Anti-insect and anti-small animal, indiscernible disposable garbage bags
There is provided a bag for use in the disposal of garbage, solid and semi-solid waste, and trash (hereinafter “garbage bag”) formed of a synthetic plastic resin. It comprises a red dye, which renders the garbage bag visibly red to the human eye but substantially less visible and almost indiscernible to insects and animals, and a thickness that prevents the garbage bag from being opaque. In an alternate embodiment, the garbage bag further comprises a composition having insect and animal repellent properties The composition is a mixture of insect repelling natural ingredients which mixture is incorporated into the synthetic resin prior to extrusion or molding to form the bags.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to waste disposal bags and more particularly, it relates to new and improved plastic waste disposal or garbage bags which are not only capable of repelling small animals and insects in a safe manner, but are also substantially less visible and attractive thereto. The term “bags” includes sacks and the like, open or closed at either or both ends.
2. Related and Prior Art Statement
There are many instances where the maintenance of a clean and sanitary home necessitates the disposal of the garbage, trash and waste which is generated within the home. Such trash, waste and garbage can include among other things, paper, dirty paper towels, spent tissues and disposable dishware and cutlery, used food wrappings and packaging, and lots and lots of food scraps left over from either breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. Such food scraps can include dairy products such as cheese and empty yogurt containers, leftover meats and fish, unfinished breads, cookies and cereals, and of course half eaten vegetables and fruits, including but not limited vegetable and fruit peels.
The most common way of waste, trash or garbage removal and disposal consists of placing all the garbage, solid waste and trash in plastic garbage or trash bags and disposing of the bags when they become full. Thereafter, the garbage or trash bags are placed in garbage or trash cans, which in turn are placed curbside to be emptied into garbage trucks for ultimate carting and disposal away from the home.
Often the garbage, solid or semi-solid waste, or trash generated by a home contains thing that other organisms, such as animals or insects, consider a perfect food. Such animals and insects include, among other things, rats, racoons, mice, cats, dogs, flies, wasps, etc., (hereinafter collectively “pests”). Thus, pests become very much attracted to the garbage that humans produce. First, they detect the garbage, waste or trash, i.e., with their sense of sight or smell or both, which in turn allows them to recognize the garbage as a viable food source. Then, via their sense of smell coupled with their vision, they will gravitate to the garbage and if the pests are small animals, tear open, or in some way breach the garbage bag and rummage through it to get to the recognized food. This in turn will create a mess and possibly unsanitary conditions in the area where the garbage or trash bag is placed. If on the other hand, the pests are insects then they will alight on the garbage, lay eggs, and begin the waste putrification process which will not only generate noxious fumes and unsightly garbage but can also lead to the spreading of disease from garbage to humans.
The garbage, trash or waste disposal bags available on the market and commonly used in connection with the disposal of solid and semi-solid waste, garbage or trash are made of either white, black or green plastic of a particularly thin gauge. However, white, black or green trash bags are all visible to all pests, animal and insects alike. Furthermore, even the thickest of the commercially available bags will easily rip from a pest's serious gnawing, and pawing attention to it. Even worse however, is the fact that after putting the garbage bags on the street, they will often sit in the sun and the already semi-spent garbage, waste or trash within will start to heat up. Being hard to seal, these bags will start to let out a stench which will permeate the surrounding area and attract pests. Flies will alight on them and lay eggs and within no time maggots will start to eat the rotting garbage. Additionally, animals like cats, dogs and racoons will jump at the chance to rummage through it.
One way of trying to keep pests away is by spraying the garbage or trash bags with some kind of chemical pesticide or repellant before placing them curbside. Pest repellents and insecticides are well known and very common. Hence, as was just stated herein above, individuals might try to solve the problem of pests rummaging through and making a mess of garbage, or alighting thereon, by taking an ordinary garbage bag and spraying it with, or in some way, applying thereon, on its outer surface a chemical pesticide or repellant. A good example of such a pesticide is the chemical known as “DEET.” However, most chemical repellants, including “DEET,” are toxic both to humans and to animals, and having to spray them onto filled garbage bags every time they are put curbside, can have very seriously negative and deleterious effects on an individual's health, as well as the health of curious pets. Moreover, “DEET” as well as many other commercial pesticides are only effective in repelling insects and do not act as a repellant to other common pest species such as racoons and cats. Finally, applying a pesticide or insecticide directly on the surface of the trash bag providesfor a totally ephemeral and short protection against animals and insects as the surface application of an insecticide or repellant will quickly rub off or wear off from use and exposure to the elements.
