 41 in order to receive any treated material from the treatment unit 10 while the lower portion 282 is below the disk 41 and passes through both the opening 411 and the opening 251 of the container holder 25. In this way, the container 22 (not shown in this figure) shall fit inside the location area 24 and will be locked at the top by the lower portion 282 of the funnel that fits in the opening of the container 22, and at the bottom by the base 263 of the bracket 26.

Although the present invention has been previously explained by means of the detailed description of some embodiments thereof shown in the figures, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described; on the contrary, the present invention encompasses all the changes or improvements that will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

A person skilled in the art, in order to meet further and contingent requirements, may effect several further modifications and variations to the device described above, all however comprised within the scope of protection of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.