# Food scrap disposal **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 29, 2018, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-scrap-disposal/822185 "2018-09-29T23:08:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-scrap-disposal/822185/21 "2018-10-01T15:09:30Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > cite please > **[Garbage Disposal Dos and Don'ts - Cleaning and Maintenance](https://bfplumbingbayarea.com/blog/garbage-disposal-dos-and-donts-cleaning/)** > > Learn Benjamin Franklin Plumbing's garbage disposal dos and don'ts with tips on how to clean your garbage disposal and maintain it. > [@](#): > > Most cities’ plumbing systems are not built to handle large amounts of food waste. Just because a garbage disposal can grind something does not mean that your home’s plumbing can handle it or that your cities’ waste system can process whatever you send down the drain. > > \ > > Don’t: > > - Use the garbage disposal as a trash can, it is for food scraps, not large amounts of food. > - Grind with hot water, it causes grease clogs. Use cold water instead. > - Pour bleach or drain cleaner down the disposal, both can damage plumbing. > - Put coffee grounds in garbage disposals. Coffee grounds will not harm the garbage disposal, but can accumulate in your plumbing. > - Put excessive amounts of pasta, rice, potatoes, potato peals, or other starchy foods down the garbage disposal. Just like the coffee grounds, they won’t harm the garbage disposal but can build up in your home’s pipes and cause clogs. > - Fibrous items like eggshells, celery, and banana peels are borderline. A small piece of celery is not likely to jam your garbage disposal, but several stalks of celery or a banana peel can jam the disposal. The fibrous stands get wrapped around the blades and stop them from working. When in doubt, toss it in the garbage and not down your sink. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-scrap-disposal/822185/22 "2018-10-01T15:39:58Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > [http://www.bfplumbingbayarea.com/blog/garbage-disposal-dos-and-donts/](http://www.bfplumbingbayarea.com/blog/garbage-disposal-dos-and-donts/) You linked to a plumber’s site that correctly states that _misuse_ of disposals can cause problems. The site does not claim that disposals are always a problem. In fact, from your link: > [@](#): > > Have your garbage disposal professionally installed to avoid problems. Garbage disposal plumbing is not particularly complicated, but it is important to do it right and make sure the garbage disposal is hooked up to the plumbing and dishwasher correctly. and > [@](#): > > Grind lemon and other citrus peals to give your kitchen a fresh, clean scent. You can misuse anything to make life difficult for yourself or others. This site does nothing to convince me that a correctly used disposal is a problem for most city sewers or that city administrators or utility managers object to them. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-scrap-disposal/822185/23 "2018-10-01T15:46:55Z")
Or, you could get a dog. LOL ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-scrap-disposal/822185/24 "2018-10-01T21:20:06Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Or, you could get a dog. LOL Yes, there are many ways to overdo taking care of food scraps. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-scrap-disposal/822185/26 "2018-10-31T08:15:28Z")
Many plumbers who specialize in drain cleaning love disposals due to clogging in undersized waste lines between the kitchen and main waste line. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-scrap-disposal/822185/27 "2018-10-31T12:10:09Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > I’ve often heard this and I accept it as valid but WHY is it true? It may not break down as quickly as vegetable matter but it should compost eventually, right? If I’m willing to accept slower rates of composting, what’s the problem? My late father had a hot composter. It was made of a dense styrofoam several inches thick and if treated right would keep your compost at ~ 65C/150F with no added heat source. It would produce a rich compost in just a few weeks and could cope with just about anything in moderation, including meat scraps and egg shells. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-scrap-disposal/822185/28 "2018-10-31T12:33:09Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Never ever, under any circumstances do you put anything down a food disposal unit other than gray water and such. > > Disposals are a nightmare for city sewer systems. They do _not_ want that sort of stuff in their pipes and plants. > > Disposals are even worse for septic tank systems. > > If you have one, take it out. It’s just a useless piece of junk. > > We compost plant matter and throw out animal matter. If you can’t compost yourself, find someone who does, collect it and give it to them once a week or so. Wonder why they sell them…:dubious::dubious: Environment wise, not burning but that is where most of ours goes these days-:dubious: We had a compost barrel buried in the ground and it worked fine, it had holes in the “sides” and the varmints that could get to it, got it. Most all products from the ground (NOT OIL BY PRODUCTS) revert to earth again. Seems like ground would be where to it should return. Does anyone live in the country? I grew up with a garbage disposal but bones and fat couldnt go down in it…guess the ‘rents’ sent it to the dump with the rest of the trash. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-scrap-disposal/822185.md?page=1)