The relevant and material prior art has tried to address the garbage and trash bag drawbacks set forth herein above, in various ways and with various devices. One example of improvements in the prior art that have tried to address these disadvantages is Foster et al., U.S. Letters Pat. No. 5,150,541 which discloses a device for killing insects consisting essentially of: (i) a toxin-containing 11 element, and (ii) a mesh covering for the toxin-containing element of (i), to protect nontarget organisms from contact with the toxin, the toxin-containing element comprising about 50% to 78% of the surface area, and the mesh covering comprising about 22% to 50%; and a method for killing insects by exposing them to contact with the described device.
Another example is Ron et. Al. U.S. Letters Pat. No. 5,839,221, which discloses an insecticidal device having a panel of an insect attracting color, preferably yellow, and a spherical body of another color preferably red. The spherical body is capable of defusing a liquid which contains an insect attractant and is combined with the panel in a manner that they form together an essentially flat panel having hemispherical bulges formed by the spherical body. A specific panel, which can be used as a panel in the above device and can be used as an independent insecticidal device is also provided.
Yet another example is Scott et. Al. U.S. Letters Pat. No. 3,771,254 directed to insecticide treated bags. The bags are primarily flexible plastic bags coated or impregnated with an organo-phosphorus insecticide, especially pirimiphos methyl. The pyrimiphos methyl has a vapor pressure at 20 degrees celsius in the range of 1×10−3-1×10−6 millimeters of mercury, and is used in an amount of 1 to 100 m.g. of the insecticide per square foot of bag surface. The pyrimiphos methyl is coated or impregnated onto the plastic bag by passing the bag film continuously through a bath of a solution or dispersion of the insecticide, and preferably in a lacquer or printing ink base, preceded by some treatment to make the plastics surface more retentive to lacquer or printing.
Still another example is Bordenka et. al., U.S. Letters Pat. No. 3,767,785 directed to insect repellent articles. They comprise webs containing a class of insect repellent compounds. These webs in turn can be fabricated into clothing containers and packages or employed as components thereof, significantly lessening the possibility of insect invasions of the interior of the containers with attendant contamination of the contents.
Yet a still further example is Clayton, Jr. U.S. Letters Pat. No. 6,076,678 directed to a tick repellant carcass bag kit for use by hunters in the field to decrease the possibility of deer tick infection. The carcass wrapping kit has a wrap cloth positioned within a hermetically sealed housing member, the wrap cloth being impregnated with a deer tick repellant prior to its positioning within the hermetically sealed housing member or while in the hermetically sealed housing member immediately prior to use by way of a fracturable ampule of vial within the hermetically sealed housing member containing the deer tick repellant.
Still another example is Riley U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,804,142 directed to pest repellent articles for use in connection with receptacles which have not been treated or impregnated. The pest repellent article is for dispensing a repellent composition to a receptacle or area to be protected is disclosed. It comprises an outer cover and an inner porous removable pest repellent composition carrier member. The repellent composition carrier is formed of a compact absorbent structure and is impregnated with a volatile pest repellent composition. The outer cover or envelope completely encloses the repellent composition carrier member and is formed of a flexible, puncturable, tearable material substantially impermeable to the repellent composition and the vapors thereof. The outer cover is releasably sealed about the inner porous pest repellent composition carrier member and can be opened to remove the inner porous repellent composition carrier member. The inner porous pest repellent composition carrier member is releasably sealed whereby the composition carrier member can be opened to release the volatile repellent composition carrier.
