Settle an argument - purpose of a disposal

[Anonymous]

I agree with DH.

[Anonymous]

Compost. Ta da! Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

If he has a problem with the frequency of trash removal, there's an easy solution.

[Anonymous]

I'm the bath mat poster and I have to say that my husband and I had this debate as well! He was on the side of your husband. We have moved recently and are on a septic system so he is even more adamant that we limit what we put down the disposal.

[Anonymous]

Bokashi compost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:is this a Southern thing? No self-respecting southern housewife would ever put food scraps in the garbage for fear of attracting roaches. My mother would throw a fit if she found food scraps in her garbage can.

Not sure why throwing food in plastic garbage bags would be more environmental than a disposal, but composting would be...

My Southern mother would pitch a fit if she found garbage in a "trash" can, but it was ok in the "garbage" can (which was the one in the kitchen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Big stuff from meal prep (celery tops, potatoes peels, etc) go in the trash. Wet messy stuff like plate scrapings and soggy cereal goes through the disposal. I also put orange peels through it for the nice smell.

The way I see it, your garbage disposal has a limited life. The more times you run it with heavier stuff, the shorter its lifespan.

Celery, banana peels, because of their strings, should not be put in a garbge disposal.

[Anonymous]

Disposal all the way. Recently had to get a new disposal because the old one died. After 14 years.

[Anonymous]

Back up here. Do people really take the garbage out everyday???!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Back up here. Do people really take the garbage out everyday???!

It's full every two days. If there's a smell, it goes out immediately. Though on those occasions, I make the rounds of the smaller bathroom trashcans and clean the litterbox, in an effort to fill the bag.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've posted this before:

A plumber once told me disposals are good for two things: Making money for the people that sell disposals and making money for plumbers.

Your DH is right. Scrape the plates over the garbage can and empty it. Anything you send down the pipes only goes a few feet before it gets stuck.

YES
we just had to snake our drain because DH was putting food scraps down the disposal. use the trash for chunks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Back up here. Do people really take the garbage out everyday???!

Yes... you mean you don't?

Pest control is my primary reason-- any roaches, mice, or pantry moth larvae stopping by would appreciate a nice after-the-house-becomes-quiet buffet, otherwise. Food gets wrapped up and trash gets taken out before we turn in. The smell is also a lot less offensive when you deal with trash promptly. It's not such a big deal.

[Anonymous]

A plumber will tell you to use your disposal sparingly. Put everything you can in the trash and liquid-like things (few solid pieces is fine) should go down the disposal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Celery, banana peels, because of their strings, should not be put in a garbge disposal.

Add broccoli stems, artichoke leaves (also strings) and asparagus stems (too woody).

Basically I put anything soft down the disposal. I keep out anything hard, stringy or rubbery (like gristle or fat). Yes, all a disposal does is crush food into smaller particles and sometimes they can clog the drain. But most of the clog typically ends up in the U-bend in the sink trap. You can open the u-bend and dump that residue in the trash if it blocks up. Otherwise, let the disposal do its work. My mother has lived in her house for 28 years and only had to replace the disposal about 3 years ago. 25 years is a lot better than most household appliances. In my first home, the previous owner used it for 7 years, I used it for 13 years before I sold my house and never had to replace the disposal and I use it frequently. I've used the current one 6 years and it's still in fine working order. I can't believe that all of you save your disposal for only special events.

As for these recommendations, my plumber has been with me for 14 years and my wife for 10 years before that. He's excellent and has never made those suggestions about disposal use. And he's periodically had to check out the kitchen sink for other reasons (he's the one who taught me years ago how to check and clean out the U-bend trap under the kitchen sink if the sink backs up).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Back up here. Do people really take the garbage out everyday???!

Yes... you mean you don't?

Pest control is my primary reason-- any roaches, mice, or pantry moth larvae stopping by would appreciate a nice after-the-house-becomes-quiet buffet, otherwise. Food gets wrapped up and trash gets taken out before we turn in. The smell is also a lot less offensive when you deal with trash promptly. It's not such a big deal.

Nope. We take the trash out Sunday nights and Wednesday nights because trash pickup is Mondays and Thursdays. If there is something that might stink, I take supermarket plastic bags (we have hundreds from before we started bringing our reusable bags) and double bag or triple bag the stinky things, tie it shut and toss it into the trash can. That usually contains the smell until trash night. Unless the can is full (like for a party or something) or something smells even through the bags, it waits until trash night. I also Lysol the can before I put the next trash liner in. Haven't had a problem with every 3 days for the last 20 years.