Waste disposal devices including cartridge of flexible tubing

• US 6,804,930 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2003
• Issued: 10/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Munchkin Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Saniquest Industries Corp.
• Inventors: Stravitz, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Scott A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARADISO, JOHN ROGER
• Application Number:
  US10/456,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20030208995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 531/388, 535/26, 531/18, 531/383, 531/387, 535/87, 532/11, 532/13, 533/70, 535/67, 535/76, 535/77, 206/390, 206/470, 220/908.2, 220/4.22, 220/4.23
• US Class Current: 53/211
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 67/1277 for dispensing flexible tubular material gathered up in the shape of a ring
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 9/15 the preformed tubular webs being stored on filling nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 1/062 having means for storing or dispensing spare bags
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 1/12 with devices facilitating emptying
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 1/1426 Housings, cabinets or enclosures for refuse receptacles B65F1/006, B65F1/1452 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2210/1675 by twisting, e.g. of a flexible tube
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2230/15 Sleeve having a disconnectable bottom
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2240/132 Diapers

Abstract

Waste disposal device including a container defining a waste storage chamber and a cartridge arranged in the container and containing a length of flexible tubing for encapsulating waste packages. A retention mechanism is arranged in the container to hold the waste package. A rotation mechanism is provided to cause relative rotation between the cartridge and the retention mechanism in order to form a twist above a waste package when the waste package is being held by the retention mechanism and thereby encapsulate the waste package in the tubing. Encapsulation of the waste package prevents the release of odors from the waste package and thus, the invention provides a convenient and sanitary disposal of the waste packages. A series of encapsulated waste packages is thus created in the container, each package contained within a portion of the tubing and sealed at each end by the twisting process. Once encapsulated, the waste package is urged further into the container upon a subsequent insertion of another waste package or by a compacting mechanism which rolls the encapsulated waste packages into a compacted roll.

Claims

1. A waste disposal device, comprising:

a container defining a waste chamber for receiving encapsulated waste;

a cartridge removably received in said container and containing a length of flexible tubing arranged to receive waste therein, said cartridge being maintained in a stationary position when received in said container;

a retention mechanism for holding a quantity of waste received in said tubing; and

a rotation mechanism arranged to rotate said retention mechanism, and thus said quantity of waste held by said retention mechanism, while said cartridge is stationary, in order to twist said tubing and encapsulate said quantity of waste, and wherein said chamber receives said encapsulated waste.

2. The waste disposal device of claim 1, further comprising a lid coupled to said container, and which is movable between an open position and a closed position to open and close said container, respectively.

3. The waste disposal device of claim 2, wherein said retention mechanism comprises a gear rim, said rotation mechanism engaging with said gear rim to cause rotation of said gear rim and thus rotation of said retention mechanism.

4. The waste disposal device of claim 3, further comprising a toothed member attached to said lid, said rotation mechanism comprising at least one gear arranged in said container and engaging with said toothed member for enabling the conversion of movement of said lid to rotational movement of said gear rim and thus rotation of said retention mechanism.

5. The waste disposal device of claim 4, wherein said at least one gear is part of a gear assembly constructed to convert movement of said lid in a downward direction to rotational movement of said gear rim and prevent movement of said lid in an upward direction from being converted to rotational movement of said gear rim.

6. The waste disposal device of claim 5, wherein said toothed member comprises a rack gear having a series of teeth on an outer or inner arcuate surface.

7. The waste disposal device of claim 3, wherein said rotation mechanism comprises a pedal arranged in a slot partially outside of said container, a pulley connected to said pedal and a movement converting mechanism for converting uni-directional movement of said pedal in said slot and thus movement of said pulley into rotation of said gear rim.

8. The waste disposal device of claim 7, wherein said movement converting mechanism comprises a rotatable shaft, a cable running over said pulley and having a first end fixed to maid container and a second end fixed to said shaft, said cable being windable about said shaft, a first gear mounted on said shaft, a drive spindle, a clutch member mounted about said drive spindle and having a gear portion meshing engagement with said first gear, a drive gear fixedly mounted on said drive spindle, and an idler gear is meshing engagement with said drive gear and said gear rim.

