Abstract: A method and apparatus to treat dental waste water has been developed in ch a slurry of water and solid waste particles, including mercury-containing amalgam and soluble and suspended mercury and other heavy metals, is collected under vacuum into an main chamber. The particulate-containing liquid slurry settles into a main chamber and into the central collection well of a removable filter while the vacuumed air exits the main chamber and continues toward a vacuum source. The liquid slurry is drawn by vacuum through a removable filter making the effluent substantially free of mercury-containing particulate material. The resulting filtered effluent is ready for further treatment of soluble and suspended mercury, if necessary, before being conveyed into a public sewer system. When a certain level of particulate material has been collected, the removable filter can be sealed and the particulate contents disposed or reclaimed.