Method and apparatus for cleanly storing and disposing of discarded

Abstract

A system for cleanly storing and disposing of discarded and potentially contaminated articles comprises a disposable receptacle of specialized design and a selectively operable mount for securing the receptacle to a support while in use. The receptacle prior to assembly and deployment on the mount is a unitary nestable sequence of interconnected panels including a rear panel having a back wall, two side walls and a floor extending between the side walls at an acute angle to the back wall to form an open-topped reservoir for trapping fluid from discarded articles. Pivotably mounted to the floor of the rear panel is a face panel which folds into an opposing relationship with the back wall of the rear panel and, by mating with the edges of the side walls, forms above the reservoir an enclosure accessible through an opening formed between the top of the face panel and the top of the back wall. A lid is pivotably attached by an integral hinge to the top of the back wall and biased into closed position occluding the opening to enclosure. Optionally, a guard plate is provided projecting from the lid toward the opening, so that the guard plate at least partially closes the opening when the lid is pivoted out of its closed position. Preferably, all interconnected elements of the nestable sequence of panels are pivotably attached one to another using integral hinges.