Abstract: A recycling or redemption method for returning empty beverage containers to a retail establishment is featured. A typical retail establishment processes a typical monthly average of containers. Such data is available from retail receipts and accounting records. Sampling sizes are based on the overall commodity population. Using this predetermined sample count, returned empties are batch stored in transitional receptacles that, when filled, contain at least the number of containers required for a given statistical accuracy. Empties are stored in the transitional receptacles by commodity or type (i.e., by glass, plastic or aluminum). Glass containers may be further sorted by color. As each transitional receptacle is filled, it displaces another filled receptacle situated on the floor of the facility. The transitional receptacle now becomes the full receptacle located on the floor of the facility. The previous, filled receptacle is removed to a bulk storage area.

Abstract: A steel can shredding/delabeling system processes post-consumer steel cans, taken from a solid weight stream, into a densified product suitable for detinning. The steel cans are transported and fed into a surge hopper that feeds cans into a shredder. The surge hopper is designed to maintain a continuous feed to the shredder to optimize shredding efficiency. As the steel cans pass through the shredder, they are transformed into shredded, densified steel particles with the paper labels removed and reduced to paper fines. This mixture of shredded cans and paper fines is transferred by conveyor to the top of a multi-pass aspirator. The aspirator utilizes an upward air flow within a column of the aspirator to separate the materials on the basis of their terminal velocities in air. The mixture free falls down a series of cascades, while being subjected to the upward flow of air.