FIELD

The present invention relates to an apparatus for waste processing, a facility for waste processing, a method of waste processing, and a method of constructing a waste processing apparatus, e.g., for recycling.

BACKGROUND

Waste processing includes sorting rubbish (i.e. , items of waste) into groups of items according to their different types. This allows the items of each type in the rubbish to be disposed of in a manner appropriate for that type. For example, some types of waste items can be recycled, e.g. , paper/cardboard items, plastic items and metallic items (both ferrous and non-ferrous items), while other items can only be disposed of in landfill, e.g. , food and animal products.

In some situations, for example during fairs or festivals, or in remote areas, a large volume of waste can be generated in a particular location that are remote from large-scale waste processing facilities. For example, large music festivals or remote communities can attract huge numbers of people to locations (e.g., farming areas) that do not have local large-scale waste processing facilities. In these situations, the waste is generally gathered in large bins or skips, in which it is stored and transported to a waste processing facility, where an attempt is made to extract recyclable materials. While being stored, the waste becomes mixed or co-mingled, and food and drink items (which are commonly a significant portion of the waste at such events) can contaminate the other waste items, making otherwise recyclable items subsequently unsuitable for recycling, or generally making the other waste items more difficult to sort for recycling. There is need to process mixed rubbish and waste in a way that reduces co-mingling of waste.

It is desired to address or ameliorate one or more disadvantages or limitations associated with the prior art, or to at least provide a useful alternative. SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for waste processing, including:

a transportable container;

one or more compactors positioned in the transportable container for receiving one or more respective types of waste items;

one or more operator supports positioned relative to the one or more compactors to allow respective operators to sort the waste items into the compactors; and

at least one main conveyor positioned relative to the one or more operator supports to carry the waste items to the operators for sorting.

The present invention also provides a method of waste processing, including:

supplying waste items to a main conveyor; and

manually sorting the waste items from the main conveyor into one or more respective compactors positioned in a transportable container, based on one or more respective types of the items.

The present invention also provides method of constructing a waste processing apparatus, including:

mounting one or more compactors in a transportable container;

providing one or more operator supports in positions relative to the compactors to allow respective operators to sort waste items into the compactors based on one or more respective types of the waste items; and

providing a main conveyor in a position relative to the operator supports to carry the waste items to the operators for sorting.

The present invention also provides a facility for waste processing, including:

the apparatus described above; and

an input conveyor positioned to supply the waste items to the main conveyor.

The present invention also provides an apparatus for waste processing, including:

a transportable container;

a main conveyor positioned in the transportable container to receive waste items for sorting;

two or more baling machines positioned in the transportable container to receive two or more respective types of the waste items;

one or more operator supports positioned in the container adjacent to the main conveyor to allow respective operators to sort the waste items from the main conveyor to the baling machines; and

one or more compactor apertures in the transportable container for the baling machines to eject their received items from the container.

The present invention also provides an apparatus for waste processing, including:

a transportable container; and

one or more compactors attached to the transportable container for receiving and compacting one or more respective types of waste items sorted by operators into the respective compactors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are hereinafter described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagram of a perspective view of a transportable container showing a front end and left side;

Figure 2 is a diagram of a perspective view of the container showing the left side and a rear end;

Figure 3 is a diagram of a perspective view of the container showing a right side and the rear end;

Figure 4A is a diagram of a front view of the container with closed doors;

Figure 4B is a diagram of a front view of the container with open doors;

Figure 5 is a diagram of a left side view of the container;

Figure 6 is a diagram of a right side view of the container;

Figure 7 is a diagram of a rear view of the container;

Figure 8A is a diagram of a top view of the container with closed doors;

Figure 8B is a diagram of a top view of a cross-section through the container, along the line marked A-A in Figure 6, with open doors; Figure 9A is a diagram of a top view of a cross-section of a waste processing apparatus, including the container;

Figure 9B is a diagram of a top view of the apparatus including a main conveyor and a walkway;

Figure 10 is a diagram of a top view of a facility for waste processing, including the apparatus;

Figure 11 is a diagram of a rear view of a cross-section of the apparatus including an operator sorting waste;

Figure 12 is a flow chart of a method of constructing the apparatus;

Figure 13 is a flow chart of a method of waste processing using the apparatus;

Figure 14A is a sketch of a top view of a baling machine of the apparatus; and Figure 14B is a sketch of a side view of the baling machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

A waste processing apparatus 900, as shown in Figures 9A and 9B, is configured for waste processing, including sorting rubbish into groups of waste items based on the respective types of the items (e.g., paper/cardboard, plastic, glass, metals, etc.), and compacting the sorted items. The waste processing apparatus 900 includes a transportable container 100, together with sorting and compacting components that are positioned for operation in the transportable container 100.

The apparatus 900 can be transported in a transport configuration, e.g., as a standard shipping container, using a truck and a crane etc. The apparatus 900 can positioned temporarily in locations where a large amount of rubbish is being generated, e.g., at festival or fair sites, or at a location remote from a large waste processing facility, e.g.. in remote or country areas, such as mining sites or country towns. In an operating

configuration, the apparatus 900 forms part of a facility 1000, as shown in Figure 10, for processing and sorting the waste items.

