Patent ID: 7490367

Claim:
A method for processing waste from human activities, the method comprising: providing a soft sided bag, having an outer layer that is liquid-impermeable and vapor-impermeable and having an inner membrane layer, defining an inner bag, that is liquid-permeable and vapor-permeable, where the outer layer and the inner layer have a common opening on at least one edge of the bag to receive waste material that includes waste vapors and at least one of waste liquids and waste solids; providing a vacuum source, having an associated vacuum pressure in a range of about 1-400 Torr; providing a port in the outer layer and providing a connection of the vacuum source to the port, to exert a vacuum force on material contained in the inner bag and to exert the vacuum force on material contained between the inner layer and the outer layer; allowing the vacuum force to move at least a portion of at least one of the waste liquids and waste solids toward a selected region in the inner bag; allowing the vacuum force to transport at least a portion of the waste vapors across the membrane layer and through the connection to the vacuum source; allowing at least a portion of the waste liquids, if present, to vaporize and to become vaporized waste liquids within the inner bag; and allowing the vacuum force to transport at least a portion of the vaporized waste liquids, if present, across the membrane layer and through the connection to the vacuum source.