WO2004022236A1

WO2004022236A1 - Apparatus for the disposal of waste

Info

Publication number: WO2004022236A1
Application number: PCT/AU2003/001095
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hayden Scotter
Original assignee: The State Of Queensland (Queensland Health)
Priority date: 2002-09-03
Filing date: 2003-08-27
Publication date: 2004-03-18
Also published as: AU2002951173A0

Abstract

An apparatus and method for handling containerised waste comprising an enclosure having an inlet (24) for feeding containerised waste to a separating device (40) within the enclosure. The separating device (40) comprising a spiral cutting blade (44) mounted for rotation within a housing (14), the spiral cutting blade being positioned to contact and rupture the containerised waste against a cutting edge (45) on the housing. The spiral cutting blade defines spiral rotating channels within the housing (14) for transporting the ruptured container to a container outlet (28) and the housing has a waste outlet to convey non- container waste to a drain outlet.

Description

APPARATUS FOR THE DISPOSAL OF WASTE

Technical Field

This invention relates to an apparatus for the disposal of waste and in particular containerised waste. The invention also relates to a method of disposing of containerised waste.

Background

In the health services industries, large amounts of human waste material is collected in containers upon generation. Examples of such containerised waste include catheter bags, colostomy bags and other medical waste containers. These liquid and semi solid wastes are best disposed of in an appropriate waste treatment system.

One method of disposal involves piercing the bags with a sharp object on site and pouring the contents into an appropriate receptacle. This on site opening of these containers represents a serious occupational health and safety issue for staff and patients.

Alternatively, large contaminated waste bins have been used to collect the containerised waste. The contaminated bins are transported to an appropriate area.

Even when smaller 120 litre bins are used, the contaminated waste bins are very heavy presenting an occupational health risk. Furthermore, the management of the removal and disposal of contaminated waste is costed and charged based on weight, making off site disposal an expensive exercise.

There is a need to provide an apparatus and method for collecting and emptying containerised waste in a safe environment before disposing of the bags and the waste therein.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention provides an apparatus for the handling of containerised waste comprising an enclosure having an inlet for feeding containerised waste to a separating device within the enclosure, the separating device comprising a spiral cutting blade mounted for rotation within a housing, the spiral cutting blade being positioned to contact and rupture the containerised waste against a cutting edge on the housing, the spiral cutting blade defining rotating spiral channels within the housing for transporting the ruptured container to a container outlet, and the housing having a waste outlet to convey non-container waste to a drain arrangement.

In the context of the invention, the spiral cutting blade performs the tasks of piercing, opening and draining the container in a single breeching station without the need for additional cutters. The remains of the container are then transported to a solid disposal station while the liquid contents of the container are drained to an appropriate facility.

The axis of the spiral cutting blade is preferably inclined from the horizontal with the container outlet at the higher end.

In one embodiment, the housing is provided with an opening and the inlet of the enclosure preferably directs the containerised material onto the spiral cutting blade within the opening of the housing. In this embodiment of the invention, the spiral cutting blade is an auger. The cutting edge on the housing may be a separate rupture device such as a blade extending from the housing or it may be a part of or overlying a section of the opening in the housing. The cutting edge of the housing and the spiral cutting edge slide past one another to slide through an object therebetween.

This waste is part of the container which contains the liquid or semi solid waste.

The housing may be provided with an aperture or series of apertures along its lower side to provide a drain for liquid and semi-solid waste to flow from the housing. In a preferred form, the section of the housing beneath the opening of the housing is replaced with a screen. The spiral cutting blade either just contacts or passes in close proximity to the screen to dewater solid on the screen as much as possible before transporting the solid through the spiral transport channels to the container outlet. A liquid waste duct may be provided on the housing below the screen to transport liquid from the enclosure to a drain arrangement.

The apparatus may incorporate a self cleaning device such as a spray means above the opening in the housing. The spray means delivers water and other cleaning liquid onto the ruptured containers and spiral cutting blade to clean and carry the waste material into the housing outlet and drain arrangement.

The waste may be liquid and or entrainable solids which can be appropriately disposed of in a sewerage system. Accordingly the drain arrangement may be adapted to be in fluid communication with a sewerage system. The ruptured containers are conveyed by the spiral cutting blade to the container outlet of the housing. The container outlet directs the ruptured and emptied containers to the outlet from the apparatus. The outlet may direct the ruptured and emptied containers to an appropriate disposal container.

