A surgical collection assembly for filtering material from liquid obtained during surgery; the surgical collection assembly comprising: ajar (120, 320, 420) comprising: an open end that may be reversibly sealed with a jar top (204, 304); an inlet adapted for connection to a suction line; an outlet adapted for connection to a suction line; a set of orientation features (136, 140, 148, 340, 344) to position an upper portion of a collection basket (150, 454) within the jar such that an upper portion of the collection basket does not impede a flow of material entering the jar through the inlet; a bottom surface with a pattern of recessed paths in the bottom surface, the pattern of recessed paths connected to the outlet; the collection basket with a set of one or more sidewalls and a bottom connected to the upper portion of the collection basket so that the upper portion of the collection basket can be used to position the collection basket within the jar; the surgical collection assembly adapted to allow suction applied to the outlet of the jar to pull liquid and non-liquid material through a tube connected to the inlet of the jar; the liquid and non-liquid material passing into the collection basket with much of the liquid leaving the collection basket through at least a portion of the collection basket to enter the pattern of recessed paths in the bottom surface and then out the outlet leaving a filtered portion of the non-liquid material in the collection basket as collected material; the collection assembly characterized by further comprising: a plunger assembly (200, 480) comprising: the jar top that can be reversibly connected to the open end of the jar; the jar top having a bore that allows a plunger rod with a distal end to move relative to the jar top so that a distal end of a plunger may be used to compress collected material within the collection basket to help remove fluid from the collected material;the plunger with the distal end to compress collected material and the plunger rod to pass through the bore in the jar top so a proximal end of the plunger may be moved by a user. an open end that may be reversibly sealed with a jar top (204, 304); an inlet adapted for connection to a suction line; an outlet adapted for connection to a suction line; a set of orientation features (136, 140, 148, 340, 344) to position an upper portion of a collection basket (150, 454) within the jar such that an upper portion of the collection basket does not impede a flow of material entering the jar through the inlet; a bottom surface with a pattern of recessed paths in the bottom surface, the pattern of recessed paths connected to the outlet; the collection basket with a set of one or more sidewalls and a bottom connected to the upper portion of the collection basket so that the upper portion of the collection basket can be used to position the collection basket within the jar; the surgical collection assembly adapted to allow suction applied to the outlet of the jar to pull liquid and non-liquid material through a tube connected to the inlet of the jar; the liquid and non-liquid material passing into the collection basket with much of the liquid leaving the collection basket through at least a portion of the collection basket to enter the pattern of recessed paths in the bottom surface and then out the outlet leaving a filtered portion of the non-liquid material in the collection basket as collected material; the collection assembly characterized by further comprising: a plunger assembly (200, 480) comprising: the jar top that can be reversibly connected to the open end of the jar; the jar top having a bore that allows a plunger rod with a distal end to move relative to the jar top so that a distal end of a plunger may be used to compress collected material within the collection basket to help remove fluid from the collected material;the plunger with the distal end to compress collected material and the plunger rod to pass through the bore in the jar top so a proximal end of the plunger may be moved by a user.