Another example is Simpson, U.S. Letters Pat. No. 5,884,801 which discloses an improved trash bag having a sidewall forming a trash-receiving volume, and having an inside surface, an outside surface, and an opening. There is at least one adhesive patch on the inside surface of the trash bag for trapping insects that enter the bag. The adhesive patches preferably extend substantially around the interior of the bag, and are spaced sufficiently from the opening of the bag that when the bag is inserted into a trash container, at least some of the adhesive patches are inside the container. A removable protective cover can be provided on the adhesive patches for protecting the adhesive before the trash bag is used, but which can be removed to expose the adhesive when the trash bag is used. The patches are preferably made to attract insects, for example being of a contrasting color to the inside surface of the bag, having contrasting insect silhouettes, and/or including chemical attractants.
A further example is Fitsakis, U.S. Letters Pat. No. 5,359,808 which discloses a trap bag for the extermination of insects and particularly of may-flies (olive fly, domestic fly, Cherry fly and Mediterranean fly) comprising a trap bag with an insecticide soaked surface, containing a water or water solution with insect attracting substances, insects being killed as they fall upon the toxic surface of this trap bag. The materials used in manufacturing this trap are such as to allow a slow, continuous and controlled evaporation of the substances contained therein, the service life of the trap bag being extended by periodically adding a water solution of the insect attracting substances.
Yet a further example is Hill et. al. U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,238,878 which discloses an insect trap comprising a chimney member adapted to allow a flow of air to be forced therethrough, a reservoir of insect attractant which under the influence of the flow of air is evaporated and borne as a stream of attractant vapor emanating from the chimney member into the surrounding atmosphere, and a tacky substance provided inside the chimney member which will trap flying insects lured therein by the stream of attractant vapor.
Still another example is Rutledge et. al., U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,976,062 which discloses a chemical barrier for rodents and/or reptiles including an elongated flexible, porous fabric tube 22 of a generally rope-like size, shape and flexibility contains a plurality of elongated bodies, 24, 26 . . . of granular repellent material 28. The bodies 24, 26 . . . are spaced from each other by short, generally repellent free gaps 30 within the tube 22 and the size of the granules 28 in each body is sufficiently large that they cannot pass through the fabric forming the tube 22. Barriers 32 at the gaps 30 prevent the entry of the repellent material 28 into the gaps and allow the tube 22 to be severed in the gaps 30 within spillage of repellent material 28.
A final example is Jones, et. al. U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,320,112 directed to a composition for pest repellent receptacles. The receptacle such as a plastic trash can or bag contains an insect and animal repellent for ridding areas containing the receptacles of annoying insects and for preventing animals from turning over or destroying the receptacles when full, avoiding unnecessary clean-ups. Preferably, the pest repellent is incorporated into the receptacle during the forming thereof. Effective amounts of naphthalene flakes and oil of citronella added in solid form to the synthetic resin forming the receptacle provides for the insect and animal repellent properties.
All of the improvements set forth above and many others, both patented and unpatented, focus on changing and improving traditionally available garbage bags, trash bags and waste disposal bags through the addition of insect repellants, insecticides and devices that deliver insect repellants and insecticides thereto. However, the insecticides and the repellants are extremely toxic. For example, according to www.scorecard.com, a website used by a diverse audience, from teachers to health professionals to educate themselves about pollution problems, toxic chemicals and their properties, naphthalene flakes are widely known to be a toxic carcinogen, extremely hazardous to humans. It has both a human inhalation toxicity score and a human health risk screening score above the 75th percentile. This means that it is more toxic and hazardous to humans than over 75 percent of known hazardous chemical compounds. Additionally, it has a environmental health hazard in the 90th percentile. Therefore, if one were to use this on a regular basis, in connection with often used garbage bags, they would be exposing both themselves and the surrounding public, to grave health risks while at the same time introducing pollutants into the environment.
More importantly however, is that the above prior art improvements, fail to completely keep pests, both animals, or insects, or both totally and completely away from the garbage cans.
