Patent ID: 7534405

Claim:
A waste processing system comprising: a loading chamber having: an outer door that transitions between an open state that permits a user to place waste in the loading chamber and an airtight closed state that seals waste within the system; and an inner door that transitions between a closed state that provides a surface in the loading chamber on which to place waste and an open state that permits the waste to leave the loading chamber for processing within the system; and a cutting system that receives waste from the loading chamber and comprises cutters sized, shaped, and positioned to cut waste into pieces having cross sections no larger than one square inch, the cutting system comprising: a first-stage cutting system that receives waste from the loading chamber and comprises cutters sized, shaped, and positioned to cut waste into strips; a second-stage cutting system that receives waste from the first-stage cutting system and comprises cutters sized, shaped, and positioned to cut waste strips into pieces having cross sections no larger than one square inch, the second-stage cutting system cutters comprising a rotary cutter and a fixed cutter, the rotary cutter being mounted on a third axle and comprising teeth that are positioned to rotate through complementary gaps defined by the fixed cutter; and a comb positioned adjacent the rotary cutter and fixed cutter of the second-stage cutting system, the comb comprising a plurality of ridges and grooves facing the rotary cutter, wherein the comb moves in a side-to-side motion along the third axle's axis of rotation to agitate the waste as it is presented to the second-stage cutting system; an air inlet positioned in the loading chamber or cutting system to permit an air flow through the waste processing system; a trough that receives waste pieces from the cutting system and that comprises one or more disinfectant inlets; a source of disinfectant that is in fluid communication with the one or more disinfectant inlets to spray disinfectant onto waste pieces in the trough; a wetting tunnel that receives disinfectant-sprayed waste pieces from the trough; a separator that receives waste from the wetting tunnel and separates particulate waste matter from bulk waste matter; a filter system that receives and traps particulate waste matter from the separator; a receiving bin that receives and stores bulk waste matter from the separator; and a circulation system that applies sufficient vacuum through the filter system, the wetting tunnel, the trough, the second-stage cutting system, the first-stage cutting system, and the loading chamber to suck waste therethrough.