Trash compactors have been around since the late 1940s, when they were first used to compress hay and straw into bales for easier transport and storage. Since then, they have evolved to become a useful tool for reducing the volume of household waste. Under-counter trash compactors are usually installed between kitchen cabinets, just like an automatic dishwasher. By reducing the volume of household waste by up to 75 percent, garbage compactors can help you reduce the frequency with which you have to empty your trash, but they also offer additional benefits. A garbage compactor does what the name suggests: it crushes the garbage (the compact one) when the garbage container is full, so that it doesn't overflow and leaves more space to store more.
Trash compactors were one of those innovations of the '50s and '60s that sounded great in theory, but turned out to be more problematic than they were in practice. True to their name, convertible garbage compactors can be installed as standalone units or under the counter. While the popularity of garbage compactors peaked during this time, the appliance failed to really take off as a staple in the kitchen. Typical examples of what can be placed in a garbage compactor are cartons of milk, cereal and eggs; empty cans of coffee and beverages; all kinds of jars and glass bottles; rags and large meat bones. In fact, newer models of kitchen trash compactors have addressed unpleasant odors with options such as a compartment for a carbon filter, while other models have an odor reducing disc. Once the compactor was created, companies were able to separate recyclable materials from garbage and reduce the amount of loads needed to eliminate all their waste and recyclable material.
It's also important to control odors, as trash will stay in the kitchen longer than uncompacted trash. Before the compactor was invented, garbage and recyclable materials were often mixed and required several trips to load and unload them from industrial facilities. Today, garbage compactors use even better technology that allows them to handle dry and wet waste, control odors and store more. My understanding is that they are most useful if you live in an area without sidewalk garbage collection and need to take your trash to a municipal landfill. A KitchenAid trash compactor has the same kind of built-in reliability and performance as KitchenAid dishwashers. In conclusion, trash compactors are a great way to reduce household waste volume while also controlling odors.
They can help you save time by reducing the number of trips you need to make to dispose of your trash. Plus, newer models come with features such as carbon filters and odor reducing discs that make them even more efficient. If you're looking for an efficient way to manage your household waste, a trash compactor may be just what you need.