9. The waste disposal device of claim 8, wherein said shaft, said drive spindle, said drive gear and said idler gear are mounted on a flange of said container.

10. The waste disposal device of claim 8, wherein said clutch member comprises a spring clutch arranged to grab said drive spindle during rotation of said clutch member in one direction so that said clutch member transfers rotational force from said first gear to said drive gear and release the drive spindle during rotation in the opposite direction so that said clutch member does not engage with said drive spindle and does not transfer rotational force from said first gear to said drive gear.

11. The waste disposal device of claim 10, further comprising a return spring for rotating said clutch member in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said clutch member upon the uni-directional movement of said pedal.

12.The waste disposal device of claim 1, further comprising an anti-rotation mechanism for holding said cartridge stationary during rotation of said retention mechanism.

13. The waste disposal device of claim 1, wherein said retention mechanism comprises a gear ring and a frame attached to said gear ring and including a plurality of resilient spring members adapted to engage with a quantity of waste received in said tubing, said rotation mechanism engaging with said gear ring to cause rotation of said gear ring and thus rotation of said retention mechanism.

15. The waste disposal device of claim 1, wherein said retention mechanism comprises a gear rim and said rotation mechanism comprises:

a motor having a shaft and providing rotational movement to said shaft;

a gear arranged on said shaft arid in engagement with said gear rim; and

a motor actuation mechanism for actuating said motor to rotate said shaft.

20. The waste disposal device of claim 1, further comprising a compacting mechanism for compacting the waste.

26. The waste disposal device of claim 1, wherein said rotation mechanism comprises:

a frame defining a waste passage through which the waste passes;

resilient members connected to said frame and extending inward into said waste passage to engage with the waste in the tubing;

a handle situated at least partially outside of said container, said handle being movable in a slot in an outer wall of said container; and

movement converting means for converting movement of said handle into uni-directional rotational movement of said frame to thereby rotate said frame, said resilient members and waste engaged by said resilient members relative to said tubing in said cartridge.

28. The waste disposal device of claim 1, wherein:

said retention mechanism comprises a pulley; and

said rotation mechanism comprises a motor having a shaft, a pulley mounted on said shaft, a cable belt running over said pulley on said shaft and said pulley of said retention mechanism and a motor actuation mechanism for actuating said motor to cause rotation of said pulley on said shaft and thus said pulley of said retention mechanism via movement of said cable.

31. The waste disposal device of claim 1, wherein:

said retention mechanism comprises a pail having a retention member extending upward from a base of the pail and adapted to hold a waste package between said retention member and walls of said pail; and

said rotation mechanism comprises a turntable arranged below said pail to selectively engage said pail and a string wound partially about said turntable to cause rotation of said turntable and thus said pail when said string is pulled.

35. The waste disposal device of claim 1, wherein said container comprises a cylindrical outer wall, and further comprising an access door formed in and pivotally connected to said outer wall.

36. The waste disposal device of claim 1, wherein said container comprises a cylindrical outer wall and a hamper defining the waste chamber and having an outer wall constituting part of the outer wall of said container, said hamper being removable from said container.

37. The waste disposal device of claim 1, wherein said retention mechanism comprises:

a frame defining a waste passage through which the waste passes;

resilient spring members connected to said frame and extending inward into said waste passage to engage with and hold the waste in the tubing; and

a support flange connected to said frame for supporting said cartridge.

38. The waste disposal device of claim 1, wherein said cartridge comprises:

a casing defining a cavity containing said tubing, said casing including opposed substantially cylindrical inner and outer walls and an annular lower wall extending between said inner and outer walls;

an annular cover connected to said casing and enclosing said tubing in said cavity such that a ring-shaped opening is defined between an inner edge of said cover and said inner wall for passage of said tubing therethrough; and

first closing means for closing a front end of said tubing outside of said cavity such that a bag is formed by said tubing into which a waste package can be inserted.

