Colorado Company is Building its Own WALL-E as it Reimagines Trash Disposal, Recycling in Outer Space

NASA’s approach to trash has been years in the making.

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): NASA has a “leave no trace” mentality when it comes to camping in the cosmos. The space agency recently approved the next stage of Sierra Space’s trash compactor that aims to cut down on garbage on the International Space Station. If all goes as planned, the Louisville space company’s contraption will board the ISS in 2026 to help reduce the volume of trash stored on the station and potentially find new uses for the waste.

NASA’s approach to trash has been years in the making. Space debris from broken satellites or other inactive human-made objects tends to receive more attention when it comes to cosmic clutter. And that’s still a work in progress that other companies and researchers are trying to resolve. But NASA also doesn’t want to just dump space station waste into space, though they’ve tried shooting trash bags from the space station to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. The current disposal method is for trash to hitch a ride and burn up with the next expendable cargo ship.

Sierra’s compactor could really change things, and the company aims to go beyond the space station mission by adding reclamation and recycling. The contraption compresses everyday trash, like used cleaning wipes, plastic packaging, food leftovers and other raw garbage, into solid square tiles — a 75% reduction in volume. Water and gases are removed for later reclamation. The tiles are easier to store on board and could someday be used as an extra layer of radiation protection for space habitats on the moon or Mars.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com

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