The high-dose-rate radioactive waste filter cartridges in nuclear power plants are typically fixed with cement grouting in steel drums or packaged in high-integrity containers, and neither method has achieved volume reduction of high-dose-rate waste filter cartridges, which has always been an engineering challenge. This paper uses ANSYS software to simulate the filter cartridges and theoretically analyzes the critical load for the structural instability of the filter cartridges. Subsequently, the practical compaction tests were conducted using specialized compactors with relevant testing standards and specifications. The experimental outcomes clearly demonstrate that through the optimization of the compaction process parameters, there is potential to optimize their volume reduction and compaction capabilities. This provides a theoretical and experimental basis for the subsequent development of volume reduction equipment for the filter cartridges and strongly promotes the development of radioactive waste volume reduction technology in nuclear power plants.