The apparatus 900 includes operational and functional components of the facility 1000, e.g., a main conveyor 902 (which can operate as an input conveyor), a walkway 904 (also referred to as a work platform), and one or more compactors. The main conveyor 902 is configured and positioned in the container 100 (in the transport configuration and/or in the operating configuration) to receive the unsorted rubbish or waste items for sorting. The main conveyor 902 is configured and positioned to receive the unsorted waste items from outside the container 100, and to convey or carry the waste items along at least a portion of its length adjacent the walkway 904 in the container 100. The walkway 904 is positioned in the container 100 (in the transport configuration and/or in the operating configuration), and is configured to provide one or more, or a plurality of, operator supports 905 (which provide workspaces adjacent to the main conveyor 902 and the compactors) to allow one or more respective operators to sort the waste items from the main conveyor 902 into the compactors according to the types of the waste items. The walkway 904 can be formed as a continuous walkway, or as a series of platforms or support stations, at the workspaces, configured to support each operators while standing (when the apparatus 900 is in the operating configuration). The compactors are positioned in the container 100 to receive the sorted items from the main conveyor. The compactors can include one or more of the following: (i) baling machines 906 (also referred to as "balers") configured to compress received items into bales of sorted items; and (ii) one or more chippers/grinders configured to reduce received items to pieces (e.g., at least one grinder 908 configured to grind received items into pieces, e.g. , glass items; or a chipper configured to chop received items into pieces or chips, e.g., wood items). The walkway 904 generally provides two operator supports per compactor: for example, one workspace is provided for an operator to the right of each baling machine 906, and another workspace is provided to the left of each baling machine 906. The baling machines 906 eject the bales of sorted items (or sorted material) from the container 100; these bales can be taken directly to a recycling destination without further sorting.

The apparatus 900 can be transported as a whole system ready for operation. The apparatus 900 can process a high volume of waste, e.g., up to 30 tonnes of waste may be able to be processed in about 24 hours. Embodiments of the apparatus 900 can be conveniently carried as standard shipping containers, e.g. , in ships, on trains, and on trucks. In some embodiments, the apparatus 900 is transported on a shipping platform to keep it stable during shipping. The apparatus 900 can process or handle waste on the day it is generated. The apparatus 900 can be used in remote and/or temporary locations, e.g., in disaster areas, or remote locations or for temporary festivals. For large volumes of waste, a plurality of embodiments of the apparatus 900 can be linked together so that a first apparatus partially processes the waste (e.g., by removing/sorting only some of the sortable waste items, e.g., of one or more selected types), and the first apparatus passes the remaining partially sorted waste to a second apparatus, etc. The plurality of apparatuses can be arranged to eject the bales of sorted items into a single shared or common area (on one side of the apparatuses) and to allow personnel to enter and exit the apparatuses on a different side ofthe apparatuses (e.g., for safety and convenience). The sorted and/or baled waste can then be transported efficiently from the site to recycling or waste disposal locations.

Container

The container 100, as shown in Figures 1-8B, is formed from or using a standard open-top shipping container, i.e., a shipping container with an open top that conforms to one of the standards for shipping containers. The standard container can be a standard intermodal container conforming to the standards ofthe International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), in particular a standard-length shipping container with a length of about 12.2 metres (m) (i.e., about 40 feet (ft)), a width of about 2.44 m, and a height of about 2.44 m. Other embodiments of the apparatus 900 can be configured in shipping containers with standard lengths of about 20 ft (6.13 m), 40 ft ( 12.2 m), 45 ft (13.7 m), 48 ft (14.6 m) or 53 ft ( 16.2 m), and standard heights of about 9 ft 6 inches (in) (i.e., about 2.9 m) or a half height of about 4 ft 3 in (1.3 m). In a half-height container, various components of the apparatus 900 (in particular the main conveyor 902) are mounted moveably in the container 100 so they can be secured below the top of the half-height container for transportation but can be secured above the top of the half-height container for operation.

As a standard shipping container, the container 100 includes anchor points allowing it to be anchored and lifted using equipment for storing and moving shipping containers, such as cranes and twistlocks, and can be stored in stacks of standard containers, e.g., at a wharf.

The container 100 has a flat bottom 128 for placement on a flat surface during operation, and for placement on top of other shipping containers, or on top of a transport vehicle such as a truck, during transport or storage. The container 100 has flat sides (including a right side 124 and an opposed left side 126) to allow storage and transport of the container 100 with other shipping containers, or for transport in a vehicle such as a truck.

Embodiments of the container 100 conform to the size and dimension requirements of standard shipping containers. In some embodiments, various adaptations to the standard shipping container in forming the apparatus 900 may shift its dimensions from the standard size and dimensions at least in some respects, e.g., the doors may add additional width and/or change the stability of the overall container 100. In some embodiments, the container 100 may require additional stabilisation during transportation, e.g., a stabilisation platform.

The container 100 includes a front end 102 with a front door 104 that closes to cover a front aperture 106, as shown in Figures 1 , 4A and 4B. The front aperture 106 is adjacent the left side 126 of the container 100. The front aperture 106 is at the top edge of the front end 102. The front aperture 106 can extend about 600 mm from the top edge, and about 1236 mm from the left side 126. The front aperture 106 is sufficiently wide and deep to receive a chute at the output end of the main conveyor 902 to guide items from the main conveyor 902 to the outside of the container 100.

