US 11,998,953 B2
Recovery of higher volume and higher quality recyclables from a mixed stream
Prabhu Soun Dar Rajan, Phoenix, AZ (US); John Joseph Riconosciuto, West Chicago, IL (US); Peter J. Keller, Phoenix, AZ (US); David Call, Phoenix, AZ (US); and Zhenni Niu, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Assigned to Republic Services Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed by Republic Services Intellectual Property Holdings, LLC, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed on Nov. 4, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/981,319.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/276,126, filed on Nov. 5, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0144877 A1, May 11, 2023
Int. Cl. B07C 5/38 (2006.01); B07C 5/02 (2006.01)
CPC B07C 5/38 (2013.01) [B07C 5/02 (2013.01); B07C 2501/0045 (2013.01); B07C 2501/0054 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automated process for separating and recycling a broad mix of waste material including, paper and flexible plastics, the process comprising:
collecting the broad mix of waste material at a materials recovery facility;
presorting the broad mix of waste material and separating at the materials recovery facility the broad mix of waste material into individual commodities comprising partially processed 2D blends and 3D containers;
separating at the materials recovery facility the partially processed 2D blends from the 3D containers without conducting any quality control of the partially processed 2D blends;
baling at the materials recovery facility the partially processed 2D blends to form bales of the partially processed 2D blends;
receiving the bales from the materials recovery facility and aggregating at a fiber center the partially processed 2D blends;
removing recyclable commodities, including flexible plastics, from the 2D blends at the fiber center; and
aggregating each recyclable commodity that is removed from the 2D blends and forming separate commodity streams of clean paper and clean flexible plastics for sale by the fiber center,
wherein separate streams of clean recycled paper having a purity of at least about 98% and clean recycled flexible plastics are created.