Household trash compactors vs plastic bottles

[paulg]

Are standard home trash compactors, popular in the 1970s, 1980s capable of crushing plastic bottles effectively?
Or do the bottles just expand back after crushing enough to negate the effort of crushing them at all?

 

[askolover]

mine flattens them. When it gets full enough, I use the extra pack feature overnight to get it to hold its compaction.

 

[wayupnorth]

We have to recycle them along with cans and get 5 cents each.

 

[foraloysius]

Overhere there’s a deposit on plastic bottles and also on cans since recently.

 

[tolivac]

Just simply take mine to the trash-dump place near me-state owned,operated.They have large compactors there-one for trsh,another for cans and bottles-plastic or glass.They have a thrid compactor for cardboard.

 

[paulg]

Thanks for the info.

In my case, I am trying to help a friend who is well along the way toward hoarding disorder. If I could pick up a trash-compactor cheap, and it works on plastic bottles, it may be money well spent.
However, if the compacted bottles suddenly sprung back to life, knocking me out the door when I opened the drawer, it may not be money well spent.
I’ve wanted one for the house anyway. Thanks for the guidance!

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Plastic bottles and cans do nit really take up a great deal of my recycling bin, except in the occasional abundance if we don't dispose of them laying around our home as quickly...

Likewise I see little to no reason at this point why there needs to eb any deposit and return onsome containers, where they have to be taken to at this point, only become unnecessary labour and expense for what's really viewed as trash...

It should just be regularly recycled as any other refuse, not subject to forcing any monetary reassurance it will go in its proper place, that law at this point I feel has over time gone too far...

-- Dave

 

[delco1946]

to be clear Refuse is not recycled. It’s trash. Recycling is not perfect but it does reduce the amount of single use crap in the world. Ideally we would all consume less, yes. Michigan’s 10 cent deposit ( the highest for decades and all while I grew up there) has also resulted in its roadways and communities staying much cleaner as people were incentivized to pick up bottles. It was a great way for families, kids, and poor college students to make some money.

 

[sudsmaster]

Just got a reminder from the local city trash service what is OK to put in the recycle bin and what is not ok to put in there.

 

Not OK:

 

Plastic takeout dishes

Plastic bags/wrap/film

Chip/Snack packaging

Bubble Wrap

Styrofoam blocks

Pet waste (who the fuck would do that?)

Crockery/Dishware

Personal Hygiene items/diapers

Plastic plates/cups/utensils

CD's, DVD's, VHS Tapes

Soiled Paper towels/napkins/tissues/takeout boxes/coffee filters (belong in Organics bin)

 

What IS ok for the recycle bin:

 

Cardboard boxes (broken down)

Glass containers

Aluminum cans, aluminum foil

Plastic bottles/jugs/food containers

Paper products (looks like envelopes)

Paper food containers (like egg cartons or TP rolls)

 

Now I confess I've been putting some of the above items into the recycle bin, like styrofoam blocks, plastic plates, etc. No more!

 

There was one surprise: food soiled paper/cardboard can go into the Organics bin.

 

Who knew?

 

[circlew]

The only things I take to the recycling bin are glass pop bottles. I sometimes keep the plastic bowls that food comes in, and use them for snacks or for sorting pieces if I'm doing a puzzle. Plastic bags get reused by filling with trash.

 

[askolover]

This bottle was placed tonight after supper and I put the compactor on extra PAC since I had also put in a pizza box. I took the pic at an angle but it is really flattened.

 

[sudsmaster]

We get three types of garbage bins here: the smallest for regular household waste, the next size up for recyclable materials, and then the biggest for yard waste.

 

Recently got a reminder from the local trash company that various things do no belong in the recyclable material bin: styrofoam, plastic bags, bubble wrap, plastic plates/cups, plastic takeout clam shells, chip/snack bags, crockery/dishware, personal hygiene/diapers, rubber gloves/masks... these all belong in the garbage/household waste bin.

 

 

[rp2813]

Vintage trash mashers will have no problem with plastic bottles.  In my much younger days, we used to put the giant, thick glass 1.5 liter jugs of Almaden wine in them for fun.   The machine lifted off the floor a bit but made short work of them with a muffled but still satisfying pop/thud.

 

 

[qsd-dan]

In my much younger days, we used to put the giant, thick glass 1.5 liter jugs of Almaden wine in them for fun. The machine lifted off the floor a bit but made short work of them with a muffled but still satisfying pop/thud.

 

A damn shame YouTube wasn't around back then. That sounds like fun

 

[paulg]

I appreciate the continued info…

And I may still try to pick up a compactor. Thx!

 

[combo52]

Household trash, compactors

Are very interesting products, and any self-respecting appliance collector should have one in their home, if not more than one, lol

At the museum, we have six vintage compactors, the ISC, 15 inch one the whirlpool, of course 15 inch size the early GE that was stolen from whirlpool, we have the later GE with the round bucket. We have the Amana Stormore compactor 18 inch size, and of course an 18 inch Hobart KitchenAid compactor.

I’m still looking for the 12 inch Thermidor waste king compactor, and there was a 12 inch Anaheim products compactor mostly sold under the GE name, there’s also a 15 inch WCI built compactor that was mostly sold under the Frigidaire name we don’t have and the most unusual alliance products in alliance Ohio made a heavy duty home compactor that was normally placed in your garage.

If anybody sees any of these on the list, I’d love to obtain one for the museum in.

A funny story about compactors much like Ralph’s, when I was in college, there was an apartment community near the college that was all equipped with trash, compactors, and late on a Friday or Saturday night. You would hear people put a beer bottle in the compactor and hear the wine and smash of the bottle and then when somebody did it, you normally hear somebody else do it a few moments later.

John

 

[sudsmaster]

Here's my trash compactor:

 

[paulg]

Builds muscles

Considering the hoard of bottles I am seeing, I may end up with pretty big “guns” using SudsMaster’s method.