The container 100 includes a plurality of compactor apertures 108 for a corresponding plurality of the compactors to eject the sorted and compacted waste items from the container 100 on the left side 126 of the container 100. Each compactor aperture 108 is an opening or hole in the body of the container 100. Each compactor aperture 108 is closed by a compactor door 110 which can be closed to seal the side of the container 100, and opened to expose each compactor aperture 108. Each compactor door 1 10 can include commercially available J-type door seals to seal the compactor apertures 108 when closed. Each compactor door 1 10, as shown in Figures 2, 4B and 5, includes two compactor door hinges 1 12 {e.g., commercially available H4 hinges) on one side of each compactor door 1 10, and is held shut by a shortened container locking bar 1 14, including a locking handle 1 16 for locking and unlocking the locking bar 1 14. The compactor apertures 108 are positioned towards or at the bottom of the left side 126 to align with the compactors, which are mounted to the floor of the interior of the container 100. The compactor apertures 108 associated with similar compactors (e.g., baling machines) are generally equally spaced from each other along the left side 126. The compactor apertures 108 can be about 1200 mm high and 1600 mm wide, spaced apart by about 1143 mm or about 993 mm. The compactor apertures 108 are big enough to allow bales, ejected by the compactors, to pass through them. The compactor doors 1 10 are mounted to open outwards from the left side 126 with their hinged edges towards the front end of each compactor aperture 108, as shown in Figure 1.

The container 100 includes two hinged end doors 1 18, as shown in Figures 1-3, 6, 7 and 8B, mounted to close over an end aperture 1 17 of the container 100. The end doors 1 18 are hinged at the sides of the container 100 and open outwards, from the centre of the end aperture 117, to provide access to and through the end aperture 1 17. The end aperture 1 17 is a hole or opening across substantially the whole face of a rear end 120 of the container 100. The end doors 1 18 can be typical end doors used on commercially available open-top shipping containers, including hinges, locking bars and handles. In operation of the apparatus 900, the end doors 1 18 are secured open to allow people (e.g., operators) to enter and leave the apparatus 900. The rear end 120 therefore provides an operator entrance/exit to allow the operators access to/from the interior of the apparatus 900.

The container 100 includes a personnel entrance 121 with a personnel door 122 on the right side 124 of the container. The personnel entrance 121 , as shown in Figure 3, is on the right side 124 at the opposite or opposed end of the container 100 from the rear end 120. The personnel door 122 provides an opening or entrance/exit for personnel, to enter/exit the interior of the container 100, e.g., for operating the apparatus 900. The personnel entrance 121 can be about 2048 mm high and 861 mm wide, and aligned at its bottom edge with the interior floor of the container 100.

For storage and transport, the container 100 is fitted with a plurality of transverse members or bars (i.e., bars that lie transverse or across the length of the container 100) that fit into mounts along the top edges of the left side 126 and the right side 124. These members can be formed from poles or pipe tubing. The transverse members are configured to support a roof fastened to the top of a container 100 to seal the interior of the apparatus 900, and the functional components therein, from contamination during transport and storage. The contamination might be liquid, such as rain, or particulate, such as dirt and dust. The roof can include a tarpaulin sheet, pulled tight across the bars.

The other apertures in the container 100 (including the front aperture 106, the compactor apertures 108, the end aperture 117 and the personnel entrance 121) are covered and sealed by their respective doors (i.e., the front door 104, the compactor doors 1 10, the end doors 1 18 and the personnel door 122). The body of the container 100 can be substantially sealed when the doors are closed, thus providing sealing against contamination of the interior of the apparatus 900 during transport and storage. The doors can include door seals that compress between the body of each door and the body of the container 100 when the door is closed to assist in sealing each aperture when the container 100 is closed.

Compactors

The apparatus 900 includes a plurality of compactors, including the baling machines 906 and the at least one grinder 908, which are positioned along the body of the container 100, as shown in Figure 9A.

The compactors can include guides or chutes for receiving the items from the operators, and carrying them into the respective compactors. The guides can be metal chutes that guide the items and carry them under the force of gravity, or can be small conveyors that guide the items to the compacting portions of the compactors.

The apparatus 900 includes a plurality of similar or substantially identical ones of the baling machines 906. For example, in embodiments using a 40-ft container, there are three baling machines 906, as shown in Figure 9A. Each baling machine 906 has an input 910 in the form of an opening in the body of the baling machine 906 to receive items into a main compression chamber or skip of the baling machine 906. Each input 910 includes a generally upward-facing chute or opening attached to the upper or top face of each baling machine 906 into which items can be placed or dropped by the operators. The chute opening is at the same height, or just below, the conveyor belt. The input 910 includes a chute or slide for guiding items and into the compression chamber of each baling machine 906 through its upper hole. The chute can extend to a height about 750 mm above the top edge of the corresponding baling machine 906, and can have a 470-mm transverse width and a 1500-mm width parallel to the main conveyor 902. Each of the baling machines 906 compresses or compacts the received items into bales, which are tied off with a fastener (e.g., rope, cords, or strapping) to maintain the shape of each bale. The bales are ejected from the baling machines 906 and the container 100. The baling machines 906 eject the bales through the respective compactor apertures 108 as part of the normal operation of the baling machines 906.

