the preferred embodiment and rests on supporting surface s when compactor 10 is being used to crush a container neck portion 16 transition portion 18 and body portion 20 are all substantially coaxial continuing with fig1 plunger 26 comprises shoe 34 which is substantially conical with an open bottom shaft 30 which is substantially tubular the lower end of which is contiguous with the narrow top of shoe 34 and handle 28 which is connected to the upper end of shaft 30 shoe 34 is formed in the preferred embodiment with included angle u221d of about 90 u00b0 handle 28 is of any convenient cross sectional shape and is circularly tubular in the preferred embodiment shaft 30 and shoe 34 are substantially coaxial the conical internal configuration of shoe 34 is adapted for firmly engaging the top of the cylindrical wall of container c the invention further recognizes that other shapes for shoe 34 e g partial spherical pyramidal etc could be used the inside diameter d of neck portion 16 is slightly greater than the outside diameter d of shaft 30 so that shaft 30 slides and rotates freely within neck portion 16 the length l of neck portion 16 is sufficiently long to keep shaft 30 substantially coaxial with housing 20 the inside diameter d u2032 of body portion 20 is slightly greater than the outside diameter d u2032 of shoe 34 so that shoe 34 will not bind when plunger 26 is moved vertically or rotated with respect to housing 12 the height h representing the.