A compactor is exactly what it sounds like – a machine used to minimize waste and space through the process of compaction. A compactor is usually a large, rectangular machine powered by hydraulics; though it can take many shapes and sizes.

Probably the most well-known example of a compactor is one used for crushing cars. It can take the form of a pancake-flat plate crushing the car directly from above or a more common type of baling compactor that smashes it from four sides, creating a type of ‘rectangle.’

Even just a large bulldozer that crushes waste material beneath its wheels could be considered a compactor.

In the commercial arena, compactors are used frequently by retail and service industries, which usually have large amounts of refuse, much of it non-recyclable. In that case, compacting the waste materials greatly decreases space needed in landfills and similar areas.