Waste collection bag and waste collection bag support

Abstract

A waste collection bag comprises a film body having an inlet at one end thereof, the inlet comprising a tapering section (4) extending from adjacent to the end of the bag inwardly of the bag, such that the inlet is wider at the end of the bag and narrower where the inlet opens into the interior of the bag. A support for a waste collection bag comprises a back plate (21) for attachment to a vertical surface, a top member (11) extending therefrom for attachment of the bag and a compression member (22) attached to a lower part of the back plate and foldable over the back plate with the bag located between the closure member and the support member, and latching means for securing the closure member to the top member.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] This invention relates to a waste collection bag, and a waste collection bag support.Background to the Invention

[0002] Where other waste streams can be collected in standard bins, caddies, bags or crates, flexible plastic packaging is difficult to effectively contain and store for collection due to its springy, lightweight and voluminous nature and in relation to this and sometimes its small piece size, it is difficult and inefficient to collect with mixed recycling, and to separate and sort in material recovery facilities before forwarding onto specialist recycling plants. As a result, much of the flexible plastic packaging discarded in a typical household is simply placed in the general waste collection, where it is sent for incineration at Energy recovery Facilities, or to a lesser extent put in landfill, where it remains essentially unchanged for a very long time, leading to environmental pollution for many years.

[0003] A solution is required for the collection and recovery of flexible plastic packaging waste for recycling (mechanical or chemical) which can integrate with kerb-side collections and commercial collections, through local authorities and the waste industry, at a national scale.Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to the invention a waste collection bag comprises a film body having an inlet at one end thereof, the inlet comprising a tapering section extending from adjacent to the end of the bag inwardly of the bag, such that the inlet is wider at the end of the bag and narrower where the inlet opens into the interior of the bag, characterised by an air outlet at the end of the bag remote from the inlet, the air outlet including a valve to prevent or limit the entry of air to the bag through the outlet.

[0005] The tapering section resists the tendency for the packaging materials placed in the bag to escape from the inlet, any expansion of the materials within the bag tending to cause the tapered section to close up. This effect is preferably enhanced by providing an additional tubular portion extending from the inner end of the tapering section away from the inlet, so that (a) when the bag is filled with waste materials in use, the tubular portion is caused to close, preventing escape of the materials from the bag; and (b) when the bag is compressed, the tubular portion collapses and is held closed by the air pressure generated, thereby ensuring that air is expelled from the air outlet and does not re-enter through the inlet.

[0006] The film is preferably a plastic film compatible with the materials being collected, so that the filled bag can be processed as a unit for recycling.

[0007] The bag is conveniently used in conjunction with a support, which can be mounted, for example, on the inside of a kitchen cabinet door or on a wall. The support may comprise a support plate for attachment to or against a vertical surface, a top member extending therefrom for attachment of the bag and a closure member attached to a lower part of the support plate and foldable over the support plate with the bag located between the closure member and the support member, and latching means for securing the closure member to the top member.

[0008] The invention further provides a support for the waste collection bag of the invention, comprising a top member provided with a mounting member for attachment to a vertical surface, the top member having a tapering opening therein into which a correspondingly tapered lid is locatable to trap the open mouth of the waste collection bag, in use, the lid having an opening through which waste materials can be inserted, the lid opening leading into a central portion of the tapering section of the bag.