The baling machines 906 each include the compression chamber to compress or compact received items into bales ^" and to allow fastening or strapping to be performed on each bale once it is formed. The apparatus 900 is configured to include a baler workspace 907 adjacent each of the baling machines 906 to allow a human operator to stand next to each of the baling machines 906 to perform the strapping of the bales in each compacting chamber. The baler workspace 907 is provided by a support member or platform to stand on, and space above the support platform for an person to stand and strap the bales in the baling machines 906.

The compactors are fastened to the floor of the container 100 using steel bolts, and reinforcement beneath the floor of the container 100. Each baling machine 906 include reinforced spacers between the baling machine 906 and each of the left side wall and the right side wall of the container 100. The spacers are configured to resist any movement of the baling machines 906 relative to the container 100 during transport of the container 100.

Each of the baling machines 906 includes one or more baling rams which exert pressure on a compacting blade which moves to compress the items in the compacting chamber. The baling rams include cross rams, which are pneumatic or hydraulic rams that are aligned at an angle to the direction moved by the compacting blade during compacting, as shown in Figure 14. The baling machines 906 receive waste items vertically (from the top), have generally horizontal crossed rams, and eject bales to their side/end (i.e., the baling rams operate in a direction generally transverse to both a direction from which items are received and a direction along the length of the container 100). The baling machines 906 are sufficiently powerful to compress strong items into bales, such as mixed plastics, metal items (e.g., aluminium, tin, steel, etc.), paper, and cardboard. The baling machines 906 are constructed of heavy-gauge materials, having relatively heavy-weight bodies can make the baling machines 906 more robust for operation and installation in the container 100, and for transporting in the assembled apparatus 900.

The apparatus 900 includes access ladders 914 for the operators to climb down to the working positions adjacent the baling machines 906.

Each of the baling machines 906 can be centred across the width of the container 100, and centrally aligned with each of the compactor apertures 108, as shown in Figure 9 A. Each baling machine 906 can have a height of about 850 millimetres (mm), and a width (i.e., along the length of the container 100) of about 1450 mm.

The grinder 908 includes a grinder input 912 including an opening or hole in the top of the grinder 908 and a chute or slide for guiding items into the grinder 908 for grinding. The grinder 908 includes a grinder output towards a lower part of the grinder 908 for outputting pieces of the ground items, e.g. , into a cage or bucket. The grinder 908 can be a commercially available grinder mounted to the floor of the container 100.

Conveyor and Walkway

The main conveyor 902 and the walkway 904 are mounted on steel framework in the container 100 generally level with the bottom of the container 100, parallel to each other, and aligned along the length of the container 100, as shown in Figure 9B.

The main conveyor 902 extends along most of the length of the container 100, for example 90% of the length, to allow the main conveyor 902 to receive waste items at the rear end 120 of the container 100 and carry them past at least a substantial portion of the walkway 904 to the other end, i.e., the front end 102, of the container 100. The walkway 904 extends along the main conveyor 902 to provide a plurality of operator supports 905 (including respective foot platforms or support members positioned relative to the container 100) to allow a corresponding plurality of operators sorting the items, standing on the walkway, to conveniently manually access waste items being carried by the main conveyor 902. The walkway 904 does not extend along the entire length of the container 100, but is shorter to allow operators to mount or climb up to the walkway 904 from the ground of the container 100 using access ladders 914 (or steps etc.) at the ends of the walkway 904. Alternatively, the walkway 904 can include trap doors in its floor to provide access to the access ladders 914.

The main conveyor 902 and the walkway 904 are approximately of equal width and each extend across about half of the width of the container 100, as shown in Figure 9B, and furthermore the main conveyor 902 and the walkway 904 do not substantially overlap, but are sufficiently close to allow a person standing on the walkway 904 to manually access all of, or at least a substantial portion of the width of the main conveyor 902, using their hands to pick up items from the main conveyor 902.

The walkway 904 is sufficiently wide for a human operator to stand thereon in one of the workspaces, facing the main conveyor 902, and manually pick items from the main conveyor 902 and drop items into one of the compactors underneath the main conveyor 902. The walkway 904 is sufficiently long to allow a plurality of operators to work side by side, e.g., up to 7 operators can stand side-by-side along the walkway 904 and

simultaneously sort the waste items, while still allowing space for replacement operators, or an operator strapping the bales, to walk behind the sorting operators between the workspaces along the walkway 904.

The walkway 904 is mounted and configured in the container 100 to allow the operators (and other people) to enter the container 100 through the personnel door 122 and climb to the walkway 904 using one of the access ladders 914. People can also access the walkway 904 by entering through the end aperture 1 17 and climbing the other access ladder 914 to the walkway 904. In this way, the apparatus 900 provides two operator entrances/exits. Having two exits at generally opposite ends of the apparatus 900 can be important for Safety requirements, e.g., in the case of an emergency, or for accessing different parts of the apparatus 900 in the case of an accident. The main entry/exit for operators is the personnel door 122 which is located on the opposite side of the container 100 from the compactor doors 1 10. Thus machinery, such as forklifts and trucks, can access the left side 126 of the container 100 to remove bales ejected by the baling machines 906, while the people can enter and leave the apparatus 900 in safety (i.e., without being endangered by machinery) on the opposite side of the container 100, when the apparatus 900 is in operation. The main conveyor 902 can include at least one continuous conveyor belt that is about 900 mm wide, and can be mounted/installed about 110 mm below the top of the open-top container 100. The main conveyor 902 can be installed with a gap of about 180 mm from the wall of the container 100 on the left side 126, and can be about 10 m in length. The at least one conveyor belt can include a plurality of conveyor belts (with overlapping or adjacent ends), and can be driven by a commercially available conveyor motor, mounted underneath the conveyor belt, e.g., at about the middle of the conveyor belt along its length. The motor can be electrically powered and controlled by the electrical system of the apparatus 900 (described hereinafter).

