A trash compactor includes an enclosure assembly, a press assembly, and a lever assembly. The enclosure assembly includes a tray and an enclosure extending from the bottom end of the tray. Furthermore, the press assembly includes a press member disposed within the enclosure. The press member includes openings that receive rods therethrough. The rods being secured to opposing interior walls of the enclosure allowing the press member to slidably traverse an interior portion of the enclosure. A lever is then engaged with the actuating rod that is configured to be actuated by a user to compact trash placed within the enclosure.

A scrubs returns cabinet for a hospital allows workers to return surgical garment tops and bottoms. A cabinet housing has a loading door leading to a return port through which the customer places the soiled scrub suit after entering customer identification information. The scrubs fall into a collection area and are dispersed by a diverter into the collection area. Additionally, a compacting paddle compacts the accumulating scrubs to utilize more of the collection area and accommodate more dirty scrubs before the collection area needs to be emptied. The scrubs are compressed by the compactor after being dispersed by the diverter.

A refuse truck body having a main compartment and at least one side compartment includes shields to close a rear opening of the compartments. A respective pushing device is provided for discharging refuse from each compartment. In a closed position, the shield is latched to the truck body by a locking device that selectively locks and unlocks each shield against its opening. A sequencing system is operatively connected between a lock for the packing unit and the actuator for closing and latching the shields, which prevents unlocking and raising the packing unit before the shields are closed and latched to the truck body. A sequencing system is operatively connected between the pushing device for a compartment and the actuator for closing and latching the shields, which prevents operation of the pushing device to discharge refuse from the compartment unless the shield for that compartment is unlatched.

A scrubs returns cabinet for a hospital allows workers to return surgical garment tops and bottoms. A cabinet housing has a loading door leading to a return port through which the customer places the soiled scrub suit after entering customer identification information. The scrubs fall into a collection area and are dispersed by a diverter into the collection area. Additionally, a compacting paddle compacts the accumulating scrubs to utilize more of the collection area and accommodate more dirty scrubs before the collection area needs to be emptied. The scrubs are compressed by the compactor after being dispersed by the diverter.

An unloading system comprises an upper-opening chamber for receiving airplane-derived refuse, a chute, a chute-connected safety gate which is settable in falling preventing relation with respect to an access door of an airplane from which the refuse is unloadable into the chute and to the chamber, and an air brake assembly for immobilizing the safety gate when the chute ceases to be vertically displaced.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to new and improved self-contained compactor systems incorporating a straight-push cylinder design, in which the compactor system is actuated in a horizontal direction. The improved design accommodates increased storage volume, long wear parts, simplified reservoir cleaning, and easier external access to the components, cylinders, and hoses of the self-contained compactor system.

A recycling method is disclosed that includes the steps of compacting recyclable material into a fixed bale of recyclable material while concurrently weighing the OCC in the compactor and independently of the force that the compactor applies to the material or to the bale, assigning an individual identifier to the fixed bale in which the identifier includes at least the weight of the bale, and sending the fixed identified bale to a destination selected from the group consisting of shippers, mills, rebalers, or a customers for the baled recyclable material. Also, devices and methods are disclosed for upgrading existing or new balers to enable them to perform at least some portions of the improved recycling methods. Example devices include baler-mounted load-cell weight sensors and U-shaped anchor plates for securing them in place in a free-floating arrangement.

A waste management system having improved maneuverability and versatility. The system includes a container bay configured to house a compactor unit having a receptacle body configured to receive waste in a cavity surrounded by container walls and a tow member affixed to a forward container wall, the tow member. The tow member is disposed in close proximity to the front wall in order to provide better maneuverability when maneuvered by a deployment vehicle. Typically, first and second of the tow member converge at a tow engagement mechanism disposed at a distance from the forward container wall that is equal to or less than one tenth of a length of the container. The system may further include a local control station situated at the container bay and configured to engage with waste container such that the control station may control functionality of the compactor unit.

A organic waste collection vehicle includes a chassis, a rear container for containing waste material, the rear container being mounted on the chassis, a hopper connected to the rear container and spaced above the chassis, the hopper being furthermore sloped to flow liquid toward the rear container, an automatic bin-tipping mechanism for dumping organic waste from a waste bin into the hopper, and a packer for compacting the organic waste material.

The present disclosure concerns a compaction apparatus having a hopper housing defining a hopper chamber to receive materials; a container storing the materials in a compacted fashion; a screw conveying the materials from the hopper chamber to the container and comprising a screw hopper segment extending in the hopper chamber; a partition assembly located between the hopper and the container; and a containment assembly comprising a flap mounted to the hopper housing and being movable between a loading configuration wherein the flap uncovers the screw hopper segment, and a containment configuration in which the flap at least partially covers the screw hopper segment to contain the materials in the hopper chamber.