[0009] Other features of the invention are set out in the claims.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] In the drawings, which illustrate examples of the bag and the support of the invention: Figures 1a to 1c are respectively top plan view, front and side elevations of a waste collection bag according to one embodiment of the invention, shown in its flat configuration; Figures 2a to 2c are views corresponding to those of Figures 1a to 1c, showing the bag in opened-out configuration, ready to receive waste materials; Figures 3a and 3b are views corresponding to those of Figures 2a and 2b, showing the bag after filling with waste materials, Figure 3c being a sectional view on A-A in Figure 3b, the bag being open; Figures 4a to 4c are views corresponding to those of Figures 2a to 2c, showing the bag after filling with waste materials, the bag being closed; Figures 5a to 5c are views corresponding to those of Figures 4a to 4c, showing the filled bag during and after compression; Figures 6a and 6b are respectively front and side elevations showing the filled or partially filled bag folded over to aid additional compression and reduce storage space; Figures 7a to 7d are respectively a perspective view, top plan view, front elevation and side elevation of a support according to another embodiment of the invention, with the bag of Figures 1 to 6 attached; Figure 8 is a side view of the support and bag of Figures 7a to 7d, after the bag has been filled with waste; Figures 9a to 9d are respectively a perspective view, top plan view, front elevation and side elevation of a support according to further embodiment of the invention, with the bag of Figures 1 to 6 attached; Figure 10 is a side elevation of the support and bag of Figures 9a to 9d, after the bag has been filled with waste; Figure 11 is a view corresponding to that of Figure 10, with the support in the closed, compressed position; and Figure 12 is a perspective view of the closed support of Figure 11. Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment

[0011] Referring to Figures 1 to 5, the bag consists of an outer flattened tubular layer 1 with the standard one-way collapsable air valve 2 along the bottom edge to create a seal to contain the flexible plastic packaging waste put into the bag, but allow the air to evacuate when external pressure is applied to the bag. The top half of the bag has an inner top section 3 with a funnelled opening 4 leading to a collapsible tube 5. Figures 1a to 1c show the bag in its flat configuration.

[0012] The bag is suitably formed from lay-flat plastics tubing, with the inner top section 3 formed by heat sealing before being turned in on itself to give a total of 4 layers of plastic sheet / film in the top half of the bag (two inner and two outer), with the two outer layers continuing down to join and form the collapsible air valve 2 at the bottom edge of the bag. While continuous lay-flat tubing is useful as a starting material for the manufacture of the bags, it will be appreciated that folded and sealed flat film could be used or heat sealing from net shapes.

[0013] Figures 2a to 2c show the bag opened out to form an oval funnel from the funnelled opening 4 that the flexible plastic packaging waste can be introduced into and pushed through the tube 5 into the cavity 6 of the outer layer. Once the tube 5 is clear of any plastic waste or obstructions, it can collapse and prevent any waste or air escaping out the top of the bag, when the path of least resistance is for the air to escape out of the air valve along the bottom edge. Fig-ures 3a to 3c show the bag filled with pieces of waste plastic packaging.

[0014] Figures 4a to 4c show the filled bag with the funnelled opening 4 flattened, while Figures 5a to 5c show the bag after compression to reduce the volume and expel air. This in turn permits additional materials to be introduced.

[0015] The tube 5 in the funnel / tunnel is just wide enough to push a person's hand through with some scrunched up plastic bags, wrappers, or flexible plastic packaging waste, but not large enough to fit other plastic packaging waste such as some larger pots, bottles, tubs, and trays to avoid cross contamination with other waste streams as much as possible. Clear communication and instructions will play a vital roll in only collecting the waste material for the specialist recycling processes but the aim is to make it as clear as possible until users learn and understand the requirements. The restricted opening 5 also adds an element of safety regarding plastic bags and the risk of suffocation as it will be harder to accidently put it over a person's head, but it will still require appropriate safety warnings. The associated supports (as hereinafter described) will play a part in encouraging collection of the correct waste materials (with appropriate communication and visual instructions) but also with the functionality of the hanger and opening limiting what can fit into the bag and also to aid the collapse and compression of the top tunnel / valve when the bag is not being filled. Filling the bag also helps with the functionality of the top collapsable air valve as the collected plastic packaging waste exerts internal pressure on the filling tube 5 and helps to keep it collapsed and closed when not in use to further encourage the air to escape from the bottom collapsable air valve when external pressure is applied to the outside of the bag by manually pushing, squashing or squeezing the bag with or without the aid of any supports.

[0016] Figures 6a and 6b illustrate the folding over of the filled or partially filled bag to enable it to be compressed, expelling air via the valve 2 and reducing the volume, for example to permit more waste materials to be introduced, but also to make storage and subsequent handling of the filled bags more convenient. This may be achieved by rolling up the bags towards the valve end.