Facility

In operation, the apparatus 900 is configured to operate with an input conveyor 1002 which feeds waste items from a container skip 1004 to the main conveyor 902. as shown in Figure 10. The skip 1004 can be a dumpster, a large bin or an open-topped container. Waste items are deposited in the skip 1004 by people discarding their rubbish (who can be referred to spectators or punters), by personnel emptying bins into the skip 1004 and by tip trucks or dump trucks depositing rubbish into the skip 1004. The size and capacity of the skip 1004 is selected based on the amount of rubbish to be processed, e.g., the skip 1004 can have a capacity of about three cubic meters (3 m ³ ). The skip 1004 includes openings in its floor to allow liquids to drain, and items of waste smaller than 25 mm in diameter to fall, from the waste items in the skip 1004. The input conveyor 1002 feeds waste items from the skip 1004 into the apparatus 900 by raising them to drop onto the input end of the main conveyor 902. The container 100 has an open top, thus when the storage roof is removed, the apparatus 900 is configured to receive a stream of unsorted waste items falling through the top of the container 100 onto the main conveyor 902.

The speeds of the input conveyor 1002 and the main conveyor 902 are coordinated to provide an appropriate spread of the unsorted waste items on the main conveyor 902 for convenient access and sorting by the operators. The main conveyor 902 can operate fractionally faster (e.g., up to 1.3 times faster) than the speed of the input conveyor 1002.

The input conveyor 1002 can be a commercially available transportable conveyor

(including one or more conveyor belts), which can be folded and stored in the container 100 for transport and storage. For example, the input conveyor 1002 can be fastened to the walkway 904 during transport and storage of the apparatus 900.

In operation, the facility 1000 includes an output slide or chute 1006 which carries residual waste (e.g., items that have not been selected by the operators) from the end of the main conveyor 902 into a receiving bin 1008. For example, the chute 1006 and the bin 1008 can receive non-recyclable rubbish for landfill, i.e., rubbish or organic waste which cannot be compacted by the compactors in the apparatus 900. The bin 1008 can be a transportable skip that can be collected by a rubbish truck, a mobile general waste compactor or a garbage truck, for transport to a landfill facility. The chute 1006 fits below the output end of the main conveyor 902 and is positioned in the front aperture 106. In embodiments, the chute 1006 is provided by the front door 104 in an open and obliquely angled condition, directing items that fall from the main conveyor 902 away from the container 100 into the bin 1008.

In some embodiments, the facility 1000 can include additional waste sorting components, such as commercially available ferrous pick-up devices operating on the waste items before or after they pass along the main conveyor 902.

In some embodiments, the facility 1000 includes a plurality of the apparatus 900 linked in series. Instead of the first main conveyor carrying residue to the bin 1008, it would be transferred to a subsequent main conveyor for sorting in a subsequent apparatus, etc.. When the facility 1000 includes a plurality of embodiments of the apparatus 900 arranged to operate in series, the output chute 1006 on at least the first apparatus carries the residual waste to a further inter-container conveyor that acts as an input conveyor for the subsequent apparatus in the series. The types assigned to the compactors in each of the apparatuses can be selected accordingly. For example, each apparatus 900 can be assigned to collect just one or two types of items.

Operation

In operation, an operator 1 102 stands on the walkway 904, with their upper body projecting above the open top of the container 100, as shown in Figure 1 1. A tent or marquee 1 104 is mounted above the operator 1 102 using marquee supports in the container 100. The marquee 1 104 includes upright poles that fit into sockets of the marquee supports. The marquee 1 104 includes a top sheet or cover extending across the top of the apparatus 900 to protect the apparatus 900 and the operators (e.g., the operator 1 102) from contamination and weather. The cover can be about 2 m above the top of the container 100, or at least sufficiently high to allow the operators to comfortably and safely stand and work on the walkway 904 beneath the cover. The marquee 1 104 can include side sheets or walls which can be rolled down and fastened to reduce wind and rain entering the apparatus 900 from the sides of the marquee 1 104, but which can be wound up to allow airflow if the weather is dry and/or calm. The marquee 1 104 includes at least partially transparent material to allow external light (e.g., sun light) to enter the apparatus 900 for the operators 1 102 to see the waste items as they work. The marquee 1 104 includes lighting, e.g., fluorescent lighting mounted on the structure of the marquee 1 104, to light the work area for the operators when sufficient natural light is not available, e.g., at night. The marquee 1 104 is a concertina marquee that folds away for storage and transport in the container 100. The marquee 1 104 can be constructed using commercially available components, e.g., as are used for corporate or sporting marquees.