The apparatus may include a suitable drive arrangement for driving operation of the auger. The drive arrangement may include a motor and gear box. The drive arrangement may be manually activated or alternatively automatically operated by a detecting means which detects a waste container being input into the apparatus through the container inlet. In such an arrangement, the drive arrangement would then be activated by the detection of the input waste.

The spiral cutting blade may be contained within a sleeve in the housing or has cut away sections allowing passage of the respective liquids and solids. The sleeve preferably does not cover the various inlet and outlet openings in the housing or has cut away sections allowing passage of the respective liquids and solids. The sleeve may have a perforated surface at least on the lower sector to allow liquid draining from the conveyed ruptured containers to separate from the containers and flow towards the waste outlet of the housing. By providing perforations in the sleeve the waste material will be able to flow on the outer side of the sleeve within the housing.

A safety lock may be provided on the inlet to the enclosure to prevent opening of the inlet while the drive arrangement is operating. This not only prevents accidental exposure of the user to potentially hazardous waste, but also decreases the likelihood of overloading the separating device. The safety lock may be regulated by a timer on a torque converter associated with the drive arrangement of the auger.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a separating device for containerised material including: a housing having an opening for receiving the containerised material; a spiral cutting blade mounted for rotation within the housing, and a drive means for the spiral cutting blade, the spiral cutting blade being positioned to contact and rupture the containerised waste against a cutting edge on the housing, the spiral cutting blade defining rotating spiral channels within the housing for transporting the ruptured container to a container outlet; and the housing having a waste outlet at the lower end thereof for the contents of the container with the container outlet being above the waste outlet for discharge of ruptured and emptied container.

A further rupture device may be provided in proximity to the opening in the housing. The rupture device may be a sharpened blade which combines with the shearing action of the spiral cutting blade to facilitate rupture of the containers.

The housing of the separating device may further be provided with a sleeve to contain the auger. The sleeve would not generally cover the various inlet and outlet openings in the housing. The sleeve may have a perforated surface at least on the lower sector to allow liquid or entrained solids draining from the conveyed ruptured containers to separate and flow on the outer side of the sleeve within the housing.

In a further aspect, there is provided a method of disposing of containerised waste including the steps of: feeding containerised waste into a protected environment;

simultaneously rupturing and separating the waste and ruptured containers at an opening station; and directing the ruptured container and waste to respective outlets.

Preferably the waste material is directed to a waste outlet at the lower most point in the opening station and the ruptured container is conveyed to an outlet which is positioned higher than the waste outlet. This enables waste to separate from the ruptured containers to flow towards the waste outlet.

In a preferred form of the invention, the step of simultaneously rupturing and separating the containerised waste is carried out on a spiral cutting blade which rotates on an axis within a housing and is inclined to convey the ruptured containers to a position higher than the outlet for the waste material. The spiral cutting blade contacts and ruptures the containerised waste against a cutting edge of the housing.

Preferably, the step of feeding the waste into the protected environment activates the operation of the auger. The inlet to the enclosure may be locked to prevent further addition of containerised waste until the operation of the auger has ceased. The operation of the auger may be regulated by a timer or a torque converter on the drive arrangement of the auger.

The present invention provides a simple apparatus and method for disposing of containerised waste which makes use of existing waste disposal systems in a hospital facility and can be quickly and easily connected and disconnected to these systems.

Further features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment and accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of an apparatus in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a front view of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a further front view of the apparatus in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a side view of the housing of the separating device in accordance with the invention;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the device shown in Figure 4; Figure 6 is an end view of the device shown in Figure 4;

Figure 7 is an auger which is received within the housing of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a side view of the housing of Figure 4 with the auger fitted; and

Figures 9, 10 and 11 are front, plan and end views of the sleeve insert for the separating device of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, reference 10 generally refers to an embodiment of the invention for disposing of containerised waste. In this embodiment, containerised waste is in the form of bags of a plastics material in which waste is collected prior to the bags being discarded. The bags can be any form of containerised waste and while the invention is to be described with reference to containerised waste such as catheter or colostomy bags, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many other forms of containerised waste could be used.

The apparatus 10 shown includes an enclosure defining a protected area. The enclosure is illustrated comprising a housing 14 mounted above a substrate 16 via support posts 18. The housing has walls 20 that define and enclose the protected environment 22. The enclosure 14 is provided with an inlet 24, a drain outlet 26 and a solids outlet 28 for raptured containers.

