Redesigning Trash Receptacles With Interior Canister for Robotic Recycling Garbage Collectors

No, I am not obsessed with human garbage or trash, although I am amazed how much humans produce and then throwaway. I am happy to report that a tremendous amount of our waste is now recycled, and I believe that to be a good thing, but I would also warn that the amount that our societies recycle is not anywhere near what most people believe it to be. I think we can do better. Indeed, I'd like to talk to you about all this for a moment.

You see, the separation of various recyclable products makes it very tough to ensure that plastics, paper, aluminum, and other materials are separated out correctly. In many cities folks throw everything which is recyclable into the recycle bin for pickup. Then it gets all mixed in a garbage truck, and then it is dumped off, where humans, generally paid a very low wage go through all the trash to separate it out. That is completely inefficient, and I'm sure you would agree.

Yes, it does provide jobs, and some cities hire criminal labor, and it's nice to see that those folks are paying back society by helping us with this process, but that doesn't make it any more efficient. Now then, in the future I suppose we will have robotic garbage trucks, and the recycling truck which comes along will also be robotic.

I am also certain that robots will pick through the trash and separate out anything which is in the wrong pile. We already have devices which can immediately tell the type of polymer chain in a given plastic bottle, in fact, I had the pleasure of conversing with the inventor of that device by e-mail last year.

Still, the better way to do it would be to have a trashcan, which had divisions inside of it, perhaps it could be divisions shaped as pizza slices. A robotic garbage truck would then pick up a trashcan, aligning with a gate going into the trashcan where each of the pieces lined up. Then a vacuum motor would suck all the material from each into the trash truck, and into specific compartments.

Another way might be to have each trashcan with tubes inside made of lightweight, very strong carbon composite, using a similar process. The trash truck would be subdivided, with various types of materials, and there would be no need to separate anything, and a robot could merely make sure that everything was in the proper pile, and this would speed up the process tenfold.

By doing it this way, it would prevent us from forgoing the recycling process due to being backed up with too much material, which happens quite a bit, and at least one of three problems which prevents us from recycling all we can. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative eBook on the Future of Recycling. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

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Paper Waste Management Through Paper Recycling

Paper waste constitutes almost one-third of the solid waste generated across the globe. Before, paper waste was either disposed in landfills, taking up a lot of space, or was incinerated. The combustion of paper through incineration releases carbon dioxide, disturbing the natural atmospheric balance. The enhanced greenhouse effect is responsible for global warming and climate change, making landfill disposal and incineration unsuitable and harmful options for paper waste management.

Paper recycling is a "green" solution for the management of paper waste. Recycling paper is a process that converts waste paper into reusable paper and other products.

The practice of recycling paper consists of the following stages:

Collection - Paper waste, such as newspapers, printer paper, and cardboard and product boxes, is collected by placing recycle bins in public places, schools, offices and households. The collection process is carried by municipal organizations and private companies that specialize in the recycling of waste.

Sorting - After it's collected, paper waste is sorted into different piles depending on the quality and type of paper. The piles are then compressed to form bales and these bales are used to produce recycled paper.

Shredding - During the production of recycled wafer-thin, waste paper is cut into small bits. These bits are further broken down into fibres.

Re-pulping - The fibres are then mixed with water to form pulp. This pulp may contain various unwanted components such as dirt, old ink, and weak fibres

De-inking - The pulp is washed, segregated, sieved and rotated. As a result, dirt, old ink and weak fibres get separated from the pulp in the form of sludge that is later discarded. The clean pulp is utilized to produce recycled paper and other products such as egg crates, fruit trays, paper cardboard, insulation and false ceilings.

Papers Recycling is an environmentally friendly process that, for one thing, helps limit deforestation practices. Many plant and animal species become extinct when their natural habitat is destroyed because of deforestation. When trees are cut down, it also disturbs the balance of the gases in the atmosphere. One ton of recycled paper can save up to 17 trees from being cut down. In terms of energy-saving, the production of recycled requires 40 to 60% less energy than paper manufactured from virgin pulp; each ton of recycled paper saves approximately 225 kilowatt hours of energy. Furthermore, every ton of recycled paper saves 60,000 litres of water - a great benefit since the production of fresh paper uses large amounts of water.

These are just some of the many ways recycling paper can benefit the planet and contribute to a sustainable environment for future generations.

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Recycling Clothes Banks - We Can Do Better

Recycling

Recycling has become one of the buzz words of the 'noughties' and domestically UK councils have asked their residents to play their part.

Most local authorities and many hospices, charities and even private businesses have gone to great lengths to make sure their local area is well catered for when it comes to recycling with the placement of recycling banks in prominent locations, the implementation of collection schemes, the increasing number of charity shops and the good old-fashioned jumble sale.

One of the most popular types of recycling is the reuse or resale of textiles, the benefits of which to the economy and environment are huge.

Clothes Recycling

Did you know that the practice of clothes recycling goes back to 1813 when a Yorkshire businessman by the name of Benjamin Law invented the activity known as shoddy. This was a process, practised on an industrial scale where old clothes were ground down to a fibrous state that allowed them to be respun into yarn and ultimately into new clothes.

