A clogged warehouse often signals that it is time for the factory to learn how to get rid of the excess. Obsolete equipment left over from upgrades, by-products, unneeded intermediate components, and accidentally produced batches take up space, require additional storage, and continue to circulate through the logistics network.

Universal Trash Furnaces introduces a disposal mechanism that can be integrated directly into your standard production flow. Simply designate which items are to be destroyed, set up the input feed, and supply the facility with power. From there, it operates just like the rest of the factory: accepting incoming items and gradually freeing up space for the next batch.

Items are completely destroyed once the processing cycle finishes. Since each cycle consumes time and requires an active furnace, you must balance the facility's throughput against the volume of incoming waste. A small setup can handle periodic warehouse clearing, whereas a constant stream of surplus materials will require appropriate equipment and a steady supply of fuel or electricity.

Disposal time depends on the specific item.
The calculation is based on the duration of the recipe used to produce the item, normalized to a per-unit basis. For instance, if a recipe yields five items in ten seconds, the base destruction time for a single unit is two seconds. This value is then adjusted based on the recycler's speed. If an item can be produced via multiple methods, the fastest recipe is used for the calculation.

This method preserves the distinctions between items: products with short manufacturing cycles are destroyed quickly, while items with long recipes keep the equipment occupied for longer periods. Items lacking a production recipe have a separate processing time - defaulting to five seconds - which can be adjusted to suit your playstyle and specific mod configuration.

The disposal facility integrates easily into existing logistics systems. Conveyor belts and inserters allow you to divert specific by-products directly from the production line. A requester chest helps gather selected items from across the base: drones deliver them to the site, and an inserter loads the furnace. Input filters determine exactly what gets destroyed. For finer control, you can use standard circuit network features on belts and inserters—for example, allowing extraction only when stock levels exceed a certain threshold.

The mod is also useful for factory maintenance following major redesigns. Old components can be routed to a dedicated line, clearing out buffer storage and removing obsolete equipment from circulation. During continuous operation, the site serves as the final destination for material streams you have deliberately designated as waste.

Items from installed mods automatically receive recycling recipes. These utility recipes are hidden from the manual crafting menu, keeping the interface uncluttered for standard operations. The recyclers themselves appear alongside standard furnaces in the production tab.

Additional variants are available based on the supported Electric Furnaces and Mega Furnace mods. These become available when the corresponding base equipment is present and utilize that equipment in their construction. This allows the recycling facility to scale alongside your factory's growth and your chosen mod set.