Dumpster

Abstract

A dumpster includes a plurality of walls that cooperate to define a dumpster interior. A lip is formed about an upper periphery of the walls. A lid is attached to the dumpster to close access to the dumpster interior. The lid rests on the lip when in the closed position. An access feature is formed within the lip to allow access for a hand to easily raise the lid to access the dumpster interior.

1 . A dumpster comprising:
 a base wall;   a plurality of walls extending upwardly from a periphery of the base wall to define a dumpster interior;   at least one lid movable to close access to the dumpster interior;   a lip formed about an upper periphery of the plurality of walls; and   at least one access feature formed in the lip and adapted to allow access for a hand to easily raise the lid to access the dumpster interior.   
     
     
         2 . The dumpster of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of walls includes a front wall, side walls and rear wall, and wherein the at least one lid is hingeably mounted to the lip along an upper edge of the rear wall. 
     
     
         3 . The dumpster of  claim 2  wherein the at least one lid comprises a plurality of lids that are moveable between open and closed positions independently of each other and wherein the at least one access feature is associated with one or more of the lids. 
     
     
         4 . The dumpster of  claim 1  wherein the lip comprises a hollow structure including a bottom wall, a forward wall, a rearward wall, and an upper wall. 
     
     
         5 . The dumpster of  claim 4  wherein the plurality of walls includes at least a front wall and a rear wall with the lid being pivotally connected to the rear wall, and wherein the at least one access feature is formed within the lip along an upper edge of the front wall. 
     
     
         6 . The dumpster of  claim 5  wherein the at least one access feature comprises at least one recess formed within an outer surface of the lip. 
     
     
         7 . The dumpster of  claim 6  wherein the lip includes an angled wall extending upwardly from the forward wall of the lip to a truncated portion of the upper wall and a pair of side walls on opposing sides of the angled wall that cooperate to form the recess. 
     
     
         8 . The dumpster of  claim 6  wherein the at least one lid comprises a plurality of lids and including at least one recess formed in the lip for each lid. 
     
     
         9 . The dumpster of  claim 4  wherein the plurality of walls includes at least a front wall, a rear wall, and a pair of side walls with the lid being pivotally connected at the rear wall, and wherein the at least one access feature is formed within the lip at a location between an intersection of an upper edge of the front wall and an upper edge of one of the pair of side walls. 
     
     
         10 . The dumpster of  claim 9  wherein the at least one access feature comprises at least one recess formed within an outer surface of the lip. 
     
     
         11 . The dumpster of  claim 10  wherein the lip includes an angled wall connecting the front wall of the lip to the upper wall of the lip to form the recess, and wherein the angled wall extends along a portion of the front wall and the one of the pair of side walls. 
     
     
         12 . The dumpster of  claim 9  wherein the at least one access feature comprises a truncation formed at least at one corner of the dumpster. 
     
     
         13 . The dumpster of  claim 12  wherein the truncation comprises an angled forward wall portion of the forward wall of the lip, the angled forward wall portion extending obliquely relative to the front wall of the dumpster and the one of the pair of side walls. 
     
     
         14 . The dumpster of  claim 13  wherein a corner of the lid projects outwardly of the lip such that a bottom surface of the corner comprises a hand grip surface. 
     
     
         15 . The dumpster of  claim 1  wherein the at least one lid comprises first and second lids that are moveable between open and closed positions independently of each other, and wherein the at least one access feature comprises at least one first access feature associated with the first lid and at least one second access feature associated with the second lid. 
     
     
         16 . The dumpster of  claim 1  wherein the at least one access feature comprises a recess formed in the lip. 
     
     
         17 . The dumpster of  claim 16  wherein the recess is formed at least at one of an upper front wall edge of the dumpster and a corner of the dumpster. 
     
     
         18 . The dumpster of  claim 1  wherein the at least one access feature comprises a truncation formed at least at one corner of the dumpster. 
     
     
         19 . The dumpster of  claim 1  including pockets associated with two opposite walls of the plurality of walls, the pockets adapted to receive fork arms of a refuse vehicle. 
     
     
         20 . The dumpster of  claim 19  wherein the pockets comprise sleeves that are supported from front and rear support members on each of the two opposite side walls. 
     
     
         21 . The dumpster of  claim 20  wherein the sleeves are removable from the front and rear support members. 
     
     
         22 . The dumpster of  claim 1  wherein an upper surface of the lip includes at least one stacking recess to receive a corresponding stacking post of another dumpster. 
     
     
         23 . A dumpster comprising:
 a base wall;   a front wall extending upwardly from the base wall;   a rear wall extending upwardly from the base wall;   at least first and second side walls extending upwardly from the base wall, wherein the base wall, front wall, rear wall, and first and second side walls cooperate to define a dumpster interior;   a lip formed about an upper edge of the front wall, rear wall, and first and second side walls; and   at least one lid hingeably connected to the lip at the rear wall to close access to the dumpster interior; and   at least one access feature formed in the lip and adapted to allow access for a hand to easily raise the lid to access the dumpster interior.   
     
     
         24 . The dumpster of  claim 23  wherein the at least one lid comprises a plurality of lids that are moveable between open and closed positions independently of each other, and wherein the at least one access feature comprises at least one access feature associated with each lid of the plurality of lids. 
     
     
         25 . The dumpster of  claim 23  wherein the lip comprises a hollow structure including a bottom wall, a forward wall, a rearward wall, and an upper wall. 
     
     
         26 . The dumpster of  claim 25  wherein the at least one access feature comprises at least one recess formed in the lip. 
     
     
         27 . The dumpster of  claim 26  wherein the at least one recess is formed in the lip at least at one of an upper front wall edge of the dumpster and a corner of the dumpster. 
     
     
         28 . The dumpster of  claim 27  wherein the at least one recess comprises a plurality of recesses with at least one recess being formed at the upper front wall edge and at least one recess being formed at the corner. 
     
     
         29 . The dumpster of  claim 27  wherein the at least one recess is formed at the upper front wall edge of the dumpster and wherein the lip includes an angled wall extending upwardly from the forward wall of the lip to a truncated portion of the upper wall and a pair of side walls on opposing sides of the angled wall that cooperate to form the recess. 
     
     
         30 . The dumpster of  claim 27  wherein the at least one recess is formed at the corner of the dumpster, and wherein the lip includes an angled wall connecting the forward wall of the lip to the upper wall of the lip to form the recess, and wherein the angled wall extends along a portion of the front wall of the dumpster and the one of the first and second side walls. 
     
     
         31 . The dumpster of  claim 25  wherein the at least one access feature comprises a truncation formed at least at one corner of the dumpster. 
     
     
         32 . The dumpster of  claim 31  wherein the truncation comprises an angled forward wall portion of the forward wall of the lip, the angled forward wall portion extending obliquely relative to the front wall of the dumpster and the one of the first and second side walls. 
     
     
         33 . The dumpster of  claim 32  wherein a corner of the lid projects outwardly of the lip such that a bottom surface of the corner comprises a hand grip surface. 
     
     
         34 . The dumpster of  claim 23  wherein the base wall, front wall, rear wall, first and second side walls, and the lip are all integrally rotomolded to form one-piece plastic structure.