Method for Reutilizing Plastic Receptacles and Article Produced by Said Method

Abstract

The invention relates to recycling polymeric articles, in particular plastic receptacles and can be used for reutilizing plastic receptacles made of a heat-shrinkable material. The inventive method for reutilizing plastic receptacles consists in cutting said receptacles into hole-type elements in the form of small tubes and cylinders in order to use them afterwards as heat-shrinkable elements for coating and/or connecting construction elements by heat shrinkage while producing elongated articles which are used mainly as construction and/or advertising elements.

1 . An article, used mainly as a construction and/or advertising element, comprising hollow-type and/or solid mainly cylindrical and/or prismatic structural elements with smoothly mating faces, wherein in said article the structural elements are oriented relative to each other end-to-end and connected together by means of at least one hollow heat-shrinkable element, with hollow heat-shrinkable elements, produced by cutting plastic receptacles made of heat-shrinkable material, being used as hollow heat-shrinkable elements.  
     
     
         2 . An article in  claim 1 , wherein the structural elements are connected together end-to-end.  
     
     
         3 . An article in  claim 1 , wherein at least a part of joints comprises joint elements each having first and second bearing surfaces engaging with ends of adjacent structural elements, with said bearing surfaces being in the planes inclined relative to each other and defining curvature of the article.  
     
     
         4 . An article in  claim 1 , wherein each of the joint elements is made in the form of a flat element, with the joint element being fitted between ends of adjacent structural elements and having the shape corresponding to that of the surface of the structural element ends.  
     
     
         5 . An article in  claim 3 , wherein each of the joint elements is made in the form of a sleeve receiving ends of adjacent structural elements, with the sleeve having the configuration of the inner surface corresponding to that of the structural element ends and comprising at least one circumferential bead on the outer side surface.  
     
     
         6 . An article in  claim 1 , wherein structural elements are used, each comprising at least one circumferential bead on the outer side surface or stiffening members made in the form of flanges on both ends.  
     
     
         7 . An article in  claim 1 , wherein structural elements are connected together by means of the hollow heat-shrinkable elements mounted in such a way that one element overlaps a part of the surface of the other.  
     
     
         8 . An article in  claim 7 , wherein structural elements located at both ends of the article are connected together by means of hollow heat-shrinkable elements made in the form of cylinders comprising the bottom or neck part.  
     
     
         9 . An article in  claim 1 , wherein the article is provided with a coating formed by means of said hollow heat-shrinkable elements mounted at least in one layer and in such a way that one said hollow heat-shrinkable element overlaps a part of the surface of the other element.  
     
     
         10 . An article in  claim 1 , wherein the article is provided with connective elements mounted on ends or side surface, each comprising a base and any conventional fastening member rigidly connected thereto, with the base having the shape corresponding to that of the end or side surface of the article and connected with the article using hollow heat-shrinkable elements.  
     
     
         11 . An article in  claim 1 , wherein containers and/or hollow members made of containers are used as structural elements.  
     
     
         12 . An article in  claim 11 , wherein cans having at least one collar and containing the advertising information thereon are used.  
     
     
         13 . An article in  claim 1  wherein the blocks assembled from flat elements punched from corrugated cardboard are used as structural elements.