System and method for waste volume reduction and capture

A method for waste-volume reduction, comprising:

• feeding waste into a feeder chute having an intake end, an output end, an interior, and an exterior, the feeder chute configured to channel the waste through the interior, wherein at least the intake end of the feeder chute is rotatable about a first axis;
• shredding the waste into shredded pieces with a shredder assembly, the shredder assembly comprising:
• a housing having a length, a top having a first opening, a bottom having a second opening, and a wall extending between the top and the bottom, wherein the first opening of the top is positioned proximate to the output end of the feeder chute and aligned with at least a portion of the interior of the feeder chute so as to accept the waste from the feeder chute;
• a shaft extending within the housing along the length of the housing, the shaft rotatable about a second axis, the shaft positioned between the top and the bottom of the housing;
• a plurality of blades attached to the shaft, the plurality of blades comprising at least a first blade and a second blade, wherein the first blade is rotationally offset about the second axis on the shaft from the second blade, so as to shred the waste into the shredded pieces when the shaft rotates;
• and
• a plurality of cleaning arms attached to the interior of the housing and positioned such that at least a portion of the plurality of blades passes between two or more of the cleaning arms when the plurality of blades is rotated within the housing by the shaft;
• adding a reservoir positioned proximate to the shredder assembly, the reservoir having an applicator configured to disperse one or more agents from the reservoir onto the shredded pieces of the waste;
• dispersing the one or more agents from the applicator of the reservoir onto the shredded pieces of the waste;
• dispensing the shredded pieces of waste into a box having a lid in an open position, the box positioned in a drawer, the drawer having a catch mechanism;
• and
• opening the drawer thereby causing the catch mechanism to pull the lid of the box to a closed position.

A method for modifying a waste-volume reduction system, comprising:

• adding a reservoir proximate to a shredder assembly of the waste-volume reduction system, the shredder assembly comprising:
• a housing having a length, a top having a first opening, a bottom having a second opening, and a wall extending between the top and the bottom, wherein the first opening of the top is positioned proximate to the output end of a feeder chute and aligned with at least a portion of an interior of the feeder chute so as to accept waste from the feeder chute, the feeder chute having an intake end and an output end, the feeder chute configured to channel waste through the interior of the feeder chute from the intake end to the output end, wherein the output end of the feeder chute comprises one or more ball bearings configured to rotate the feeder chute about a first axis;
• a shaft extending within the housing along the length of the housing, the shaft rotatable about a second axis, the shaft positioned between the top and the bottom of the housing;
• a plurality of blades attached to the shaft, the plurality of blades comprising at least a first blade and a second blade, wherein the first blade is rotationally offset about the second axis on the shaft from the second blade, so as to shred the waste into shredded pieces when the shaft rotates;
• and
• a plurality of cleaning arms attached to an interior of the housing of the shredder assembly and positioned such that at least a portion of the plurality of blades passes between two or more of the cleaning arms when the plurality of blades is rotated within the housing by the shaft;
• and
• wherein the reservoir has an applicator configured to disperse one or more agents from the reservoir onto shredded pieces of the waste.