During operation, the operator 1 102 repeatedly selects items of a particular type from the unsorted waste items 1 108 on the main conveyor 902. These items are manually selected, based on classes or types of items for which the operator has been trained. These item types can include the following:

(i) paper/cardboard;

(ii) mixed plastics;

(iii) mixed metals and aluminium;

(iv) polystyrene; and

(v) cloth materials.

The operator 1 102 immediately deposits selected items of the selected type into an input of a compactor that corresponds to that type. For example, the grinder 908 may correspond to one or more types of glass. In embodiments, the grinder 908 can be a chipper for chipping timber into pieces. The baling machines 906 may be assigned to respective compactable and baleable types of items, such as aluminium, paper or plastic. During operation, each baling machine 906 is assigned a particular type of item to be formed into bales; however, over the course of a week, a day or any period of time, the type of item assigned to each baling machine 906 can be changed, and the operators can start forming bales of a different type of material. For example, at a multi-day music festival, at the start of the event, there may be large volumes of packaging materials {e.g., cardboard and plastic packaging) that require . compacting into bales, whereas during the middle of the event, there will be a large volume of plastic cups used by the punters. At the end of the event, there may be a large volume of discarded equipment from the punters, e.g., umbrellas and camping equipment. Having baling machines 906 that can operate with a plurality of different types of items allows rapid reassignment of each of the baling machines 906 to bale items of a different type immediately after a bale has been compacted and ejected.

A waste processing method 1200 {i.e., a method of processing waste using the apparatus 900) includes the following steps, as shown in Figure 12:

install the apparatus 900 at a site using container-moving equipment, e.g., a container truck and a container crane (step 1202);

(ϋ) remove the roof, open the doors and fasten them open (step 1204);

(iii) set up the facility 1000 by unpacking and installing the input conveyor 1002 with the skip 1004, and the output chute 1006 with the bin 1008 (step 1206);

(iv) install the marquee 1 104 and configure for the weather and natural light conditions (step 1208);

(v) provide electrical power to the compactors, the lighting and the compactors (step 1210);

(vi) start feeding or supplying waste items to the main conveyor 902 (step

1212);

(vii) the operators sort the different types of waste items to respective different compactors (step 1214); (viii) the compactors operate to compact the received items: the one or more grinders 908 continuously break items into pieces (step 1216);

(ix) periodically, the output bin of each grinder 908 may need to be exchanged: the holding unit for the grinder 908 can be a 240 litre bin, which is wheeled out for emptying or storage; the grinder 908 unit can be fitted with solenoids which trip the grinder 908 to stop it attempting to fill its output bin until a new/emptied bin is in place adjacent the grinder 908 to receive the pieces it generates (step 1218);

(x) the compactors operate to compact the received items: the baling machines 906 periodically compress items in their compression chambers (step 1220);

(xi) periodically, each baling machine 906 is stopped to fasten the compressed items into a bale; the bale is ejected from the container 100 (step 1222);

(xii) a machine (e.g., a fork lift) collects the ejected bales, which can be done for each bale, or the bales can simply collect or pile up next to the container 100 (step 1224);

(xiii) optionally, after a bale is ejected, one of the baling machines 906 can be reassigned to received items of a different type (step 1226); and

(xiv) the main conveyor 902 carries unsorted items to the bin 1008, which is either emptied or exchanged depending on its size: small skips can be manually repositioned, whereas large skips or compaction units may require a truck to move them (step 1228).

The waste sorting and compacting steps (from 1206 onwards) can be repeated

continuously, all day and all night, with no need to stop except for change-over of the operators. The skip 1004 can be continuously filled with rubbish, the compactors can continuously compact waste items, the baling machines 906 can eject bales from the container 100 (from where they can collect, or be removed by a fork lift), and the unsorted rubbish can continuously accumulate in the bin 1008 or be emptied. Construction

The apparatus 900 can be constructed by following a construction method 1300 with the following steps, as shown in Figure 13:

(i) receive an open-top shipping container (step 1302);

(ii) form openings in the container walls, including the front aperture 106, the compactor apertures 108, and the personnel entrance 121 (step 1304);

(iii) attach doors to reversibly cover and seal the openings, including

respectively the front door 104, the compactor doors 110 and the personnel door 122 (step 1306);

(iv) install the electrical circuits, including power for the compactors, the main conveyor 902 and the light fittings (step 1308);

(v) insert and install the at least one grinder 908 and/or chipper in a preselected location in the container 100 (step 1310);

(vi) insert the baling machines 906 through the open top, or through the end aperture 1 17, and fasten them to the floor of the container 100 at selected locations (step 1312);

(vii) install the walkway 904 directly above the compactors and adjacent the inputs to the compactors (step 1314);

(viii) install safety railing and ladders to the walkway 904 (step 1316);

(ix) install the main conveyor 902 directly above the compactors, and above and adjacent to the walkway 904 (step 1318);

(x) install the marquee supports (step 1320);

(xi) install the roof and its supports (step 1322); and

(xii) optionally, if preparing for storage or transport, fold the input conveyor 1002 and fasten it to the walkway 904 inside the container 100, and fold the marquee 1 104 and fasten it under the main conveyor 902 in the container 100 (step 1324). Safetv

The apparatus 900 includes safety lighting in the interior of the container 100 to provide lighting if power fails to the apparatus 900. This lighting includes electrically powered light emitting diode (LED) lights, which can be energy efficient.