The enclosure is mounted on support posts 18 so that the ruptured container receptacle 30 can be positioned beneath the enclosure 14. A rubber sealing member 32 is mounted about the ruptured container outlet 28 to engage an open end 34 of the receptacle 30 to shield the disposal of solids into the receptacle 30.

In use, the enclosure is positioned so that the drain outlet 26 is in fluid communication with an inlet conduit leading to a sewerage system.

A spring loaded sealable trap door is mounted on enclosure 14 and is biased into a closed position. The trap door may be configured so that it can simply be pushed open when containerised waste is pushed through the inlet 24. For safety reasons, a switch (not shown) may be provided on the trap door to prevent the cutting apparatus operating while the door is open. Apparatus 10 includes an inlet for feeding containerised waste to a separating device 40. The inlet includes a guide member 38 angled downwardly so that the containerised waste can slide under gravity towards the separating device 40. As shown in Figures 4 to 8, the separating device includes a housing having an auger 42 mounted for rotation therein. The housing of the separating device has an opening 39 beneath guide member 38 to enable the containerised waste to be guided onto the auger 42. The auger 42 incorporates a spiral cutting blade 44 mounted on a central shaft 46. The central shaft is driven by a motor and pulley arrangement 48. The auger 42 is positioned so that the central shaft is angled upwardly away from the guide member 38. The auger 42 and the guide member 38 are positioned so that containerised waste slides down the guide member 38 and engages the spiral cutting blade 44 at a lower portion 50 of the central shaft 46. It is preferable that at least the lower portion 50 of the auger has a spiral cutting edge to enhance rupturing of the containerised waste. To further enhance the ability of the separating device 40 to rupture the container containing the waste, a sharpened cutting blade 45 may further be provided to enhance shredding of the container under the action of the auger 42. The housing is further provided with a drain arrangement 47 which serves as an outlet from the separating device for liquid and entrained solids. The housing of the separating device may further be provided with a solids outlet 49 to enable ruptured and emptied containers to be removed.

The motor and pulley arrangement 48 is configured to rotate the shaft 46 so that the drive direction of the auger 42 is upwards away from the containerised waste inlet to the separating device. Accordingly, when a bag is directed into the spiral blade 44 of the auger 42, the action of the auger and cutting blade 45 serves to cut and shred the bag so that the waste is further separable from the bag. The liquid and entrained solids drop down to the drain arrangement 47 and are directed to the drain outlet 26 which may be connected to the sewerage system.

The separating device may further include a sleeve 60 which fits within the housing. The housing is preferably perforated at least along the lower sections thereof to enable liquid to continue to drain from the ruptured containers as they are conveyed upwardly to the solids outlet. The sleeve is not intended to filter material flowing through the waste outlet but enables liquid or entrained fine solids to separately pass from the raptured containers and flow on the outer side of the sleeve down to the drain arrangement.

The spiral cutting blade of the auger define rotating spiral channels. The drive direction of the auger 42 serves to draw the now ruptured and emptied bag in the rotating spiral channels upwardly into a bag holding section 52 at the upper end of the spiral blade 44. The holding section 52 directs the raptured and emptied containers through outlet 49 into chute 56. Chute 56 is positioned above and upstream of the solids outlet 28 from where the ruptured and emptied containers drop into receptacle 30.

Apparatus 10 further includes a spray flushing system 58 positioned above the roof 60 of the enclosure 14. The spray flushing system 58 can be activated manually. Alternatively the spray flushing system 58 can be activated at predetermined intervals or can be activated upon the detection of containerised waste within the enclosure. Spray flushing system is positioned so that water and/or other cleaning additives can be directed from the spraying means onto the auger 42 and associated components to flush liquid and entrained solids into the drain arrangement 47. Disinfectant or other antimicrobial substances can be added to the flushing system to disinfect the interior of the enclosure.

As mentioned above, the apparatus 10 can be operated in a variety of ways either in manual mode or automatic mode. In manual mode the user manually activates the motor and pulley arrangement 48 whereas in automatic mode a suitable detection means detects the presence of the containerised waste within the enclosure preferably as it passes through the inlet and activates the motor and pulley arrangement 48.

The trap door of the inlet 24 may be provided with a safety lock such as a solenoid lock to prevent opening while the drive arrangement of the auger is operating. This prevents accidental exposure of the user to potentially hazardous waste and also decreases the likelihood of overloading the separating device. The safety lock may be deactivated by a timer, a torque converter associated with the drive arrangement indicating that the previous container has been processed, or a combination thereof.