This industry was centred in the West Riding area of Yorkshire and was so important that in the 1860's the town of Batley was turning over 7,000 tonnes of shoddy a year.

Although there are a number of shoddy businesses still active today, the clothes recycling industry now concentrates on the resale of clothes through charity shops or the redistribution of garments in third world countries.

More Can be Done

With such a long history in the UK for textile recycling it is sad to note that there is still scope to do much more.

It is estimated that we discard one million tonnes of clothing each year with the majority being household refuse. Of this vast amount 50 per cent could be reused, at present we are only recycling 25 per cent.

The Benefits to Economy and Environment of Clothes Recycling

The strain on land fill sites is greatly reduced as synthetic garments will not decompose.Woollen items do decompose but produce gasses that contribute to global warming.Pressure on source materials is reduced.Fewer imports from other parts of the world improve our economy.The reduction of transportation from abroad reduces pollution.

How Can I Help with Clothes Recycling?

Make use of your local clothes bank.Contact your local authorities if you do not have a local bank and ask why.If you have no local bank ask if the local authority run a collection scheme or take your clothes to a local charity shop.Make use of any local jumble sales or collections.Consider buying second-hand clothes, you could snap up a bargain and help a local charity.Seek out items that use recycled content, although these are not always advertised.

As the jingle goes "Every Little Helps."

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Glass Recycling

We love the sound of breaking glass!

In today's world recycling has become an everyday occurrence. We are all encouraged to do it. Our local councils provide different bins, boxes and bags to help us separate our waste. This is so we all help in the drive for a more sustainable life-style and cut down on the use of raw materials. Glass is one the easiest products to recycle and because of that has become a main staple of the recycling industry. It is one man-made product that can be re-made time and again, without losing any of its properties.

Collected from households or bottle deposits, it is then separated into colours, then crushed or milled. In this state it is called cullet. Then it is put into a furnace and melted. When it is back to its original state it can be shaped into whatever is necessary. The beauty of glass is that it can be recycled continuously.

One of the necessary components for any waste recycling venture is conveyors. Once the glass has been collected and sorted, it needs to be crushed and taken to through to the next step. This is where the conveyor comes in. Conveyors have a wide range of applications, anything from chemical ingredients to food or industrial waste. They are what connect the different parts of the process that take raw material through to finished product. Getting the right conveyor for your operation is important. The aim is to move large or bulk batches through your process at a constant and efficient rate. Each system is especially designed for each particular application in mind. The amount of space available is important and systems can be tailored to size. Inclined or bucket systems may be necessary for limited work areas. For trough or covered belts would be the best bet. The milled or crushed glass has to be contained while moving as a health and safety precaution. Depending on workload, this can be a simple stop/ start manual operation or an automated constant flow or periodic cycle.

There are companies that specialize in installing these product processes. They will design an efficient system for any recycling plant, whether or not it is specifically geared to or to all the other various manufacturing industries. There are many British companies that export to the rest of the world. Among their products are conveyors, screeners, crushers and feeders of various types and sizes.

For more information on or dry screening please visit Gough & Co (Engineering) Ltd.

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Recycling Autumn Leaves As Eco-Fuel

Autumn brings a spectacular change in scenery to many of us with a rich variety of colours. Leaves that were once green turn to red, yellow and brown before falling from the trees and creating the unenviable chore of having to gather them up and throw them away.

Of course this is an unnecessary waste of a natural resource that could be recycled as a carbon neutral eco-fuel. For those people with an old-fashioned fireplace, stove, chiminea or firebowl you can take advantage of the seemingly endless amount of fallen leaves to stock up on fuel to last you through the winter.

You can simply throw the loose leaves onto the fire, but this could be messy and the fire will not burn for long or at a very high heat. You must also be careful to makes sure the leaves are dry otherwise you could end up with a lot of smoke - or even no fire at all. The simple answer to getting the most out of the fuel potential of the leaves is to get hold of a logmaker, which is a very simple tool that can turn those leaves into eco-logs.

Logmakers come in two types: dry ones and wet ones. Dry logmakers are used for dry leaves (you can use logmakers for other kinds of household and garden waste too if you wish). Wet logmakers are used for wet leaves or other waste. You simply have to put the material into the logmaker and compact it down to make a log. It will squeeze out any excess water, leaving you with a perfectly shaped log. They should be left to dry out before use. A perfect place to store them is somewhere cool and dry such as a garden shed, or a simple log store.

The eco-logs are essentially carbon neutral as long as you have gathered them up from your garden or somewhere else nearby. The amount of carbon that the leaves will emit when burnt is equal to the amount that they absorbed before they fell from the tree. Simply stated you cannot get a more eco-friendly fuel. There is also the added bonus of the fuel being free, and anything that can help spare a few pennies these days can't hurt.

Of course logmakers can be used to convert other household and garden waste materials into eco-fuel too, so you can make the most of them throughout the year to create your very own stove or chiminea fuel.

About the author

Simon Davies is an outdoor and eco-living enthusiast and write for Chiminea UK.

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