# Is it more environmentally friendly to put food scraps down the garbage disposal or to put them in the kitchen trash? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 1, 2022, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828 "2022-12-01T02:23:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/41 "2022-12-01T18:36:07Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I remember one episode of _Home Improvement_ where Tim ran a tree through his disposal [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MlPkDT6fvYA/maxresdefault.jpg "Home Improvement: Tim's powerful food waste disposer") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlPkDT6fvYA&t=56) ---
**Author:** ![Mortimus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mortimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mortimus)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/42 "2022-12-01T18:44:10Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Composting is not real feasible given the large volume of wild animals including deer, coyotes, mink, skunks, opossum, raccoons, squirrels, and the occasional bear wandering through. Our situation exactly, we have all those critters in abundance, especially bears. They don’t seem to be particularly afraid of people. It’s best not to leave out anything that might attract them. If they smell something they like, they WILL get it, destroying anything in their way. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/43 "2022-12-01T18:55:05Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Things like cat foot that sticks to the bowels is the major item I send down the disposal, and then I make sure to run the water for for the 20-30 seconds recommended to send it on its merry way, definitely don’t want that stuff hanging in my pipes. Underlining mine. If you get cat food stuck in your pipes you should see either a vet or a gastroenterologist ASAP. I’m not sure which. It’s much too late for a plumber and besides, their augurs are not sanitary for internal use. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/44 "2022-12-01T20:32:33Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > From the [California government web site:](https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/biosolids/) Those numbers look good, I suppose, but it still really depends on the local treatment plant. If the OP is one of the 9% of plants that sends waste to the landfill then the decision is easy. I just looked up mine, and was surprised to see that they digest the solids, compost them, then spread them on city land. I’d though they just landfill them, because of prior complaints that the wastewater treatment plants were non-composting. They even capture the methane and use it to run the boilers that keep the digesters warm. They might be sending a small or large part of the waste to the landfill, though, as the web page isn’t explicit that _all_ of the waste is composted and used. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/45 "2022-12-01T21:25:11Z")
I would thing that the ratio of food to trash in household garbage is so low that it would just quickly rot away in a landfill and not be a problem. I don’t put anything through the disposal. Household plumbing has enough difficulty dealing with hair that it doesn’t need to deal with oils and fats that will clog the plumbing. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/46 "2022-12-01T21:29:22Z")
My understanding is that food does not rot, or decompose, in a modern landfill, at least not quickly. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/47 "2022-12-01T21:56:56Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I don’t think the municipal authority is going through your trash and pulling out anything that can go to the industrial compost facility. Many municipal collection facilities use mechanical means to separate garbage from organic compostable material. It has varying degrees of success, and the resulting compost isn’t always suitable for agriculture, but there definitely is separation happening. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > My understanding is that food does not rot, or decompose, in a modern landfill, at least not quickly. Mostly correct. You find some sources that give timeframes of weeks (apples, banana peels) to months (orange peels), and other sources that mention landfill sample cores containing intact 50-year old hot dogs. Some of that will depend on how well designed and operated the landfill is. In a proper landfill, waste is buried under a (mostly) impermeable cover each day to minimize gases escaping and moisture intrusion. This is not conducive to biodegradation. The bigger problem is that whatever biodegradation is happening is going to be anerobic (without oxygen), which produces methane. Most modern landfills attempt to capture the generated methane (and even make use of it), but it’s pretty inefficient and a lot escapes. That’s very environmentally unfriendly. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/48 "2022-12-01T22:07:39Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Mostly correct. You find some sources that give timeframes of weeks (apples, banana peels) to months (orange peels), and other sources that mention landfill sample cores containing intact 50-year old hot dogs. That may have more to do with the preservation methods used to make hot dogs. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/49 "2022-12-01T22:29:26Z")
You should see the samples of 1000 year-old Twinkies. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/50 "2022-12-01T22:44:04Z")
I’d love to, mostly because that means I’ll live into my 900’s. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/51 "2022-12-02T02:28:04Z")