Traditionally, commonly used garbage bags, trash bags or waste disposal bags are black, green or white. Green, black or white are the only colors used primarily with trash bags due to the low production costs for bags having these colors, the high cost of generating custom colored trash bags and the fact that many of the other colors used in connection with trash bags are reserved for special types of bags. As for example, opaquely red bags are used exclusively for hazardous wastes and the special disposal thereof. However, these colors, i.e., green, black and white are known to be extremely attractive to many pests species, both animals and insects, because they are extremely visible and discernible to them (see for example Hill, et. al. U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,283,878, col. 1, 1. 65-1. 69 stating “ . . . . The outside of the enclosure is preferably a warm or dark color i.e. a brown, red, black or similar colors as such colors attract flying insects).” Thus, the bags' ability to repel because of the repellents, or to kill because of the insecticides is compromised by the counteracting attractive force of the color of the bags, visible to all pests. In other words, the bags' repelling ingredients repel the pests, but the bags' colors attract and hold them; a situation that can prove quite contradictory and ultimately hazardous, particularly if the repellents or insecticides have grown weak with time, thereby allowing the pests to be guided both by their vision of the bag and of their smell.
Accordingly, there is a need for disposable garbage bags, trash bags, and waste management bags that are more successful in keeping pests, both animals, or insects, or both, away from the garbage cans through the use of environmentally and health friendly chemical compositions and the substantial diminution of the pests' ability to see the garbage bags or trash bags, or waste disposal bags.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTIONIT IS THEREFORE AN OBJECT of the present invention to provide a garbage bag which is substantially less visible to both animals and insects.
IT IS ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention to provide a garbage bag which effectively repels both animals and insects.
IT IS YET ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention to repel both insects and animals with repellents that are all natural in addition to being substantially less visible.
IT IS STILL ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention to provide a garbage bag which effectively keeps away both animals and insects by being substantially less visible to them, while simultaneously repelling them through all natural repellents.
IT IS A FURTHER OBJECT of the present invention to provide a substantially less visible repellent-containing garbage bag that poses no health risks to either human or domestic animal.
IT IS YET A FURTHER OBJECT of the present invention to provide a repellent-containing garbage bag that poses no environmental risks whatsoever.
IT IS STILL A FURTHER OBJECT of the present invention to provide a repellent-bearing garbage bag, whose repellent cannot be removed or wiped off
IT IS ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention to provide a novel pest repellent composition and dye which can be incorporated into a garbage bag to render it capable of repelling insects and other animals both through the repellent and through the fact that the dye renders the garbage bag substantially less visible.
These objects, as well as other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following disclosure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to the present invention there is provided a bag for use in the disposal of garbage, solid and semi-solid waste, and trash (hereinafter “garbage bag”) formed of a synthetic plastic resin. The garbage bag further comprises a red dye, which renders the garbage bag visibly red to the human eye but substantially less visible to the eyes of insects, animals or both and a thickness that prevents the garbage bag from being opaque. In an alternate embodiment, the garbage bag further comprises a composition having insect and animal repellent properties The composition is a mixture of insect repelling natural ingredients which mixture is incorporated into the synthetic resin prior to extrusion or molding to form the bags.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSWhile the specification concludes with claims which particularly point out and distinctly claim the present invention, it is believed that the present invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent identical elements and wherein:
Referring more specifically to the drawings,
The inventive waste disposal bag comprises a plastic resin and a red dye. Waste disposal bags according to the present invention are made by first mixing the virgin plastic or recycled plastic resin which is in pelletized form and the dye in proportions that will result in a less than opaque waste disposal bags. Thereafter, the resulting mixture is formed into flexible sheets either by calendering, or by extrusion, preferably followed by drawing in one or more directions at right angles to each other.
The preferred method of making the sheets or film for the inventive waste disposal bags is the well known “bubble” method in which a tube of the mixture is extruded and thereafter caused to expand by the application of internal air pressure to form a tubular bubble. The cooled tubular film may, after flattening, be sealed transversely at intervals of one bag length, and the separate bags severed from the length or provided instead with lines of perforations or similar weakening by which they may subsequently be separated from a reeled length of bags.
The plastic resin pellets may be made from any film-forming polymer, including polyvinyl chloride and copolymers thereof, e.g. with vinylidine chloride; polypropylene, polysulphones and poly-4-methyl-pentene 1. In the preferred embodiment a low density polythene is used on account of its cheapness, and wide use in the manufacture of bags. Or alternatively virgin plastic resin made from up to 80% recycled industrial scrap with a blend of strength enhancers can be used to form the waste disposal bag.
