Deleting trash on Trash-1000 on Linux external drives

When files are deleted on a Linux external drive, they are moved to a hidden .Trash-1000 folder. External volume permissions can lock this folder to the root user.

The Problem

Standard user accounts cannot empty this folder via the desktop file manager. This results in occupied disk space and false positives in duplicate file scanners.

The Solution

A terminal command is required to bypass GUI restrictions and remove the hidden folder:

sudo rm -rf /media/mds08011/Elements/.Trash-1000

The exact mount path must be verified before execution. For example, running it on /media/Elements/ will return a 'No such file or directory' error.

Additional details are available on AskUbuntu.¹