The present invention is directed to the art of treating waste using laser technology. Industrial and toxic waste materials are irradiated with a laser inside a reactor chamber such that they are heated to high temperatures. Organic compounds are thermally destroyed and chemical bonds are broken. Cool oxygen is pumped into the reactor to provide a refractory protective shield. Silica is added into the vessel at the high temperatures and encapsulates any heavy metals into its crystal matrix. The resulting solidified product may have a hardness of at least 8 on the Knoops scale of hardness and may be used as tooling, road material, oven lining, building materials and the like.