41. The waste disposal device of claim 1, wherein said cartridge comprises:

a casing defining a cavity containing said tubing, said casing including opposed substantially cylindrical inner and outer walls and an annular lower wall extending between said inner and outer walls;

an annular cover connected to said casing and enclosing said tubing in said cavity such that a ring-shaped opening is defined between an inner edge of said cover and said inner wall for passage of said tubing therethrough; and

first closing means arranged in connection with said casing and said cover for closing and sealing a rear end of said tubing.

45. The waste disposal device of claim 1, wherein said cartridge comprises:

a casing defining a cavity containing said tubing said casing including opposed substantially cylindrical inner and outer walls and an annular lower wall extending between said inner and outer walls;

an annular cover connected to said casing and enclosing said tubing in said cavity such that a ring-shaped opening is defined between an inner edge of said cover and said inner wall for passage of said tubing therethrough,

said casing being made of a fibrous material.

46. The waste disposal device of claim 1, further comprising means for holding said cartridge stationary during rotation of said retention mechanism.

12. The waste disposal device of claim 12, wherein said cartridge includes at least one flange, said anti-rotation mechanism comprising at least one pair of tabs formed on said container such that said each of said at least one flange of said container is received between a respective pair of tabs.

14. The waste disposal device of claim 14, wherein said gear ring comprises a gear rim and an adapter rim attached to said gear rim and adapted to hold said cartridge.

16. The waste disposal device of claim 16, further comprising a wall defining a compartment in said container and including a slot, said gear being arranged in said compartment and said gear rim extending through said slot into said compartment to provide for engagement between said gear rim and said gear.

17. The waste disposal device of claim 16, wherein said motor actuation mechanism comprises a foot pedal coupled to said motor and arranged such that upon depression of said foot pedal, said motor is actuated.

18. The waste disposal device of claim 16, wherein said motor actuation mechanism comprises a pushbutton coupled to said motor such that upon depression of said pushbutton, said motor is actuated.

19. The waste disposal device of claim 16, wherein an openable and closeable lid is coupled to said container;

and said motor actuation mechanism comprises a switch arranged on said container and coupled to said motor and a plunger arranged on said lid to engage said switch when said lid is closed, said switch being arranged to actuate said motor upon pressured being applied by said plunger.

21. The waste disposal device of claim 21, wherein said compacting mechanism comprises a rotatable tube extending into said waste chamber, a front end of said tubing being connected to said tube, said rotation mechanism comprising a motor, said motor being arranged to rotate said tube and thereby roll said tubing having encapsulated waste therein around said tube.

24. The waste disposal device of claim 21, wherein said compacting mechanism comprises a rotatable tube extending into said waste chamber and a sleeve removably attached to said tube such that said sleeve rotates in conjunction with rotation of said tube, a front end of said tubing being connected to said sleeve, said rotation mechanism comprising a motor, said motor being arranged to rotate said tube and thereby roll said tubing having encapsulated waste therein around said tube.

25. The waste disposal device of claim 21, wherein said compacting mechanism is arranged to hold a forward edge of said tubing during encapsulation of the quantity of waste and wind the encapsulated waste about one another to thereby form a roll of encapsulated waste.

22. The waste disposal device of claim 22, wherein said tube includes a longitudinal slot, whereby said front end of said tubing is connectable to said tube by threading said front end of said tubing through said slot and tying said front end of said tubing around said tube.

23. The waste disposal device of claim 22, wherein said retention mechanism comprises a gear rim, said rotation mechanism engaging with said gear rim to cause rotation of said gear rim and thus rotation of said retention mechanism, said motor having a shaft and providing rotational movement to said shaft, said rotation mechanism comprising said motor, a gear arranged on said shaft and in engagement with said gear rim and a motor actuation mechanism for actuating said motor to rotate said shaft.

27. The waste disposal device of claim 27, wherein said movement converting means comprises an inner ring connected to said frame and having grooves on an inner face, a first, movable outer ring surrounding said inner ring and connected to said handle, said first outer ring including a pin engaging with said grooves on said inner face of said inner ring, and a second, stationary outer ring connected to said container and having grooves on an inner face, said inner ring including a pin engaging with said grooves on said inner face of said second outer ring.

29. The waste disposal device of claim 29, further comprising guide pulleys for guiding said cable between said pulley on said shaft and said pulley of said retention mechanism.

30. The waste disposal device of claim 29, further comprising a compacting mechanism for compacting the waste, said compacting mechanism comprises a rotatable tube extending into said waste chamber, a front end of said tubing being connected to said tube, said tube being connected to said shaft such that said tube is rotated upon actuation of said motor to thereby roll said tubing having encapsulated waste therein around said tube.

32. The waste disposal device of claim 32, wherein said turntable includes a spool section on which said string is wound, a cylindrical shaft section extending upward from said spool section and an annular plate surrounding said shaft section, further comprising a biasing mechanism arranged between said plate and said spool section to bias said plate upward.

34. The waste disposal device of claim 32, wherein said turntable includes ramped ribs and a bottom surface of said pail includes ramped depressions each receivable on at least a portion of a respective one of said ramped ribs, said ramped ribs being situated in said ramped depressions during rotation of said turntable caused by pulling of said string and being removed from said ramped depressions during rotation of said turntable in the opposite direction.

33. The waste disposal device of claim 33, wherein one end of said string is connected to said spool section, and further comprising a pull ring connected to an opposite end of said string and a torsion spring connected to said turntable for rotating said turntable in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said turntable upon pulling of said string.

39. The waste disposal device of claim 39, wherein said first closing means comprises a metal clip or clasp attached to the front end of said tubing.

40. The waste disposal device of claim 39, further comprising second closing means arranged in connection with said casing and said cover for closing and sealing a rear end of said tubing.

42. The waste disposal device of claim 42, wherein said first closing means comprises score lines arranged on said cover to enable said cover to be folded about said score lines, attachment means arranged on said cover for attaching folded parts off said cover to one another, and slits arranged through said outer, inner and lower walls of said casing in alignment with said score lines.

43. The waste disposal device of claim 43, wherein said attachment means comprises hook and loop fasteners.

44. The waste disposal device of claim 43, wherein said attachment means comprises a tie and clasp stamped into said cover.

47. A waste disposal device, comprising;

a container defining a waste chamber for receiving encapsulated waste;

a cartridge arranged in said container and containing a length of flexible tubing arranged to receive waste therein;

a rotation mechanism for causing rotation of said cartridge; and

a compacting mechanism arranged to hold a forward edge of said tubing during rotation of said cartridge such that a twist is formed in said tubing when said waste is received in said tubing to thereby encapsulate the received waste to form an encapsulated waste package, said compacting mechanism being arranged to wind encapsulated waste packages about one another to thereby form a roll of encapsulated waste packages.

48. The waste disposal device of claim 48, wherein said rotation mechanism comprises a gear rim attached to said cartridge, a motor, a motor actuating mechanism for actuating said motor and a motive force transmission assembly for transferring motive force from said motor to said gear rim.

50. The waste disposal device of claim 48, wherein said compacting mechanism comprises a motor, a motor actuating mechanism for actuating said motor and a rotatable shaft arranged to receive said forward edge of said tubing and coupled to said motor such that actuation of said motor causes rotation of said shaft.

49. The waste disposal device of claim 49, wherein said rotation mechanism further comprises an adapter mating with said gear rim and said cartridge to fix said cartridge relative to said gear rim such that rotation of said gear rim causes rotation of said cartridge.

51. The waste disposal device of claim 51, wherein said shaft comprises a slot, the forward edge of said tubing being larger than a width of said slot and being inserted into said slot from an axial end of said slot.

52. The waste disposal device of claim 51, wherein said shaft comprises at least one ridge, said compacting mechanism further comprising a sleeve having at least one groove arranged to accommodate a respective one of said at least one ridge upon placement of said sleeve on said shaft, said forward edge of said tubing being fixed to said sleeve.

53. A waste disposal device, comprising:

a container defining a waste chamber for receiving encapsulated waste;

a cartridge arranged in said container and containing a length of flexible tubing arranged to receive waste therein;

a retention unit for holding a quantity of waste received in the tubing; and

rotation means for rotating said retention unit, and thus said quantity of waste held by said retention unit, relative to said cartridge in order to twist said tubing and encapsulate said received waste.

54. The waste disposal device of claim 54, further comprising means for holding said cartridge stationary during rotation of said retention unit.

55. The waste disposal device of claim 54, wherein said retention unit comprises a gear ring and a plurality of resilient spring members adapted to engage with a quantity of waste received in said tubing, said rotation means engaging with said gear ring to cause rotation of said gear ring and thus rotation of said retention unit.

64. The waste disposal device of claim 54, wherein:

said retention unit comprises a pulley; and

said rotation means comprises a motor having a shaft, a pulley mounted on said shaft, a cable belt running over said pulley on said shaft and said pulley of said retention unit and a motor actuation mechanism for actuating said motor to cause rotation of said pulley on said shaft and thus said pulley of said retention unit via movement of said cable.

65. The waste disposal device of claim 54, wherein:

said retention unit comprises a pail having a retention member extending upward from a base of the pail and adapted to hold a waste package between said retention member and walls of said pail; and

said rotation means comprises a turntable arranged below said pail to selectively engage said pail and a string wound partially about said turntable to cause rotation of said turntable and thus said pail when said string is pulled.

69. The waste disposal device of claim 54, wherein said retention unit comprises:

a frame defining a waste passage through which the waste passes;

resilient spring members connected to said frame and extending inward into said waste passage to engage with and hold the waste in the tubing; and

a support flange connected to said frame for supporting said cartridge.

56. The waste disposal device of claim 56, wherein said gear ring comprises a gear rim engaging with said rotation means and an adapter rim interposed between and coupled to said gear rim and said cartridge for coupling said cartridge to said gear rim.

57. The waste disposal device of claim 56, wherein said rotation means comprise a motor having a shaft and providing rotational movement to said shaft, a gear arranged on said shafts and in engagement with said gear ring and a motor actuation mechanism for actuating said motor to rotate said shaft.

61. The waste disposal device of claim 56, wherein said rotation means comprise a pedal arranged in a slot partially outside of said container, a pulley connected to said pedal and a movement converting mechanism for converting uni-directional movement of said pedal in said slot and thus movement of said pulley into rotation of said gear ring.

58. The waste disposal device of claim 58, wherein said motor actuation mechanism comprises a foot pedal coupled to said motor and arranged such that upon depression of said foot pedal, said motor is actuated.

59. The waste disposal device of claim 58, wherein said motor actuation mechanism comprises a pushbutton coupled to said motor such that upon depression of said pushbutton, said motor is actuated.

60. The waste disposal device of claim 58, wherein an openable and closeable lid is coupled to said container, and said motor actuation mechanism comprises a switch arranged on said container and coupled to said motor and a plunger arranged on said lid to engage said switch when said lid is closed.

62. The waste disposal device of claim 62, wherein said movement converting mechanism comprises a rotatable shaft, a cable running over said pulley and having a first end fixed to said container and a second end fixed to said shaft, said cable being windable about said shaft, a first gear mounted on said shaft, a drive spindle, a clutch member mounted about said drive spindle and having a gear portion meshing engagement with said first gear, a drive gear fixedly mounted on said drive spindle, and an idler gear is meshing engagement with said drive gear and said gear rim.

