Patent Application
20120265589
The invention relates to methods and systems for recycling recyclable material involving revenue sharing of the value of the recyclable material.
Existing recycling systems use a variety of techniques to incentivize individual users to recycle. Existing systems (such as RecycleBank, TOMRA, and Waste Management) use coupons and discount offerings on consumer packaged goods to encourage users to recycle more often and to recycle a larger volume of recyclable materials.
Some states having bottle bills (such as ME and CT) where consumers are required by law to pay a fee ($0.05 to $0.15) on beverage containers purchased. Only after returning the empty container to a redemption center (like CLYNK) or a reverse vending machine (made by TOMRA, Envipco, Can and Bottle Systems) does the user get his or her money back. Thus, there is a need for a recycling system where a user is incentivized via economic principles to increase his or her recycling rate. There is a need for a market driven method and system that will incentivize individual users economically to increase recycling rates.
Various existing systems, while providing teachings of recycling methods, however, do not achieve these objectives and do not provide a market driven method and system that will incentivize individual users economically to increase recycling rates.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,030 to Compton et al. discloses a method for removing recyclables that allows for customer's accounts to be credited. The accounts can then be used to send money to charity.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0219862 to Casella et al. discloses a system and method for identifying and processing recyclables having a recycling tag and measuring and assessing the quality of goods while providing a benefit to the users associated with recyclable containers.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0260466 to Casella et al. discloses methods for a recycling program that include measuring the quantity and amount of recyclables and providing a user-specific diversion rate based on ratio of the recyclable materials to waste. Other prior art references also disclose recycling systems and methods.
However, none of the above mentioned patents and patent application, or any of the existing systems, disclose a market driven solution that is based on a revenue sharing model that will incentivize consumers to increase their personal recycling rates.
This is a desired object of the invention.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recycling system with a revenue sharing model that incentivizes users to increase their personal recycling rates.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method and system that has revenue sharing.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing a method for recycling the recyclables of individual users comprising the steps of: transporting the recyclables to a drop-off facility; determining the quality and volume of the recyclables; densifying the recyclables to form densified recyclables; transporting the densified recyclables to a municipal recycling facility; processing the densified recyclables to form processed recyclables at the municipal recycling facility; determining the value of the processed recyclables; and sharing the value of the processed recyclables with the individual users via revenue sharing, the revenue sharing based upon providing the individual users with a percentage of the value of the processed recyclables based upon the amount and/or value of the recyclables contributed by each individual. The revenue sharing may be a revenue sharing model and/or algorithm. The value of the recyclables may be a net value or a gross value.
The method may further comprise the step of providing one or more containers for the recyclables to be deposited in. The transporting step may involve the recyclables being transported via the one or more containers. The one or more containers are individualized to each of the individual users via unique bar codes, and/or identification systems.
The method may further comprise the step of deducting operating and processing costs from the value of the processed recyclables prior to sharing the value of the processed recyclables with the individual users via the revenue sharing.
The step of transporting the recyclables to a drop off facility may be conducted by the individual users or by a third party collector. The step of revenue sharing may credit the individual users on a regular basis based upon a percentage of the value of the processed recyclables. The step of crediting the individual users may occur, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
The revenue sharing step may credit the individual users on a regular basis based upon the volume and quality of recyclables each individual user contributed during a period prior to processing the densified recyclables. This may occur weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
The revenue sharing step may reward the individual users with coupons or credits for free merchandise. Coupons may be sent weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Coupons may also be sent once individual users have reached certain recycling goals.
The revenue sharing step may also allow for the individual users to be credited electronically via electronic accounts for each of the individual users. Such electronic accounts may be bank account or may be an account that is linked to the recycling method and system. The revenue sharing step may allow the individual users to assign a percentage of the value in their electronic accounts to charity. This may occur automatically and a tax report and receipt of the individual users may be printed, such that individual users receive tax credits and benefits.
The step of determining the value of the processed recyclables may involve using spot commodity pricing. The step of determining the value of the processed recyclables may involve using generally accepted market rates for various recyclable materials. Such rates are typically adjusted monthly based on industry supply and demand.
Other objects of the invention are achieved by providing a system for recycling the recyclables for individual users comprising: one or more containers for recyclables to be deposited; a densification apparatus, the densification apparatus for densifying the recyclables to form densified recyclables; a processor, the processor for processing the densified recyclables to form processed recyclables; and a computer, the computer for determining the value of the processed recyclables and for sharing the value of the processed recyclables with the individual users via revenue sharing. The revenue sharing may be a model and/or algorithm. The value of the recyclables may be a net value or a gross value.