The red dye used to form the waste disposal bags comprises a low density, polyethylene concentrate in pellet form having a red color.
In an alternate embodiment of the inventive waste disposal bag, the inventive waste disposal bags further comprise a repellant mixture. Prior to the formation of the inventive waste disposal bags via the methods set forth herein above, the repellant mixture is pelletized. The pelletized repellant mixture, the plastic resin pellets and the dye are mixed in a proportion that when the plastic waste disposal bag is formed it is translucently red. It is important that the waste disposal bag not be opaque. Failure to meet the necessary translucency requirement will result in the waste disposal bag being mistaken for hazardous waste which in turn will result in special disposal of the bag in accordance with town codes and regulations. In the preferred version of the alternate embodiment, 2.5 pounds of the pelletized repellant is mixed with 97.5 pounds of the recycled or virgin plastic pelletized resin and 2.5 pounds of red dye to manufacture red translucent, insect and animal repellent waste disposal bags that are up to 2.2 mil thick.
Before it is pelletized, the repellant mixture comprises a mixture of all natural ingredients that are registered for use either as food additives or as perfume ingredients. They are considered non-toxic and exempted from registration with the EPA. They comprise peppermint oil, lemon oil, citronella oil, rosemary oil, clove oil, and geranium oil. In the preferred embodiment of the repellant mixture the percent concentration of each of the foregoing natural components of the repellant mixture is as follows: 15% peppermint oil, 10% lemon oil, 5% rosemary oil, 4% citronella oil, 3% clove oil and 3% geranium oil. Notwithstanding the fact that the repellant mixture comprises all natural materials, it is capable of repelling pests, including cockroaches, rats, mice, cats, dogs, raccoons and many others.
Once the repellant mixture is made, it is pelletized in preparation for the next step in the process of producing the inventive waste disposal bag. It is pelletized with inert ingredients consisting of plastic resin, apple pumice and mineral oil, in such a fashion that 40% of each of the pellets comprises the repellant mixture and 60% of each of the pellets comprises the inert ingredients.
It is clear then from all of the above, that incorporating the red dye into the pelletized plastic resin renders the waste disposal bag substantially less visible and indiscernible to pests, both insects and animal. Furthermore, incorporating the 7 repellant mixture further enhances the waste disposal bag indiscernibility qualities by rendering it into an pest repelling device.
It is also clear from all of the above that it would be rather counter intuitive to use red dye in the formation of the inventive waste disposal bag because of two very good reasons: (i) the use of a red dye to form a red, non-opaque, waste disposal bag is contraindicated by the exclusive use of red bags, in connection with hazardous waste bags. Use of a red bag will result in the waste disposal bag being mistaken for hazardous waste which in turn will result in special disposal of the bag in accordance with town codes and regulations; and (ii) the prior art actually states that the color red is actually attractive to insects and animals. Yet the red dye being used, in the concentrations that it is being used in, results in a red translucent waste disposal bag that is substantially less visible and indiscernible to the pests.
Finally, it is clear from the above that the inventive waste disposal bag is effectively indiscernible to both animals and insects; effectively repels both animals and insects with repellents that are all natural; and provides a repellent-containing garbage bag that poses no health risks to either human or domestic animal or risks to the environment.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail herein, they are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the invention. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that various modifications and changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and intent of the present invention, as defined by the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A garbage bag formed of a synthetic resin which contains therein a composition having insect and animal repellent properties and a red dye rendering said garbage bag indiscernible to both insects and animals.
2. A red translucent garbage bag formed of a synthetic resin and comprising a red dye rendering said garbage bag substantially less visible and indiscernible to insects and animals.
3. The red translucent garbage bag as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an all natural, non-toxic repellent mixture.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 22, 2005
Publication Date: Mar 22, 2007
Inventor: Terry Feinberg (St. James, NY)
Application Number: 11/232,789
International Classification: B65D 33/00 (20060101);
