Method and apparatus for containing and removing construction debris

Abstract

A method and apparatus for containing and removing construction debris at a construction site. The apparatus comprises a base having low side walls and side boards mated therewith to form a construction debris container. The base is preferably molded plastic having collapsible side board stabilizers molded therein. The side boards are preferably conventional sheets of plywood. In the preferred embodiment, the base is delivered to a construction site and the side boards are disposed inside the side walls and secured together with a joiner to form a substantially rigid construction debris container. Once the container is filled with construction debris, the debris is removed from the container using relatively lightweight equipment such as a grapple. The construction debris container is then disassembled and removed from the construction site.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a method for material handling. This invention relates particularly to a method for containing and removing construction debris.

BACKGROUND

Residential and commercial construction sites often generate a large amount of dry waste and debris of highly varying sizes. This debris, sometimes comprised of material that is hazardous to the environment, must be properly contained at the site and disposed of properly. Current methods of waste containment and disposal include the use of a large, preassembled construction debris container, such as a steel dumpster, to store dry debris. The debris is loaded into the large construction debris container at the construction site. To remove the debris, the container is loaded by crane or front loader to a truck that drives the container off the construction site. Unfortunately, this method of debris removal often requires driving heavy equipment over a curb or other surface that is fragile relative to the weight of the equipment. For example, to deliver a construction debris container or to retrieve debris from a container located behind or to the side of a house, a semi-tractor with flatbed trailer may have to drive through the front yard. This may involve driving over a curb, on a sidewalk, on a driveway strong enough only for passenger cars, over the yard that may have a sprinkler system laid, or over water control boxes. It would be desirable to have a debris removal system that does not risk damaging fragile surfaces or structures. It would be desirable to employ a more lightweight container that can be delivered in parts and assembled at the construction site so as to avoid delivery and removal by heavy machinery.

Another common method is to prop four plywood sheets against each other to form a bottomless box. While convenient and relatively inexpensive, this has the disadvantage of allowing debris to contact the ground, where it may transfer undesirable materials to the ground, such as asbestos or caustic chemicals. Rain on the debris in the open box can exacerbate the transfer of such undesirable materials to the land. It would be desirable to contain the debris more efficiently.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a container for construction debris that can be delivered, assembled, disassembled, and reused without the invasiveness of heavy machinery. It is a further object to provide a method of delivering a debris container, loading the debris container with construction debris, and removing the debris from a remote location such that heavy equipment does not have to drive on curbs, driveways, and other prohibited travel areas. It is another object of this invention to provide a container for construction debris that prevents contamination of the land at the construction site.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a method and apparatus for containing and removing construction debris at a construction site. The apparatus comprises a base having low side walls and side boards mated therewith to form a construction debris container. The base is preferably molded plastic having collapsible side board stabilizers molded therein. The side boards are preferably conventional sheets of plywood. In the preferred embodiment, the base is delivered to a construction site and the side boards are disposed inside the side walls and secured together with a joiner to form a substantially rigid construction debris container. Once the container is filled with construction debris, the debris is removed from the container using relatively lightweight equipment such as a grapple. The construction debris container is then disassembled and removed from the construction site.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a partially-filled container and the preferred embodiment of equipment for removing the debris at a construction site.

FIG. 2A illustrates a partially-filled container and an alternative embodiment of equipment for removing the debris at a construction site.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a base of the container.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view a base of the container with stabilizing ridges.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section of the base of FIG. 4 along line 5-5.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section of an alternate embodiment of the base.

FIG. 7 is a perspective partial view of a second alternate embodiment of the base with stabilizing pegs.

FIG. 8 is a perspective partial view of a third alternate embodiment of the base with stabilizing pegs.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cap joiner.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an L-shaped bracket joiner.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a partially assembled container,

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an assembled container, showing a cap joiner and an L-shaped bracket joiner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated the inventive method for containing and removing construction debris, designated generally as 10, which takes place at construction site 20. The construction site 20 is the general area, such as a city block or parcel of land, wherein a construction, repair, rehabilitation, renovation, or other project requiring debris removal is taking place, and includes adjacent roads or channels of ingress and egress where construction equipment, such as delivery vehicles, may be located for utilization at the construction site. The project taking place at the construction site 20 may be characterized as residential, commercial, or industrial; in the preferred embodiment, the project is residential.

