a system for safely disposing of pathogenic waste materials . the waste material is disposed in a chamber and heated by forced hot air to temperatures above approximately 450 ° f . to destroy harmful bacteria within several minutes . the high temperatures melt plastic waste materials . the harmless waste is cooled providing a solid block in which syringes and other sharp items are generally encased . the temperature within the chamber is continuously sensed and the operation of the apparatus is microprocessor controlled to adjust the process time in accordance with the load size . the microprocessor further stores the sensed temperature to provide verification that the waste has been exposed to sufficient temperatures and for a sufficient time to render such waste harmless .