The walkway 904 includes a plurality of safety rails, including a kick rail attached to the floor, a mid-rail at knee/waist level and a top rail, to stop operators falling or slipping from the walkway 904. The safety rails can be installed in accordance with Australian operator safety standards.

The walkway is formed by an open framework that allows liquids to fall through the walkway 904 to the floor of the container 100. This can reduce contaminants, in particular fluids, getting under the feet of the operators.

Each of the compactors includes an accessible safety stop switch for operators on the walkway 904 to immediately stop operation of any of the compactors. A stop cord is included along the length of the walkway 904 to allow any operator to stop movement of the main conveyor 902.

The main conveyor 902 is positioned at a sufficient height above work spaces on the floor of the container 100 and adjacent the baling machine 906 to allow an operator to stand safely beneath the main conveyor 902 while fastening bales in the baling machines 906.

Electronics

The apparatus 900 includes an external electrical power port and electronics and/or electrical control equipment 916 at the front end 102 inside the container 100. The external power port is configured to receive three-phase electrical power to power the lights, the main conveyor 902 and the compactors. The external power port also receives power to charge a battery bank, which can provide emergency power to the apparatus 900. The apparatus includes a power distribution board that receives the three-phase power and distributes power to the compactors and the main conveyor 902 (e.g., the baling machines 906 can draw 20 Amps each, and the main conveyor 902 can draw 10 Amps).

The apparatus 900 can include one or more generator units positioned in the container 100, e.g., mounted below the main conveyor 902 on the floor of the container 100 towards the front end. The generator units can provide power to the apparatus 900 if mains/grid electrical power is not available. The generator units can provide about 70 amps of electrical current, and can be commercially available diesel-powered generators.

The apparatus 900 can include control electronics that can include an electronic control system in the container 100 configured to manage or control the respective loads of the compactors. In particular the baling machines 906 require a non-constant electrical current load: each baling machine 906 only draws substantial power during operation of its rams, not while items are being sorted into the baling machines 906. While receiving items, the rams are drawn back and the corresponding baling machine is not consuming a substantial amount of electrical power. The electronic control system ensures that the baling machines 906 do not draw substantial currant simultaneously by coordinating the operation of the baling machines 906 to be sequential. The electronic control system receives electronic request signals from the baling machines 906 which indicate that each baling machine 906 is ready to undergo compression cycle. The request signals to undergo a compression cycle can be automatically generated by each baling machine 906 (when a sufficient volume of items have been received), or can be manually activated by an operator (when he or she sees the baling machine is sufficiently full of items). The electronic control system provides an interlock such that one of the baling machines 906 can only activate its rams if the other baling machines 906 are not already operating (drawing current). The control system includes a commercially available computer in communication with commercially available programmable logic controllers (PLCs) connected to the baling machines 906.

Baling Machines

Each baling machine 906 includes a body 1402 which contains a skip 1404 and a feed chute 1405, as shown in Figures 14A and 14B. The feed chute 1405 is configured to receive the sorted waste items from the operators, and direct the waste items into the skip 1404. The skip 1404 holds and collects the received waste items. The baling machine 906 includes a compression mechanism including a pair of cross-over hydraulic rams 1406. The rams 1406 are mounted in a ram chamber 1407 inside the body 1402. Each ram extends cross-wise across the ram chamber 1407 to allow the ram chamber 1407 to have smaller horizontal and vertical dimensions than the length of each ram 1406. The rams 1406 operate, under control of a baler control system 1412 of the baling machine 906, to compress the waste items collected in the skip 1404. The rams 1406 extend to push a compaction blade 1408 forming at least a portion of one wall of the skip 1404 towards an opposed wall of the skip 1404, at least a portion of which is formed by an inner surface of an ej ection door 1410.

The ejection door 1410 forms the front of the baling machine 906. The ejection door 1410 is mounted by at least one baler hinge 1422 on one side of the front of the body 1402 which allows the ejection door 1410 to swing open horizontally (i.e., the ejection door 1410 remains generally vertically oriented as it opens). The ejection door 1410 opens by swinging through one of the compactor apertures 108. The ejection door 1410 can be mounted on a right side or a left side of the baling machine 906, thus the ejection door 1410 can have its hinge 1422 towards the same side of the compactor aperture 108 as the hinges 1 12 of the compactor door 1 10 (thus the ejection door 1410 and the corresponding compactor door 1 10 open in the same direction); alternatively, the baler hinge 1422 can be positioned towards the opposite side of the compactor aperture 108 from the compactor door hinges 1 12 (thus the ejection door 1410 and the corresponding compactor door 1 10 open in different directions).

The ejection door 1410 is held closed by a lock 1420 on the opposite side of the ejection door 1410 from the hinge 1422. The lock 1420 is a hydraulic lock that is held closed under the control of the baler control system 1412. The lock 1420 is opened, thus allowing the ejection door 1410 to swing open, when the baling machine 906 performs an ejection cycle. The ejection door 1410 can be manually closed; the lock 1420 is then activated to hold the ejection door 1410 closed while items are received by the skip 1404.

The baling machine 906 includes at least one volume sensor 1426 (e.g., a so-called "red eye" optical sensor) to generate a signal indicating that the skip 1404 is sufficiently full of received items to require a compression cycle by the rams 1406. The signals from the volume sensor 1426 are detected by the baler control system 1412. which in turn controls the rams 1406.