The system may have one or more containers that are individualized to each of the individual users via unique bar codes.
The computer in the system may deduct operating and processing costs from the value of processed recyclables and may credit individual users on a regular basis based upon a percentage of the value of the processed recyclables.
The system may have the computer deduct operating and processing costs from the value of processed recyclables and may credit individual users on a regular basis based upon a percentage of the volume, quality and value of recyclables each individual user contributed to be processed by the processor.
The system may have the revenue sharing reward the individual users with coupons or credits for free merchandise. The system may have the individual users be credited electronically via electronic accounts for each of the individual users.
The system may have the revenue sharing allow the individual users to assign a percentage of the value in their account to charity. The system may have the computer, when determining the value of the processed recyclables use spot commodity pricing.
Other objects of the invention are achieved by providing a method for recycling the recyclables of individual users comprising the steps of: providing one or more containers for the recyclables to be deposited in; transporting the recyclables to a drop-off facility via the one or more containers; determining the quality and volume of the recyclables; densifying the recyclables to form densified recyclables; transporting the densified recyclables to a municipal recycling facility; processing the densified recyclables to form processed recyclables at the municipal recycling facility; determining the value of the processed recyclables; and sharing the value of processed recyclables with the individual users via revenue sharing, the revenue sharing crediting individual users on a regular basis based upon a percentage of the value of the processed recyclables. The revenue sharing may be a model and/or algorithm. The value of the recyclables may be a net value or a gross value.
The method may have the step of determining the quality and volume of the recyclables be done via an optical sensor. The method may further comprise the step of storing data in a computer, the data comprising customer ID data, transaction data, weight data, and scan quality data.
The method may further comprise the step of sorting the densified recyclables into bales of different materials.
The method step of determining the value of processed recyclables may be based upon calculating the price of different materials using pricing indices multiplied with the weight of the bales of the different materials.
The method may further comprise a step of deducting operating and/or processing costs from the value of the processed recyclables prior to sharing the value of the processed recyclables with the individual users via the revenue sharing.
Other objects of the invention and its particular features and advantages will become more apparent from consideration of the following drawings and accompanying detailed description. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Referring to
The next step shown in
The next step of the method is 140, which is a step to densify the recyclable material 140 to form densified recyclables or densified recyclable material. The densification step may involve conveying the recyclable material to a compactor. The compactor will densify, i.e., compact or compress the recyclable material. The densification step 140 allows large amounts of recyclable materials to be converted into densified recyclable materials, which contain less volume. It is easier and more cost efficient, to transport the densified recyclable materials and to store such materials in a compactor.
Once the compactor is full, the compactor is hauled by truck to a Material Recycling Facility. This is shown as step 150, which involves transporting the densified recyclables to a municipal recycling facility. This step can also be done by train or by a device which can transport a compactor.
Once at the material recycling facility (also known as a municipal recycling facility), the densified recyclable materials undergo the processing step 160. Processing step 160 involves sorting the densified recyclable materials into bales of separate materials. The densified recyclables form processed recyclables. Thus, the aluminum materials will be separated and sorted separately from other materials such as paper or fiber. The processing may occur manually or via automated robots or machinery.
The next step involves determining the value of the processed recyclables 170. This step involves valuing the bales of aluminum, plastic, paper and fiber based on pricing indices used by the recycling industry. These prices are adjusted monthly. This is also shown in
Once the value of the recyclables has been established, the next step involves sharing the value of the processed recyclables via revenue sharing 170. This is shown in
The individualized users are then credited based upon the volume, quality and/or the value of the recyclable materials they contributed. This is for the time period that they contributed prior to processing at the municipal recycling facility, typically every two weeks. However, the time period that individualized users contribute may be weekly or even monthly.
The users may be credited electronically 240 into their bank accounts or accounts associated with the recycling system and method. Alternatively, users may also be credited via coupons or credits for free merchandise 245. Additionally, the users are optionally enabled to assign a percentage of their credits to a charity 250. These steps (220, 230, 240, 245 and 250) are all part of a revenue sharing system and method. It is an object of the invention to achieve this revenue sharing.
The revenue sharing may also involve having the users be credited for signing up friends and family to be part of the recycling system and method. This is shown in
Referring to
The computer 425 is shown linked to a database 435 and to a bank 455, having various bank accounts linked to individualized users. The computer can electronically transmit funds to the individual bank accounts of users. The computer may also issue coupons to frequent users or users that have hit various recycling milestones and levels. The computer can produce these coupons based upon a range of variables collected in the database.
While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation and that various changes and modifications in form and details may be made thereto, and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.
The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature, and thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention
