Today’s trash compactor technologies are based on electromechanical compactors which are heavy (80 kg – 113 kg) and voluminous, as the compaction mechanism takes almost two third of the available space of a unit. Their capacity ranges from 35 - 70 litres.
The new concept, developed with the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, makes use of the aircraft’s on-board vacuum system which is already present as part of the water & waste system. The result is a 24kg lightweight device which looks like a cabin service trolley. It has a capacity of up to 150 litres and can be easily handled by the cabin crew. The concept was implemented into a physical demonstrator and was successfully tested under real operational conditions.
The Crystal Cabin Award is the only international award for excellence in aircraft interior innovation, donated by the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg on the occasion of the world’s largest cabin interior exhibition, the Aircraft Interiors Expo.