Portawasher: A Self-Contained Dumpster Cleaning System.
Abstract
To help installations fulfill the requirements of AR 420-47, the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) has developed a portable self-contained washing apparatus called the Portawasher. This device cleans dumpsters onsite and retrieves the wash water for treatment and disposal. the Protawasher consists of relatively simple off-the-shelf equipment: a hot-water pressure washer and a vacuum wastewater retrieval system. This equipment, along with clean and wastewater tanks, is mounted on a tandem axle trailer and towed by a standard 3/4-ton pickup truck. The device can be operated by a single person. Capital, operating, maintenance, and labor costs for the Portawasher on a typical installation (Fort Leonard Wood, MO) are estimated to be $11,050/year or $5.50 per cleaning. Contracting the same workload using traditional cleaning methods would cost $12.50 per cleaning at Fort Leonard Wood. The potential savings at Fort Leonard Wood by using a Portawasher is about $14,000 per year. This report describes the development and field testing of the CERL-developed Portawasher and gives equipment specifications and operation and maintenance guidelines.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADA131799
Entities
People
- B. Donahue
- Gary L. Gerdes
Organizations
- Construction Engineering Research Laboratory