Abstract: This invention concerns a method for compacting waste in a machine including an cylindrical, open-top tank (2-4) and a compacting head (15, 16), wherein a horizontal toothed roller (16) is arranged in said tank (2-4) and bears on said waste under its own weight, and said roller (16) can be rotated around the central vertical axis of said tank by the action of a driving member (15). The method is characterized in that a quantity indicative of the force exerted by said driving member (15) is monitored, and in that, when said quantity exceeds a predetermined threshold, an unclogging operation is performed by (a) first raising said roller (16) up to a predetermined height and (b) then releasing said roller (16) thus causing it to lower back onto the waste, while being rotatively driven in the opposite direction.