Process for recycling multicompartment unit dose articles
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorsSuzanne KHALAF, Christopher KRASEN, Dan Edward TAYLOR
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The need for a means to recycle multi-compartment unit dose articles, while avoiding significant cross-contamination between the contents of the individual compartments, is met by recycling the contents of each compartment of the unit dose article separately.
Claims20
A process for recycling the contents of at least one compartment of a multi-compartment unit dose article (1) having a first compartment (2), at least a second compartment (3), and contents, formed by encapsulating the contents of the compartments with a water-soluble film, characterized in that the process comprises the steps of:
- (a) orienting the unit dose article (1), wherein the unit dose article (1) is oriented relative to a perforating device (10), such that at least a portion of the first compartment (2) faces the perforating device (10);
- and
- (b) opening the first compartment (2), wherein the water-soluble film encapsulating the contents of the first compartment (2) is perforated by the perforating device (10) to form a perforated first compartment, without perforating any further compartment of the unit dose article (1).
An apparatus for recycling the contents of at least one compartment of a multi-compartment unit dose article, wherein the apparatus comprises:
- (a) a means of orienting the multi-compartment unit dose article relative to the perforating device, such that a first compartment faces the perforating device;
- and
- (b) a perforating device for opening the first compartment without opening any further compartment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.