The construction site 20 may comprise heavy travel areas, prohibited travel areas, or a combination of both. Heavy travel areas can withstand ingress, egress, and stationary location of heavy construction equipment, such as dump trucks and cranes, without damage to the travel surface or underlying structures. Common heavy travel areas include main or heavy-load-bearing roads, adjacent undeveloped land, and industrial parking lots. Prohibited travel areas are impassable by heavy construction equipment without sustaining damage. Common prohibited travel areas include side streets, driveways, sidewalks, and parking lots that may crack or crumble under excessive weight; street curbs or other embankments; hedgerows; fences; irrigation and wastewater ravines; and residential property which may contain special landscaping or irrigation systems or may collapse under heavy weight. In the preferred embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 2, construction site 20 is a residential construction site populated by examples of both heavy travel and prohibited travel areas: main road 25 is a heavy travel area, while residential side-street 24, concrete embankment 23 or curb, driveway 22, and yard 21 are prohibited travel areas.

The container comprises generally a base 50 and one or more sideboards 60. Following the inventive method 10, a base 50 is delivered to the construction site 20. The container 30 may be delivered assembled or unassembled, and the sideboards 60 may be delivered at the same time as the base or separately. The base 50 and sideboards 60 may each be composed of one or more materials suitable to contain construction debris, including steel or other metal, cardboard, plywood or other woods, woven, malleable, or rigid plastic, compacted rubber, or other polymers. The base 50 and sideboards 60 may be made of the same materials or different materials. Preferably the base 50 is made of a substantially waterproof, lightweight, durable, reusable, weather resistant plastic and the sideboards are common 4 ft.×8 ft. plywood sheets. Alternatively, the base 50 and sideboards 60 may be made of a disposable material, such as cardboard or plastic.

The container 30 may be any size large enough to contain the construction debris generated by a construction project of a certain size. The container 30 may be shaped like a circle, square, rectangle, or any other shape conducive to containing construction debris, and is preferably about 8 ft×8 ft. square bounded by the plywood sheets. The container 30 may be substantially watertight to contain wastewater associated with the construction debris and rain that falls on the open box. Alternatively, depending on factors such as the local weather, cost, weight, and environmental regulations, the base 50 may be perforated or otherwise constructed to allow water to drain from the container 30.

The base 50 works in cooperation with the sidewalls 60 to contain the debris, which may be joined to each other in various ways to accomplish the containment. Referring to FIGS. 3-12, various examples of reinforcing the integrity of the assembled container are illustrated. The sideboard 60 is shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 5-7. In the preferred embodiment, the periphery of the base 50 has low sidewalls 51 to which the sideboards 60 are propped against. The sidewall 51 may be collapsible so that the base can be substantially flattened and easily stacked. To further stabilize the container, the base 50 may further comprise a ridge 52 that forms a trough 54 with the sidewall 51, into which a sideboard 60 is inserted. See FIG. 5. Preferably the ridge 52 is molded into the base 50. In an alternate embodiment, another ridge 52 is substituted for the sidewall 51. See FIG. 6. For added stability, the bottom 55 may be extended past the ridges 52. In a third embodiment, sideboard 60 is mated with the base 50 by inserting it between the sidewall 51 and a series of nodules or pegs 53 which are preferably molded in the base 50. See FIGS. 7 and 8. Alternatively, the pegs 53 can be fit into holes in the base, for example by friction fit or threads. Other structures to keep the sideboards 60 substantially perpendicular to the base 50 will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The walls of the container 30 are sideboards 60. The sideboards 60 are secured to each other such that they may easily be assembled and disassembled repeatedly so that the container 30 can be delivered easily and reused. The sideboards 60 can be fastened to each other by any joiner, including a fastening plate, corner cap 70, or L-shaped bracket 71, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, respectively. To assemble the container, in one embodiment the sideboards 60 are mated with the base 50 and a corner cap 70 is placed over each top-corner intersection of the walls. See FIGS. 11 and 12. In another embodiment, the sideboards 60 are mated with the base 50 and an L-shaped bracket 71 is placed around each top-corner intersection of the walls and secured there by a conventional wingnut 72 and bolt 73. Combinations of joiners can be used, as shown in FIG. 12.

