Yeah, I'm not at all convinced of the garbage man satellite idea. The Delta-V calculations only make sense if the craft is very big. And all the very big ones are in GEO, not LEO, where it's even harder to achieve.

Lasers that act as a long term external pressure for small stuff, maybe. But the laser strength, object tracking and object targeting tech still has a long long way to go before that is viable.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. In that order. We need to start applying it to space too. The most viable path to reducing space debris right now is not creating it in the first place. Through reusable rockets, miniaturization, and removing mechanisms that give off less debris during operation like stopping the use of explosive bolts or reducing the need for protective coverings. Lowering the regulated maximum 25 year lifespan of a satellite further would also be an option.