63. The waste disposal device of claim 63, wherein said clutch member comprises a spring clutch arranged to grab said drive spindle during rotation of said clutch member in one direction so that said clutch member transfers rotational force from said first gear to said drive gear and release the drive spindle during rotation in the opposite direction so that said clutch member does not engage with said drive spindle and does not transfer rotational force from said first gear to said drive gear.

66. The waste disposal device of claim 66, wherein said turntable includes a spool section on which said string is wound, a cylindrical shaft section extending upward from said spool section and an annular plate surrounding said shaft section, further comprising a biasing mechanism arranged between said plate and said spool section to bias said plate upward.

68. The waste disposal device of claim 66, wherein said turntable includes ramped ribs and a bottom surface of said pail includes ramped depressions each receivable on at least a portion of a respective one of said ramped ribs, said ramped ribs being situated in said ramped depressions during rotation of said turntable caused by pulling of said string and being removed from said ramped depressions during rotation of said turntable in the opposite direction.

67. The waste disposal device of claim 67, wherein one end of said string is connected to said spool section, and further comprising a pull ring connected to an opposite end of said string and a torsion spring connected to said turntable for rotating said turntable in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said turntable upon pulling of said string.

70. A waste disposal device, comprising:

a container defining a waste chamber for receiving encapsulated waste packages;

a lid coupled to said container and movable between an open position in which said chamber is accessible and a closed position in which said chamber is covered;

a cartridge arranged in said container and containing a length of flexible tubing arranged to receive waste therein;

a retention mechanism for holding a quantity of waste received in said tubing, said retention mechanism being stationary relative to said container;

a rotation mechanism arranged to rotate said cartridge relative to said retention mechanism in order to twist said tubing above said quantity of waste held by said retention mechanism and encapsulate said quantity of waste held by said retention mechanism, said rotation mechanism including;

an actuating member coupled to said lid,

a rotatable member coupled to said cartridge, and

a mechanism engaging with said actuating member and said rotating member far enabling the conversion of a closing movement of said lid to rotational movement of said rotatable member to thereby rotate said cartridge during a closing movement of said lid.

71. The waste disposal device of claim 71, wherein said rotation mechanism is constructed to convert downward movement of said lid to rotational movement of said rotatable member, and to prevent an upward movement of said lid from being converted to rotational movement of said rotatable member.

72. The waste disposal device of claim 71, wherein said actuating member comprises a toothed member having a series of teeth on an arcuate surface thereof.

73. The waste disposal device of claim 73, wherein said toothed member comprises a rack gear.

74. A waste disposal device, comprising:

a container defining a waste chamber for receiving encapsulated waste packages;

a lid coupled to said container and movable between an open position in which said chamber is accessible and a closed position in which said chamber is covered;

a cartridge arranged in said container and containing a length of flexible tubing arranged to receive waste therein;

a retention mechanism for holding a quantity of waste received in said tubing;

a rotatable member coupled to said retention mechanism;

an actuating member coupled to said aid; and

a rotation mechanism for rotating said retention mechanism relative to said cartridge in order to twist said tubing above said quantity of waste held by said retention mechanism and encapsulate said quantity of waste held by said retention mechanism, said rotation mechanism engaging with said actuating member and said rotatable member for enabling the conversion of a closing movement of said lid to rotational movement of said rotatable member and thus rotation of said retention mechanism.

75. The waste disposal device of claim 75, wherein said retention mechanism comprises a frame attached to said rotatable member rim arid including a plurality of resilient spring members adapted to engage with the quantity of waste received in said tubing.

76. The waste disposal device or claim 75, wherein said rotatable member is a gear rim and said retention mechanism comprises an adapter rim attached to said gear rim and adapted to hold said cartridge.

77. The waste disposal device of claim 75, wherein said rotation mechanism is constructed to convert movement of said lid in a downward direction to rotational movement of said rotatable member and prevent movement of said lid in an upward direction from being converted to rotational movement of said rotatable member.