The drive arrangement may further be provided with a torque stalling control. The torque stalling control stops operation of the auger once the torque on the drive shaft exceeds a preset limit and preferably reverses the rotation of the drive shaft for a period of time to clear the auger. The rotation of the auger is then returned to its normal direction of rotation to complete processing of the container.

The applicant believes that the present invention provides for safe disposal of containerised waste which simply and substantially reduces disposal costs. In particular, the invention provides a simple apparatus to empty the containers containing the waste into a system for appropriate disposal, such as a sewerage system while collecting the ruptured and emptied containers for separate disposal.

Since modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may be readily affected by persons skilled in the art, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described by way of example here and above.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the handling of contaminated waste comprising: an enclosure having an inlet feeding containerised waste to a separating device within the enclosure; the separating device comprising a spiral cutting blade mounted for rotation within a housing; the spiral cutting blade being positioned to contact and rupture the containerised waste against a cutting edge on the housing; and the spiral cutting blade defining rotating spiral channels in the housing for transporting the ruptured container to a container outlet, the housing having a waste outlet to convey non-container waste to a drain arrangement.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the axis of the spiral cutting edge blade is inclined from the horizontal, the container outlet being at the higher end of the axis of the spiral cutting blade.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing is provided with an opening and the inlet of the enclosure directs the containerised material onto the spiral cutting blade within the opening of the housing.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spiral cutting blade is an auger.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cutting edge on the housing is a separate rupture device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separate rupture device is a blade extending from the housing.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separate rupture device forms part of, or overlies a section of the opening in the housing.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cutting edge on the housing and the spiral cutting edge slide past one another to slice through an object therebetween.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing is provided with an aperture or series of apertures along its lower side to provide a drain for liquid and semi solid waste to flow from the housing.

10. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the section of the housing beneath the opening of the housing is replaced with a screen.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the spiral cutting blade either just contacts or passes in close proximity to the screen to the water solid on the screen before transporting the solid through the spiral transport channels to the container outlet.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a liquid waste duct is provided on the housing below the screen to transport liquid from the enclosure to a drain arrangement.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cleaning fluid dispenser above the opening in the housing.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a drive means for rotating the spiral cutting blade about its axis.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drive means is automatically operated by a detection means which detects the waste container being input into the apparatus through the container inlet.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spiral cutting blade is contained within a sleeve in the housing such that the sleeve does not cover the inlet and outlet openings in the housing.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spiral cutting blade is contained within a sleeve in the housing, the sleeve having cutaway sections allowing passage of the respective liquids and solids through the inlet and outlet openings in the housing.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sleeve has a perforated surface on at least one lower section to allow liquid draining from the conveyed ruptured containers to separate from the solid container waste and flow towards the waste outlet of the housing.

19. A separating device for containerised material including a housing having an opening for receiving the containerised material, a spiral cutting blade mounted for rotation within the housing, and a drive means for the spiral cutting blade, the spiral cutting blade being positioned to contact and rupture and thereby open the containerised waste against a cutting edge on the housing, the spiral cutting blade defining rotating spiral channels within the housing for transporting the ruptured container to a container outlet and the housing having a liquid waste outlet at the lower end thereof for the contents of the container with the container outlet being above the waste outlet for discharge of the ruptured and emptied container.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein a further rupture device is provided in proximity to the opening of the housing.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the rupture device is a sharpened blade which combines with the shearing action of the spiral cutting blade to facilitate rupture of the containers.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the housing of the separating device is provided with a sleeve to contain the rotating cutting blade.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the sleeve is provided with a perforated surface at least on the lower section thereof to allow liquid or entrained solids draining from the conveyed ruptured containers to separate and flow on the outer side of the sleeve within the housing.

24. A method of disposing of containerised waste including the steps of: feeding containerised waste into a protected environment;

* simultaneously rupturing and separating the waste and ruptured containers at an opening station; and directing the ruptured container and waste to respective outlets.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the waste material is directed to a waste outlet at the lower most end of the opening station and the raptured container is conveyed by a rotating cutting blade to a solids outlet which is positioned higher than the waste outlet.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of simultaneously rupturing and separating the containerised waste is carried out on a spiral cutting blade within a housing, the spiral cutting blade rotating on an inclined axis to convey the ruptured containers to a position higher than the outlet for the waste material.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the spiral cutting blade contacts and ruptures the containerised waste against a cutting edge of the housing.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the rotation of the spiral cutting blade is activated by passing containerised waste through a container inlet.