This invention relates generally to a system for the handling of containers such as roll-off dumpsters. The system is particularly adapted for use in a water treatment plant for the collecting and removal of the sludge which is conveyed from a filter press and discharged into the interior of a dumpster positioned beneath the discharging end of the sludge conveyor.
A major problem encountered in water treatment plants of the indicated type is that when the sludge is discharged from the conveyor into a dumpster, the sludge piles up in the dumpster at one location directly underneath the discharging end of the conveyor. One attempted solution to this problem was to move the dumpster in order to get a better distribution of the sludge dispensed therein, such movement being achieved either manually or by means of a truck or other vehicle attached to the dumpster. In addition, an employee would actually get inside the dumpster and rake the sludge deposited in the dumpster back and forth in order to achieve a better distribution thereof. Another proposed solution to the problem was to provide an overhead conveyor system that would discharge the sludge at different points along the length of a stationary dumpster. However, such a conveyor system would be excessively expensive and would, for example, cost as much as $80,000, and require a substantial amount of additional maintenance.