Unit for treating used food packages

A unit for treating used food packages, comprising

• a container having a longitudinal axis and dimensioned to receive one or more used stackable food packages, the container having
• a top chamber, dimensioned to receive a stack of said food packages,
• a bottom chamber integrable with the top chamber, and configured to receive food residues, and
• a perforated element, separating between the top chamber and the bottom chamber, configured to permit said food residues to pass therethrough from the food packages stacked in the top chamber to the bottom chamber;
• a piston configured with a substantially horizontal, heatable plate,
• the piston being axially displaceable within the top chamber between an extended position, in which the plate comes into contact with a topmost food package of the stack, and a retracted position in which the plate does not contact said topmost food package of the stack,
• the piston being configured to apply pressure onto said stack when in the extended position, and
• the heatable plate being configured to heat at least a portion of the topmost food package in said stack when in the extended state, thereby adhering said topmost food package to a next-in-line food package in said stack to obtain a compacted stack of said used food packages, and
• wherein the unit further comprises a separation module operational to separate between a body of the used food packages and a rim thereof that carries a lid of the used food packages.