probably stolen radioactive waste
How to dispose of radioactive waste and hazardous byproducts
Industrial processing, scavenging, animal ranching, and chemical refinement in Probably Stolen generate dangerous byproducts—including radioactive waste, contaminated liquids, and biological waste. Letting hazardous waste pile up clogs your inventory grid, damages store attractiveness, and creates severe liabilities during Security inspections.
Dynamic information verified 2026-10-28
| Disposal Method | Target Waste Type | Key Rule or Upgrade Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Trash Bin (Delete Key Shortcut) | Solid unwanted items and non-smuggled junk | Hover over an owned item and press Delete to send it straight to the trash bin |
| Shop Drain | Contaminated water and unwanted liquid batches | Use filled liquid containers on the drain to dump contents while keeping the bottle |
| Janitorial Service | Shop-wide waste, hazards, and overnight cleanup | Remains accessible even at -40 Black Market reputation, but costs double |
| Vacuum Robot + Incinerator Upgrade | Animal cage feces and biological waste | Upgrade with a Common Electronic; uses 2x power to incinerate waste automatically |
Handling radioactive waste and hazardous shop byproducts
When you run heavy station machinery, crack open salvaged containers from the dumping grounds, or refine unstable materials, you inevitably accumulate hazardous and radioactive waste items that legitimate customers refuse to touch. Keeping uncontained waste on your shop floor or counters occupies valuable grid space and risks tanking your store's appeal.
Your first line of defense is separating recyclable scrap from pure hazards. Scrap metal and junk components can be fed into the Furnace (especially with the Junk Processing Module installed) or used to repair Animal Cages, whereas pure waste must be routed through dedicated disposal channels before the next morning.
Using the Trash Bin shortcut and the Janitorial Service
Update 049 added a fast disposal shortcut for owned items: hovering your cursor over any owned item in the store and pressing the Delete key immediately sends it to the trash bin. Remember that you can only trash or equip items you actually own, and you should never leave a Smuggler Bay inside the trash can during an inspection (Hotfix 1.0.0.1 specifically patched confiscation behavior for smuggler bays hidden in the trash).
For heavier hazardous cleanup, rely on the station's Janitorial Service at the end of the day. Even if your Black Market reputation drops to -40, Patch 48.3.10 ensured that players never lose access to the Janitorial Service—however, the service fee doubles when your Black Market standing is that low, so maintaining neutral or positive underground relationships keeps your disposal overhead manageable.
Dumping contaminated liquids down the drain
If a chemical mixture or dirty water batch is ruined or too toxic to filter profitably, do not throw away the valuable bottle holding it. Drag the filled liquid container onto the shop drain to dump the liquid while preserving the empty container for reuse.
Once emptied at the drain, the container immediately reverts from a Water Good to a Household Good and can be refilled at your Gutterflow or Rustwater tap or processed through the Hydratech Micro Purifier.
Automating biological waste with the Vacuum Robot Incinerator
Shopkeepers running the Rat Wrangler scenario or keeping caged livestock face a constant flood of biological waste and feces inside Animal Cages. The Vacuum Robot operates automatically at night (and also includes a manual trigger function) to clean up cage floors.
In Update 049, you can upgrade the Vacuum Robot using a Common Electronic to unlock its built-in Incinerator feature. When toggled on, the robot consumes double its normal power draw, but it completely destroys all collected feces in its internal storage after cleanup so you never have to empty waste bags by hand.
Common questions
FAQ
Can I lose access to the Janitorial Service if the Black Market hates me?
No. Patch 48.3.10 guaranteed that players retain access to the Janitorial Service even at -40 Black Market reputation, although the cleanup cost is doubled.
How do I automatically destroy waste collected by the Vacuum Robot?
Combine a Common Electronic with the Vacuum Robot to unlock its built-in incinerator upgrade. When enabled, it uses double power at night to incinerate collected waste.
What is the fastest way to throw away unwanted items in Probably Stolen?
Hover your mouse over any owned item in your inventory and press the Delete key to send it directly to the store trash bin.
Evidence log
Information sources
- 01store.steampowered.comChecked 2026-10-28
- 02store.steampowered.comChecked 2026-10-28
- 03store.steampowered.comChecked 2026-10-28