Method and an apparatus for waste handling

A method for sorting waste into different waste types comprising:

• dividing waste into different waste types and placing the different waste types into respective waste containers,
• providing each container with a respective marking representative of the waste type to be placed in the container,
• collecting and commingling containers of different waste types from a plurality of individual sources,
• transporting the collected and commingled containers of different waste types in a transport vehicle to a sorting plant,
• the waste being divided into the different waste types in individual households and the containers of the respective waste types being collected from the individual households and commingled in said transport vehicle which transports the containers to the sorting plant,
• removing the commingled containers from the vehicle and advancing the containers in commingled state on an upwardly inclined conveyor of the sorting plant,
• depositing the containers one after another from the top of the inclined conveyor onto a distribution conveyor of the sorting plant,
• advancing the containers on the distribution conveyor one after the other in a random distribution past an identification means,
• producing signals in said identification means corresponding to the markings on the containers and thereby to the waste type associated therewith,
• passing the signals from the identification means to a recording and control means to operate a separating means to separate the containers on the basis of the marking thereof so that the containers advance along separate respective paths according to the type of waste in the containers, and
• collecting the containers at separate collection sites for respective types of waste, and, wherein
• the containers are removed from the transport vehicles by depositing the containers into a storage feeder which is in the form of a compartment having a bottom transport belt which conveys the containers to the upwardly inclined conveyor, the containers being transported by said upwardly inclined conveyor in the same direction as on said transport belt but along an upwardly inclined path relative thereto and at a higher speed.

A system for sorting waste comprising a plurality of containers provided with respective markings indicating the type of waste for which the container is intended, means for collecting the containers from users in a commingled state of different waste types, first and second conveyors, means for supplying a random, commingled quantity of the collected containers containing respective different waste types to said first conveyor, said first conveyor being upwardly inclined for advancing the containers at a determined speed to the second conveyer, said second conveyor being driven at a higher speed than said first conveyor to advance the containers, one after the other in spaced relation, to an identification conveyor, at least one identification means disposed in association with the identification conveyor for distinguishing between the containers on the identification conveyor by the markings on the containers, a separating means for separating the containers based on the markings identified thereon, a recording and control means connected via signal transmission means to said at least one identification means and to said separating means to cause operation of the separating means in response to signals produced by said at least one identification means and means associated with said separating means for conveying the separated containers containing respective different waste types along separate paths, said means for supplying said containers to said first conveyor comprising a storage feeder including a bottom transport belt having an end overlying said first conveyor, said transport belt and said first conveyor being driven in the same direction to transport said containers from said storage feeder to said first conveyor in the same direction.