[0017] The aim of the bag is not to continuously store and keep the flexible plastic packaging waste under vacuum compression as every time the bag is filled, it must be opened, and more air is pushed in. The purpose is to effectively and easily collect and contain the difficult to sort (when mixed in with other waste) flexible plastic packaging waste, and once it is collected (and after every time it is filled if storage space is an issue) compact it down to the smallest possible volume for storage prior to collection (within or alongside recycling bins) or for delivery to recycling collection points at front of store (supermarket collections) or waste recycling facilities. Transporting the flexible plastic packaging waste in a compressed state within the bag either, flattened, folded over or rolled up, as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 6a and 6b, makes recycling collections more efficient and economical and reduces or eliminates collection and transportation issues such as lightweight bags of rubbish blowing away prior to collection, or rolling off the conveyor belts at material recovery facilities and also increased the capacity of waste collection vehicles and bailing machines before the collected bags are sent off for specialist recycling processes.

[0018] The bag has been designed and developed to be fully recyclable along with the collected contents so it can contain and transport the flexible plastic packaging waste all the way from collection points, through the entire recycling system to material recovery facilities, get bailed once sorted, and be sent to specialist flexible plastic packaging recycling facilities where the bag can fully integrate with the processes to further sort and recycle (either mechanically or chemically) the collected contents. Ideally, the recycled plastic material that these facilities produce can (eventually) be used to make new collection bags (and other flexible plastic packaging or wrappers) and is one of the reasons why the bag is so simply constructed without any glues (only heat sealing) or additional plastic materials for the air valves, which could be made from other plastic materials and bonded to the bag.

[0019] Referring now to Figures 6a to 6d and 7, one form of support for the bags consists of mounting member 10, to which a top member 11 is hingedly connected, with a hook 12 projecting rearwardly therefrom. The hook 12 enables to mounting member to be hooked on to a kitchen cabinet door or to a waste bin or the like. The top member 11 has a generally oval shape and is provided with an opening 13 therethrough for introduction of waste packaging into the funnelled opening 4 of the bag. The opening 13 corresponds in size and shape with the tube 5 in the bag. The top member 11 is also provided with an external recessed rim sized to receive the upper rim of the bag as a tight fit to hold the bag in place, in use. An elastic cord could be used to secure the bag, if necessary, avoiding the need for a close fit for the bag and to aid attachment and secure the hanging of the bag whilst being filled.

[0020] In an alterative arrangement, the top member 11 is formed in two parts, with one part fitting within the other so as to be able to trap the rim of the bag between the two parts to hold it in place. The mounting member 10 and the top member 11 may be configured with a resilient detent arrangement so that the top member can be clicked into a horizontal position, as shown in Figures 6a to 6d, or released from this position to extend generally downwardly from the mounting member 10 so as to take up less space when not receiving packaging materials, and to help collapse and close the top air vent (filling tunnel) to ensure the contents are contained between filling. This configuration is illustrated in Figure 7, which shows the bag with a partial filling of waste packaging materials.

[0021] In another embodiment, illustrated in Figures 8a to 8d, 9, 10 and 11, the support 20 for the bags has a back plate 21 provided with mounting holes 22 to enable the support to be attached to a vertical surface such as the inside face of a cabinet door or the like, or to a wall. The top member 11 is, similarly to the arrangement in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 6a to 6d and 7, hinged to the back plate 21 and is configure to receive the waste collection bag. The back plate 21 extends downwardly from the top plate 11 over a vertical distance approximately equal to the length of a bag and has side flanges 23 which carry the hinges for the top member 11 at their upper ends and which are conveniently made wider at their lower ends to carry pivots 24 connecting a compression plate 25 which can hang downwards from the bottom of the back plate 21 and be pivoted upwardly to enclose and fold the lower part of the bag against the upper part of the bag against the back plate 21, thereby compressing the bag and its contents, expelling air and reducing the volume. The top member 11 can again be folded downwards against the upper part of the bag, closing it , as shown in Figure 9, and the compression plate 25 can then enclose the top plate. The free end of the compression plate 25 carries a latching plate 26 which engages a releasable latch provide on the edge of the top member 11 when folded as shown in Figure 9, so as to provide an enclosed configuration as illustrated in Figures 10 and 11. The support 20 and the bag thus occupy the minimal amount of space within the cabinet, for example, when the door is closed.

