To prevent deterioration of drying efficiency at an initial stage in a refuse treatment apparatus while saving an electricity expense to efficiently decrease weight thereof by drying.

This refuse treatment apparatus comprises (a) a drying chamber having a refuse accommodation vessel 12 provided with an agitating blade 11 in the inner portion thereof, a cover 17, which closes tightly the refuse accommodation vessel 12, a heater 13 provided on the cover 17, a warm air fan 14, which agitates warm air in the refuse accommodation vessel 12 and a first temperature detection means 19, which is provided closely to the heater 13, (b) an exhaust port 15 provided in the drying chamber and a supply port 16, which introduces the warm air and (c) an exhausting means 18, which discharges steam generated from the refuse by communicating with the exhaust port 15, wherein, the apparatus is controlled so that, firstly, the first temperature detection means 19 detects temperature closely to the heater, when the temperature is at a prescribed temperature A or above, the supply of electricity to the heater is started, and simultaneously, the warm air fan 14 is started to operate, but when the temperature is lower than the prescribed temperature A, only supply of electricity to the heater is started, and when the first temperature detection means detects a temperature B higher than the prescribed temperature A, the warm air fan is started to operate.