Trash Compactors ??

[gorenje]

Can someone please explain me how it works a trash compactor. I'm fascinated by this strange appliance. Well, I understand that it reduces the volume of the trash, but how it works and what can you put inside it?

Here in Europe we don't have this appliance and I don't understand how this can be useful since we have to recycle and separate every kind of trash.
(paper, glass, plastic bottles, other plastic packaging, cans and organic food vaste)

thanks,
Ingemar

 

[petek]

Inside the machine there is a screw driven mechanical ram that comes down and crushes all the garbage with a lot of force. It's fairly simple and straightforward other than the few saftey lockouts and some sort of sensor that stops the cycle and reverses it as the crushed garbage begins to fill the bag. Some have a button or switch to give a little extra crushing power. Bags are available in either plastic or heavy duty waterproof paper. We had one for quite a number of years when we lived in the country and didn't have trash pickup. The machine could put in one bag what would have taken 3 bags almost. Most anything can go in other than aerosol spray cans. It could easily crush wine bottles, cans, etc. Even food but honestly it begins to stink because it can take a week or more to fill the bag. The machines also have a built in aerosol air freshener (replaceable) that sprays a shot of scent each time the drawer is slid closed but it barely covered up the smell of rotting food so we didn't put food in ours. No use for one now.. we have trash pickup and we also recycle 90% of our trash as well

They were probably more popular over here 20-30 years ago long before recycling ever existed but they're still available. Another reason they were popular is because some cities only allow you to put out one or two garbage bags on trash day and may charge extra if you put out more.. So the more you can stuff in one bag the better.

 

[cfz2882]

I don't think these have been made for about 20yrs-seems they came on the
market around 1977,were mildly popular in the '80s then declined after that
most ones i have seen used a "leadscrew" or threaded rod to provide the
clamping force-the leadscrew driven by a motor of around 3/4 HP.
Some had an "air freshener"cartridge with a fan to disperse the scent of
the cartridge.
I do not have one of these,but if i get one i will try it out.

 

[petek]

KA and Jenn Air etc still make them I believe. We actually got ours from someone selling it in the newspaper or bargain-finder paper sort of thing, for about $50..It was a stand alone Kenmore unit. I used to see them advertised in misc section of the paper quite often but I haven't looked in the last few years.

 

[appliancelou]

love them

i have a trash compacter for the last 25 years could not live without it this is my all time favorite appliance sears still makes them i have mine built in once you have one you can never go back this with a garbage disposer great combination

 

[gorenje]

Thanks for the explanations. So now in this days when we have to recycle almost everything the trash compactor is not so popular like it was befor.

But it would be great to have 4 compactors side by side to separate and compact all the stuff we have to recycle. WOW !!

Cos I hate to go so often to throw the garbage.

 

[iheartmaytag]

I have a Broan

Made by the same company that makes Hood vents, and central vacs.

 

It is slightly different and more compact than some of the screw drive compactors. The Broan uses a scissor drive, much like a scissor jack on your car.  It creates 5,000 lbs of force as opposed to the 2,000 the screw drives excert.   They are neat appliances, and I almost always open the drawer again after the cycle to see the carniage.  Great stress reliever if you like to break things, spagahetti sauce jars, and beer bottles make a great crash.

 

I don't compact things like meat wrappers, diapers, and other items that will go stinky.  Those go in the "non compactable" can and is taken out as regular.  With this arrangement I empty the compactor about every two weeks and have about two kitchen sized bags from the bathroom and kitchen that are non-compactable.

 

 

 

[spookiness]

I just looked on sears.com

holy crap I had no idea how expensive these were. I figured maybe $150, but they're more expensive than a lot of dishwashers.

 

[iheartmaytag]

they're more expensive than a lot of dishwashers.

And they are heavy too.
They have to be to withstand the compaction forces.

I believe when we bought our first one, a GE, in 1974 we gave approximately $350, it was still going when we sold the house 20 years later. I bought a Whirlpoo in 1996 and gave about $499. The Whirlpoo lasted about 3 years before a drive screw snapped and went through the side. I bought the Broan in 2008 for $525, thus far no probs with it.

 

[yogitunes]

I have a Kenmore from 1988, still running strong, the extra pac option is nice, as is the spray deodorizer, for the plain trash, it gets emptied about once a month, in one nice neat cube, perishale/stinky/sticky stuff goes out on a regular basis....we havet recycle as needed, but I would not give this thing up, just like a washer/dryer or dishwasher/disposer, once you have one you can't go back!

 

[jakeseacrest]

I bought my Kenmore in 2003 for $379 I believe and will never be without one ever again! It is my primary trash can in the kitchen and haven't had a problem with smells. I barely recycle so all cans and bottles get rinsed out before I crush them and all food goes down the disposer. Love this machine!

 

[gorenje]

recycling in the USA

How is the recycling of the trash in the USA? You are not obliged to separete the waste? Do you have special containers for different kind of trash?
Sorry for the questions, I've been so many times in the USA but never bothered about this. Now I'm curious.

this is a sample picture of one of the "ecological island" we have
but in this picture is missing the container for the biological waste

ksp-sezana.si

This domain may be for sale!

www.ksp-sezana.si

 

[petek]

In Canada and the US recycling of home waste is usually a (municipal) local issue. There may be a few states or provinces that mandate it not quite sure. So it's really up to each town and city to come up with their own recycling program and decide what stuff can be recycled and what can't. There's a lot of variance. Some places may not take somethings while the town down the road may take everything or nothing. For instance back in Calgary we had to take all of our stuff to be recycled to "recycling stations" similar to your "islands" set up in mall parking lots etc.. and sort them into the big bins there while here in this town they give us blue plastic boxes to sort our stuff at home and then on every second trash day we put the boxes out to the curb and a special recycling truck comes and takes it away.

 

[mayguy]

GE Has one, and I think I only sold 1 in the last 9 years I 've worked at Home Depot.

 

[tolivac]

Don't see residentual compactors much anymore-becuase of the recycling-and their mechanical jackscrew and screw jack mechanisms are prone to failure-and hydraulic units are too expensive for home use.At that point let the trash truck do the compacting-its compactor can compact the trash more densly.for sensitive material a shredder is best-or burning.

 

[autowasherfreak]

I bought a used one when I was still living with my mother, and we used it mostly to crush the aluminium cans that she saved at the bar she worked at so it would take less bags when it came time to cash in the cans.  This was probably around the early or mid 80's.  I can't remember the brand name, but it was harvest gold.