78. The waste disposal device of claim 75, wherein said actuating member comprises a toothed member having a series of teeth on an arcuate surface thereof.

79. The waste disposal device of claim 75, further comprising an anti-rotation mechanism for holding said cartridge stationary during rotation of said retention mechanism.

80. The waste disposal device of claim 80, wherein said cartridge includes at least one flange, said anti-rotation mechanism comprising at least one pair of tabs formed on said container such that said each of said at least one flange of said container is received between a respective pair of tabs.

81. A waste disposal device, comprising:

a container defining a waste chamber for receiving encapsulated waste packages;

a lid coupled to said container and movable between an open position in which said chamber is accessible and a closed position in which said chamber is covered;

a foldable cartridge arranged in said container and containing a length of flexible tubing arranged to receive waste therein, said cartridge including a weakened portion along an upper face such that a part of said cartridge on one side of said weakened portion is foldable about said weakened portion onto another part of said cartridge on an opposite side of said weakened portion;

a retention mechanism for holding a quantity of waste received in said tubing; and

a rotation mechanism for causing relative rotation between said cartridge and said retention mechanism in order to twist said tubing above said quantity of waste held by said retention mechanism and encapsulate said quantity of waste held by said retention mechanism.

82. The waste disposal device of claim 82, wherein said cartridge is made of fibrous material.

83. A waste disposal device, comprising:

a container defining a waste chamber for receiving encapsulated waste packages;

a lid coupled to said container and movable between an open position in which said chamber is accessible and a closed position in which said chamber is covered;

a cartridge arranged in said container and containing a length of flexible tubing arranged to receive waste therein;

a retention mechanism for holding a quantity of waste received in said tubing;

a rotation mechanism for rotating said retention mechanism relative to said cartridge in order to twist said tubing above said quantity of waste held by said retention mechanism and encapsulate said quantity of waste held by said retention mechanism; and

compacting means for compacting the encapsulated waste.

84. The waste disposal device of claim 84, wherein said compacting means comprises a rotatable tube extending into said chamber, a front end of said tubing being connected to said tube.

87. The waste disposal device of claim 84, wherein said retention mechanism comprises a gear rim, said rotation mechanism engaging with said gear rim to cause rotation of said gear rim and thus rotation of said retention mechanism.

89. The waste disposal device of claim 84, wherein said compacting mechanism comprises a rotatable tube extending into said chamber and a sleeve removably attached to said tube such that said sleeve rotates in conjunction with rotation of said tube, a front end of said tubing being connected to said sleeve.

85. The waste disposal device of claim 85, wherein said compacting means further comprise a motor arranged to rotate said tube and thereby roll said tubing having encapsulated waste therein around said tube.

86. The waste disposal device of claim 85, wherein said tube includes a longitudinal slot, whereby said front end of said tubing is connectable to said tube by threading said front end of said tubing through said slot and tying said front and of said tubing around said tube.

88. The waste disposal device of claim 88, wherein said compacting means comprise a motor arranged to rotate said tube and thereby roll said tubing having encapsulated waste therein around said tube, said motor having a shaft and providing rotational movement to said shaft, said rotation mechanism comprising a gear arranged on said shaft and in engagement with said gear rim and a motor actuation mechanism for actuating said motor to rotate said shaft.

90. The waste disposal device of claim 90, wherein said compacting means further comprise a motor arranged to rotate said tube and thereby roll said tubing having encapsulated waste therein around said tube.

91. A waste disposal device adapted to removably receive a cartridge containing a length of flexible tubing, comprising:

a container defining a waste chamber for receiving encapsulated waste;

a retention mechanism arranged in said container and adapted to hold a quantity of waste received in the tubing;

a rotation mechanism arranged to rotate said retention mechanism, the cartridge being held stationary during rotation of said retention mechanism such that the tubing is twisted and encapsulates the quantity of waste, and

wherein said chamber receives the encapsulated waste.