[0022] Because of the one-way air valves 2 along the bottom seam of the bag with collapsible tubes or tunnels 5 at the filling funnel 4, air cannot easily get back in (until the bag is opened again), and the bag can be removed from the hanger and stored in the compressed state, under atmospheric vacuum pressure, ready for collection or deposit at an appropriate recycling point. The support illustrated in Figures 8a to 8d, 9, 10 and 11 may be provided with an elasticated cord along the centre pivot which the bags get tucked behind. This helps to create a fold in the middle of the bag and hold it down into the pivot point for the folding (pressing) operation. The space saving advantage of compressing the bags and the convenience and ease to open and fill the bags mean that the contents can be repeatedly squashed and stored under atmospheric vacuum pressure between each use if space at the collection point is at a premium but they can equally be left open until the bags are full and need to be compressed to store (before or) for collection and recycling. The pivots 24 at the centre of the support may have an attachment for spring or elastic cord to help dampen the 'drop' of the press plate so that does not slam down when released.

[0023] While the invention is described herein with reference to flexible plastics waste materials, it will be appreciated that it is also applicable to the collection and storage of other materials, for example waste paper.

Claims

1. A waste collection bag, comprising a film body having an inlet at one end thereof, the inlet comprising a tapering section extending from adjacent to the end of the bag inwardly of the bag, such that the inlet is wider at the end of the bag and narrower where the inlet opens into the interior of the bag, characterised by an air outlet at the end of the bag remote from the inlet, the air outlet including a valve to prevent or limit the entry of air to the bag through the outlet.

2. A waste collection bag according to Claim 1, wherein the tapering section leads to a tubular portion extending away from the inlet, such that (a) when the bag is filled with waste materials in use, the tubular portion is caused to close, preventing escape of the materials from the bag; and (b) when the bag is compressed, the tubular portion collapses and is held closed by the air pressure generated, thereby ensuring that air is expelled from the air outlet and does not re-enter through the inlet.

3. A waste collection bag according to Claim 1 or 2, formed of plastic film.

4. A support for a waste collection bag, comprising a back plate for attachment to a vertical surface, a top member extending therefrom for attachment of the bag and a compression member attached to a lower part of the back plate and foldable over the back plate with the bag located between the closure member and the support member, and latching means for securing the closure member to the top member.

5. A support according to Claim 4, wherein the latching means is configured to latch in a plurality of alternative positions whereby to vary the compressive force exerted on the bag and its contents, in use.

6. A support according to Claim 4 or 5, wherein the top member is provided with a tapering opening therein into which a correspondingly tapered lid is locatable to trap the open mouth of a waste bag, in use, the lid having an opening through which waste materials can be inserted.

7. A support according to Claim 4, 5 or 6, wherein the top member is hinged to the back plate to enable it to be folded parallel to the back plate.

8. A support for a waste collection bag as defined in Claim 1, 2 or 3, comprising a top member provided with a mounting member for attachment to or against a vertical surface, the top member having a tapering opening therein into which a correspondingly tapered lid is locatable to trap the open mouth of the waste collection bag, in use, the lid having an opening through which waste materials can be inserted, the lid opening leading into a central portion of the tapering section of the bag.

9. A support according to Claim 8, wherein the top member is hinged to the mounting member to enable it to be folded parallel to the vertical surface.

10. A support according to Claim 8 or 9, wherein the mounting member comprises a hook formation.

11. A support according to Claim 8 or 9, wherein the mounting member comprises a back plate securable to a vertical surface, the back plate extending downwardly from the top member to a compression member foldable up over the back plate.

12. A support according to Claim 11, wherein the compression member is connected to the back plate through a hinge.

13. A support according to Claim 11, wherein the compression member is integrally formed with the back plate and has a flexible region permitting folding.

14. A support according to Claim 11, 12 or 13, wherein the closure member is provided with latching means for holding the compression member in the folded configuration thereof.

Images