Abstract: A receptacle assembly for receiving empty containers includes a set of receptacles and a base. The base includes a guide adapted to control orientation of each receptacle in the set of receptacles when a receptacle is assembled on the base. When assembled on the base, each receptacle includes at least one inner side wall arranged adjacent to a side wall of another receptacle in the set of receptacles, and at least one outer side wall that does not face any side wall of a receptacle in the set of receptacles. The upper edge of a first inner side wall of a first receptacle extends downwards from a first intersection between the first inner side wall and one first outer side wall, to a point where the upper edge has a height which is lower than the height of any upper edge of each outer side wall of the first receptacle.

Abstract: A receptacle assembly for receiving empty containers includes a set of receptacles and a base. The base includes a guide adapted to control orientation of each receptacle in the set of receptacles when a receptacle is assembled on the base. When assembled on the base, each receptacle includes at least one inner side wall arranged adjacent to a side wall of another receptacle in the set of receptacles, and at least one outer side wall that does not face any side wall of a receptacle in the set of receptacles. The upper edge of a first inner side wall of a first receptacle extends downwards from a first intersection between the first inner side wall and one first outer side wall, to a point where the upper edge has a height which is lower than the height of any upper edge of each outer side wall of the first receptacle.

Abstract: An automated container handling and processing system includes a metal container handling subsystem and a plastic container handling subsystem. Each container subsystem includes a roller conveyor for conveying a plurality of large bins carrying crushed containers derived from reverse vending machines. An automated dumping station receives and inverts the bins sequentially to dump the crushed containers into a central hopper, then sends the bins to a washer which cleans the bins for reuse. A separate belt conveyor receives containers which do not require identification or accounting and conveys them to the central hopper. A second belt conveyor which also leads to the central hopper receives containers from one or more sorting machines which process non-crushed containers from non-RV machine return centers.