The collected waste items are compressed as they collect by a plurality of the compression cycles until sufficient items have been compressed together to form a bale of the items. When sufficiently large, the bale is strapped by one of the operators, to allow it to hold together when ejected from the baling machine 906. The operators can access the compressed bale for strapping via one or more of at least four strap points or strap slots 1428 extending horizontally along a portion of the body 1402 where the compressed bale is located for strapping. Each strap slot is about 800 mm long. Two strap slots are located generally towards the top of the body 1402, and two other strap slots are located towards the bottom of the body 1402, as shown in Figure 14B.

When the bale has been strapped, the operator activates an ejection cycle by manually activating one or more controls on the baling machine 906. The controls are formed by two controls (e.g., buttons), accessible from the workspace adjacent the baling machine 906, but positioned a sufficient distance apart to force the operator to activate one control with each hand. This provides a safety mechanism to ensure the strapping operator is clear of the moving parts of the baling machine 906 when it performs the ejection cycle.

In the ejection cycle, the baler control system 1412 opens the lock 1420 and the ejection door 1410 swings upon as the bale is ejected from the skip 1404 by the compaction blade 1408 pushing strapped bale along the skip 1404. Ejected bales are ejected through the ejection door 1410 at the opposite end of the baling machine 906 from the ram chamber 1407.

Having the rams 1406 mounted at an angle to the direction along which the compaction blade 1408 moves, both in the horizontal and vertical planes, allows the relatively long rams 1406 to fit into the relatively shorter ram chamber 1407 when the rams are fully withdrawn.

The body 1402 can be about 2090 mm long (along the dimension of the direction of the movement of the compaction blade 1408), and about 1480 mm wide. The body 1402 is formed to brace the rams 1406 at the rear of the ram chamber 1407. The skip 1404 can be about 1090 mm high and about 1290 mm long (along the dimension of the direction of the movement of the compaction blade 1408), and about 1400 mm wide. The rams 1406 can be less than about 1 m long when most compact, and over about 2 m long when fully extended. The ram chamber can be about 1090 mm high, 800 mm long (along the dimension of the direction of the movement of the compaction blade 1408), and about 1480 mm wide.

The baling machine 906 includes a motor 1414 which is controlled by the baler control system 1412. The motor generates pressure for the rams 1406 using fluid from a fluid tank 1416. The baling machine 906 includes the fluid tank 1416 mounted on the body 1402, and one or more hydro valves 1418 for relieving pressure in the fluid system that powers the rams 1406 and the lock 1420.

Alternative Embodiments

In embodiments, the operator supports 905 (e.g., provided by the walkway 904) can be positioned and secured in the container 100 while in the transport configuration (i.e. , for transport and storage), but positioned outside and adjacent to the compactors (and thus the container 100) in the operating configuration (i.e. , during operation). The main conveyor 904 can also be positioned and secured in the container 100 while in the transport configuration (i.e. , for transport and storage), but positioned outside and adjacent the operator supports 905 in the operating configuration (i.e. , during operation). The walkway 904 and the operator supports 905 can be demountable from inside the container 100 and then mounted adjacent a long side of the container (e.g. , the right side 124 or the left side 126), either attached to the container 100, or on separate supports on the ground. The main conveyor 902 and/or the operator supports 905 can be attached to the container 100 by moveable members (e.g. , hinges and/or sliding arms), and can slide or fold from transport positions in the. container 100 (in the transport configuration of the apparatus 900) to operating positions exterior to the container 100 (with the apparatus 900 in the operating configuration).

In embodiments, the one or more operator supports 905 can be provided by respective supports or support members (e.g. , individual platforms for the individual operators), rather than the walkway 904. Furthermore, the operator supports 905 can be provided outside the container 100, at least in the operating configuration, and adjacent to the main conveyor 902 and the compactors (or at least chutes that carry items to the compactors). The operator supports 905 can be provided by a temporary walkway or support members attached to the container 100, or supported separately on the ground. For example, the operator supports 905 can include a walkway on trestles arranged parallel to the main conveyor 902 and the container 100.

Interpretation

Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that the prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to Australian Provisional Application No. 201 19001 18, filed on 13 January 201 1 , the originally filed specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 102 operator

1 104 marquee

100 transportable container

1 106 poles

102 front end

1 108 unsorted waste items

104 front door

1200 waste processing method

106 front aperture

1300 construction method

108 compactor aperture

1402 body

1 10 compactor door

1404 . skip

1 12 hinges

1405 feed chute

1 14 locking bar

1406 cross-over hydraulic rams

1 16 locking handle

1407 ram chamber

1 18 end doors

1408 compaction blade

120 rear end

1410 ejection door

122 personnel door

1412 baler control system

124 right side

1414 motor

126 left side

1416 fluid tank

128 bottom

1418 valves

900 apparatus

1420 lock

902 main conveyor

1422 hinge

904 walkway

1426 sensor

905 operator supports

1428 strap slots

906 baling machines

907 baler workspace

908 grinder (at least one)

910 input

912 grinder input

914 access ladders

916 electrical control

equipment

1000 facility

1002 input conveyor

1004 skip

1006 chute

1008 bin