Waste shipping method using railroad flatcars

Abstract

The waste shipping method using railroad flatcars includes producing or receiving a plurality of plastic wrapped bales of waste for transport. The wrapped bales of waste are loaded onto railway flatcars, preferably center beam flatcars, and secured thereto by ties or cables. The bales may be loaded horizontally or stacked vertically on the flatbed. A right angle corner protector, which may be made from high-density polyethylene or heavy-duty cardboard, prevents the securing cables from tearing the plastic wrap along the outside edges of the bales. The cables may be secured to the center beam and extend through holes formed in the corner protectors, and then secured to the bed or the side of the flatcar. Recyclable waste may be packaged and transported to recycling centers in this manner.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A waste shipping method using railroad flatcars, comprising the steps of:
 packaging waste into a plurality of bales;   wrapping each of the bales of waste in plastic, forming a wrapped bale of waste;   providing at least one railway flatcar for transporting the wrapped waste bales, the at least one railway flatcar having a flatbed and an effective carrying weight capacity greater than a container railcar;   loading the wrapped waste bales onto the at least one railway flatcar in at least one stack;   placing at least one corner protector onto an outer corner of at least one of the loaded bales to form at least one protected bale;   wrapping at least one tie around the at least corner protector and the at least one protected bale;   securing the at least one tie to a side of the at least one railway flatcar to secure the bales to the at least one railway flatcar; and   transporting the loaded wrapped waste bales to a waste disposal processing site.   
     
     
         2 . The waste shipping method according to  claim 1 , wherein each said bale is substantially a rectangular parallelepiped block. 
     
     
         3 . The waste shipping method according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one railway flatcar comprises a center beam flatcar having an elevated central beam and a plurality of spaced vertical supports disposed between the central beam and said flatbed, the central beam and the vertical supports forming a vertical partition wall longitudinally bisecting said flatbed. 
     
     
         4 . The waste shipping method according to  claim 3 , wherein said center beam flatcar further comprises a front bulkhead and a back bulkhead, the center beam extending between the bulkheads. 
     
     
         5 . The waste shipping method according to  claim 3 , wherein said at least one tie is secured to said partition wall. 
     
     
         6 . The waste shipping method according to  claim 3 , wherein said step of loading the wrapped waste bales comprises loading the bales so that the bales extend in horizontal rows on the flatbed, each of the horizontal rows having an end, each of the horizontal rows being secured to the partition wall by the at least one tie, the at least one tie extending over the at least one corner protector at the end of the horizontal row. 
     
     
         7 . The waste shipping method according to  claim 3 , wherein said step of loading the wrapped waste bales comprises loading the bales so that the bales are stacked vertically on the flatbed, each of the vertical stacks having a topmost bale having an outer edge, each of the vertical stacks being secured to the partition wall by the at least one tie, the at least one tie extending over the at least one corner protector at the outer edge of the topmost stack. 
     
     
         8 . The waste shipping method according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one corner protector comprises an angled bracket. 
     
     
         9 . The waste shipping method according to  claim 8 , wherein said angled bracket comprises an L-shaped bracket having a pair of orthogonally disposed sidewalls, the sidewalls meeting at a reinforced juncture, the at least one tie extending over the reinforced juncture. 
     
     
         10 . The waste shipping method according to  claim 9 , wherein each said sidewall is triangular. 
     
     
         11 . The waste shipping method according to  claim 9 , wherein said reinforced juncture has a hole defined therein, the at least one tie being threaded through the hole in the reinforced juncture. 
     
     
         12 . The waste shipping method according to  claim 9 , wherein said at least one corner protector has at least one tack at a distal end of at least one of said sidewalls, the step of placing at least one corner protector further comprising piercing the plastic wrap with the tack and securing the tack in said bale. 
     
     
         13 . The waste shipping method according to  claim 9 , wherein said waste comprises recyclable waste. 
     
     
         14 . A method of transporting waste, comprising the steps of:
 receiving bales of waste, each of the bales being packaged in a plastic wrapper;   loading the bales onto a railway flatcar; and   securing the bales to the flatcar with cables extending over the bales.   
     
     
         15 . The method of transporting waste according to  claim 14 , wherein the railway flatcar comprises a center beam flatcar. 
     
     
         16 . The method of transporting waste according to  claim 14 , where said securing step further comprises the step of interposing a corner protector between each said cable and a corner edge of the bales wherever said cables contact the bales. 
     
     
         17 . The method of transporting waste according to  claim 16 , wherein each said corner protector has a hole defined therein, said cables extending through the holes defined in said corner protectors. 
     
     
         18 . The method of transporting waste according to  claim 16 , wherein each said corner protector is made from high-density polyethylene. 
     
     
         19 . The method of transporting waste according to  claim 16 , further comprising the step of securing said corner protectors to said bales so that said corner protectors remain in place on the bales. 
     
     
         20 . The method of transporting waste according to  claim 14 , wherein said waste is recyclable waste, the method further comprising the step of transporting the bales on the railway flatcar to a recycling center for recycling the waste.