The container 30 may be assembled before delivery to the construction site 20, or may be delivered unassembled and assembled at a preferred location within the construction site 20. In the preferred embodiment, the container 30 is delivered unassembled to facilitate its placement within the construction site 20 at a location conducive to efficiently performing the project. Because this location may be remote from and inaccessible by heavy machinery, the parts of container 30 can be transported by hand or by lightweight vehicles. Multiple containers 30 may be delivered to the construction site 20.

Once the container 30 is full or the construction project is completed, the construction debris is removed from the container 30 using a debris removal vehicle 40. Preferably the debris removal vehicle 40 is a dump truck equipped with a grapple 41. See FIG. 2. The debris removal vehicle 40 operator maneuvers the grapple into position over the container 30, lowers the grapple over the construction debris, grabs the construction debris, removes it from the container 30 and places it in the bed of the dump truck for subsequent disposal at the appropriate facility, such as a recycling or waste facility. In large or multi-unit construction projects, where there may be multiple containers 30, the debris removal vehicle 40 will empty one container, move to a second container 30 and empty it, move to a third container 30 and empty it, etc., until all the containers 30 are empty. The removal vehicle 40 is prohibited from passing over any prohibited travel areas (such as yard 21, driveway 22, concrete embankment 23, and side street 24), so the removal vehicle 40 advantageously remains on a heavy travel area or other non-prohibited travel area, such as main road 25.

In an alternate embodiment, the debris removal vehicle 40 is a debris transferor 43 equipped with a grapple 41, used in cooperation with a debris remover 42. The debris transferor may be a Bobcat or a front loader, for example; the debris remover may be a dump truck or flatbed. FIG. 2A shows an alternate embodiment in which the debris removal vehicle 40 is a Bobcat 43 equipped with a grapple 41 cooperating with a dump truck 42. As in the preferred embodiment, the heavy part of the removal vehicle 40, in the alternate embodiment the dump truck or flatbed, does not travel on prohibited areas.

When the containers are no longer needed, each container 30 is disassembled and the component parts, namely the base 50, sideboards 60, and joiners, are removed from the site. The components are preferably retained for future use, but may be disposed of or recycled. In another embodiment, the entire container 30 is removed from the construction site, emptied, and returned to the site if necessary. The container 30, if too heavy to be transported on the ground over any prohibited travel areas, is removed from the construction site 20 by crane or over a temporary bridge that will not damage the prohibited travel areas. The container 30 may be taken to a waste facility, emptied and reused.

While there has been illustrated and described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that this invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A construction debris container comprising:

a) a base comprising a bottom;

b) one or more removable side boards that cooperates with the base to contain construction debris.

2. The construction debris container of claim 1 further comprising:

a) at least one joiner for connecting a first and second sideboard to each other.

3. The construction debris container of claim 1 wherein the base further comprises at least one sidewall.

4. The construction debris container of claim 3 wherein the sidewall is collapsible.

5. The construction debris container of claim 1 wherein the base further comprises a side board stabilizer.

6. The construction debris container of claim 5 wherein the side board stabilizer is a ridge projecting from the base to form a trough between the sidewall and the ridge to hold a sideboard substantially perpendicular to the base.

7. The construction debris container of claim 5 wherein the side board stabilizer is one or more pegs that projects from the base to hold a sideboard substantially perpendicular to the base.

8. The construction debris container of claim 2 wherein the joiner is a corner cap.

9. The construction debris container of claim 2 wherein the joiner is an L-shaped bracket.

10. The construction debris container of claim 1 wherein the base is substantially watertight.

11. The construction debris container of claim 1 wherein the base allows water to drain therefrom.

12. The construction debris container of claim 1 wherein the base is molded plastic.

13. The construction debris container of claim 1 wherein the side boards are plywood.

14. A method for containing and removing construction debris from inside a prohibited heavy equipment travel area comprising:

a) delivering a base to a first construction site;

b) assembling a container by mating one or more sideboards to the base;

c) depositing the construction debris into the container; and

d) removing the construction debris from the container using a debris removal vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the debris removal vehicle is equipped with a grapple.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the debris removal vehicle is a dump truck equipped with a grapple.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the debris removal vehicle comprises a front loader that cooperates with a dump truck.

18. The method according to claim 14 wherein the base comprises a sideboard stabilizer.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein assembling the container further comprises attaching a first sideboard to a second sideboard with a joiner.

20. The method according to claim 14 further comprising delivering the base to a second construction site.