not shredded or otherwise processed prior to input the present system is tolerant of handling all household wastes in addition to polyfoam plastics without harm to the environment 34 polyfoam plastic 34 as used herein shall mean plastic having gaseous bubbles randomly trapped within the plastic a rotating conditioning chamber 23 receives the solid waste from inlet passage 15 and heats the waste for rapid drying and shrinking of polyfoam plastic materials such items as foam cups and foam trays shrink to 1 5 of their initial size the refuse moves through the conditioner chamber 23 at a rate which may be controlled in accordance with the moisture content of the trash a hot air heater 25 forces hot air gas subsequently mixed with steam into chamber 23 air is drawn through a compressor 87 and is forced by the compressor into the hot air heater 25 and then forced into chamber 23 a steam boiler 24 develops steam and forces the steam through a superheater 28 superheated steam leaves the superheater 28 and mixes with hot air passing from heater 25 within chamber 23 hot air enters chamber 23 via a ring structure 45 discussed below with reference to fig3 the superheated steam may either be mixed with the hot air or injected separately into chamber 23 if steam is injected separately it may be done so by a nozzle s and the steam may be deflected into the center of the chamber by rotating flute elements.