Apparatus and method for waste disposal

An apparatus for disposing of waste, comprising:

• a decontamination chamber adapted to receive waste and for decontaminating said waste therein;
• compacting means for reducing the volume of the waste subsequent to decontamination;
• and
• robot assembling means communicating between the decontamination chamber and said compactor means for automatically retrieving the waste from the decontamination chamber upon being decontaminated and transporting the waste to the compactor means for volume reduction prior to disposal, said robot assembly means comprising at least one plate and means for driving said plate into the decontamination chamber to retrieve waste and into the compactor to deliver the waste, wherein the decontaminating chamber, the compacting means, and the robot assembling means are contained within a common housing structure having front, top and back walls joined by opposed side walls, further wherein the decontaminating chamber comprises an access door in the front wall of the housing for accessing the interior of the decontaminating chamber, and a loading tray including a pair of loading arms spaced apart from each other on either side of said tray, said tray adapted to support a waste container, the loading tray being mounted to said chamber to pivot within the decontamination chamber and communicating with the access door for movement with the access door, whereby upon opening the door, the loading tray is pivoted through the access door into a load position to receive and hold the waste container and, upon closing the door, the loading tray is pivoted into the decontamination chamber, said loading arms being generally parallel to the access door.

An apparatus for disposing of waste, comprising:

• a decontamination chamber adapted to receive waste and for decontaminating said waste therein;
• compacting means for reducing the volume of the waste subsequent to decontamination, said compacting means comprises a pair of collapsible loading trays for supporting the waste prior to compaction and a waste bin in the bottom of the compactor, said loading trays adapted to collapse against the compactor walls upon compaction enabling the waste to be crushed and compacted into said waste bin;
• and
• robot assembling means communicating between the decontamination chamber and said compactor means for automatically retrieving the waste from the decontamination chamber upon being decontaminated and transporting the waste to the compactor means for volume reduction prior to disposal, said robot assembly means comprising at least one plate and means for driving said plate into the decontamination chamber to retrieve waste and into the compactor to deliver the waste.