System for recycling post-industrial-use plastic

• US 6,216,878 B1
• Filed: 12/10/1999
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Terry W. Wheat
• Original Assignee: Terry W. Wheat
• Inventors: Wheat, Terry W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Donald P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beauchaine, Mark J.
• Application Number:
  US09/459,040
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 209/44.1, 209/209, 209/522, 209/546, 209/702, 209/509
• US Class Current: 209/509
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3412 according to a code applied to the object which indicates a property of the object, e.g. quality class, contents or incorrect indication sorting according to size measured by light-responsive means B07C5/10; sorting according to optical properties B07C5/342; for packages B65D79/02; for information carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 17/02 Separating plastics from other materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 2017/0089 Recycling systems, wherein the flow of products between producers, sellers and consumers includes at least a recycling step, e.g. the products being fed back to the sellers or to the producers for recycling purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 2017/0203 Separating plastics from plastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 2017/0279 Optical identification, e.g. cameras or spectroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/06 PE, i.e. polyethylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/12 PP, i.e. polypropylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2025/00 Use of polymers of vinyl-aromatic compounds or derivatives thereof as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/00 Use of polyvinylhalogenides or derivatives thereof as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2033/12 Polymers of methacrylic acid esters, e.g. PMMA, i.e. polymethylmethacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/00 Use of polyesters or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/62 Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling

Abstract

A system for recycling post-industrial-use plastic waste based on coloring an object, which will become post-industrial-use plastic waste, a user-specified color, said color correlated with a system for identifying plastic based on the resin content of the object. Said object, in the user-specified color, provided to the end user to protect a part shipped by a parts manufacturer, with sorting of the objects into homogenous resin groups being done by the end user based on color.

Claims

1. A system for recycling post-industrial-use plastic waste including the steps of:

coloring an object, which will become post-industrial-use plastic waste, a user-specified color, said color providing information necessary for recycling;

storing information pertaining to said user-specified color and coding system;

observing said color of the object when the object is considered as potentially recyclable waste; and

processing the object based upon said observed color and the stored information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the information necessary for recycling includes data correlating a distinct color with each plastic group in a coding system.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the information necessary for recycling includes data correlating a distinct color with each plastic group in the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) coding system.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the information necessary for recycling includes data correlating the following colors:

clear, blue, yellow, red, orange, green and black with the SPI coding system.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the information necessary for recycling includes data correlating clear with PETE, blue with HDPE, yellow with vinyl, red with LDPE, orange with PP, green with PS and black with other plastics.

6. A system for recycling post-industrial-use plastic waste including the steps of:

an end user defining a color system for identifying potentially recyclable plastic waste by color as a member of a plastic group of a coding system;

storing information pertaining to said user-specified color and coding system;

a plastic parts supplier coloring an object, which will become post-industrial-user plastic waste, a user-specified color, said color providing information necessary for recycling;

a parts manufacturer using the object as a guard to protect a part shipped to the end user;

the end user observing said color of the object when the guard is removed from the part and considered as potentially recyclable waste; and

processing the object based upon said observed color and the stored information

whereby the object can be sorted into a receptacle with other objects in the same plastic group.

7. The system of claim 6 further including the steps of:

a handler cleaning and baling or granulating the objects sorted into each plastic group;

a reclaimer cleaning the material treated by the handler, if not previously cleaned by the handler, and pelletizing the material into a reclaimed product suitable for use in the manufacture of plastic products.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the plastic parts supplier references a data base to formulate the plastic in the user-specified color.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the information necessary for recycling includes data correlating a distinct color with each plastic group in a coding system.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the information necessary for recycling includes data correlating a distinct color with each plastic group in the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) coding system.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the information necessary for recycling includes data correlating the following colors:

clear, blue, yellow, red, orange, green and black with the SPI coding system.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the information necessary for recycling includes data correlating clear with PETE, blue with HDPE, yellow with vinyl, red with LDPE, orange with PP, green with PS and black with other plastics.