Google around to see how much of a generator you would need to run your garbage disposal during a power outage. I’m guessing it’s a lot. It’s a mechanical device moving at high speed. Feels like it would use about as much electricity as a hair dryer. As in, way more electricity than you would ever spend from a generator during a power outage. I feel like just the electricity alone would make the trash can the preferred option, plus then there’s also the water waste. Environmentally speaking, I’m skeptical about the landfill not being the clear best answer running away. That’s not even getting into additional strain on septic systems or whatever. Not that I begrudge people using them. I also don’t begrudge using hair dryers. It just seems like the trash can is way less energy right from the start, so any benefit from composting or methane acquisition would have to be pretty impressive just to offset that. At least with the trash can, you are filling it up and putting it out for the garbage man no matter what. In a sense your food scraps get a free ride to the landfill energy-wise. It’s not like you’re always running the garbage disposal so might as well chop up some food while you’re at it. Any disposal usage is extra energy up front that wouldn’t otherwise be spent. (I’m on well water; running the water itself costs me electricity to run the well, so it would cost me even more.) ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/52 "2022-12-02T02:36:09Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Feels like it would use about as much electricity as a hair dryer. The typical disposal (400-600W) is 1/4 to 1/3 the typical hairdryer (1500-2000W). They are run for seconds vs minutes for a hairdryer, so I don’t think power use is the big differentiator. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/53 "2022-12-02T02:39:16Z")
And my landlord reminds me of things that should NOT be placed in a garbage disposal; raw potatoes, even just the peels, are one of them, because the starch will turn into thick paste. I could see refraining from using a disposal if you’re on a water use restriction, but if you aren’t, it should be OK. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/54 "2022-12-02T02:42:10Z")
I do that too, and I also keep a can available for grease. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/55 "2022-12-02T02:44:45Z")
Rats really like areas that have garbage disposals. They create smoothies for them. Best sewer lines ever! ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/56 "2022-12-02T02:51:11Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > The typical disposal (400-600W) is 1/4 to 1/3 the typical hairdryer (1500-2000W). They are run for seconds vs minutes for a hairdryer, so I don’t think power use is the big differentiator. I don’t understand electricity at all, specifically amps and volts, but google seems to be saying you need a special appliance outlet to plug in a garbage disposal, like you would need for a refrigerator or washing machine. A hair dryer goes in a normal outlet, so I’m thinking something is weird about that if a hair dryer does indeed use so much more electricity. Specifically, google says you need a 20 amp outlet to power a garbage disposal. Hair dryers can run on regular 15 amp outlets. (Regular in the US, at least.) ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/57 "2022-12-02T02:56:57Z")
Maybe you’re getting results for commercial kitchen disposals? The most common residential disposal size (3/4 HP) is less than 10 amps and is fine in a standard 15A outlet. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/58 "2022-12-02T03:09:42Z")
They did say 1 horsepower, so maybe that’s the answer. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/59 "2022-12-02T03:49:29Z")
Refrigerators require a dedicated circuit too, and they honestly don’t draw that much current. It’s more of a safety thing with kitchen appliances. The codes want to ensure the circuit these appliances are on will only blow if they caused it, not because of something else you plugged in. The last thing you want to do is fiddle with the disposal while someone else flips breakers because the lights are out, or your food spoils because the toaster overheated. There is a power factor (hah) too, because disposals and refrigerators have a high inrush starting current, which can trip the breaker if there’s other appliances plugged into the same circuit, like vacuum cleaners have a tendency to do. Anyway, while motors can cause a big strain on generators when they start up (a simple box fan can bring a generator to its knees when it’s getting up to speed), something like a garbage disposal that’s only run for maybe 30 seconds a day uses only as much energy as a 7.4 watt nightlight (or as much as a 60 watt equivalent LED) running for one hour. That’s assuming a 1 HP disposal with a 1-second inrush of 2,145 watts and 29 seconds at 840 watts, and that my math is correct. A single wall-wart power supply is probably burning up that much just in standby losses, and that’s for 24 hours a day. 15 minutes with a 1,500 watt hair dryer is like running two of those lights all day. That’s a bigger deal, but your refrigerator and water heater are using an order of magnitude more power on a day-to-day basis, never mind the air conditioner. Electric stoves, ovens, microwaves, and clothes dryers certainly use more energy than a hair dryer, but they’re only used for maybe an hour a day which helps a lot. You’re not going to want to try to run those off a generator though, because that peak power draw is what limits them. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828/60 "2022-12-02T13:07:17Z")
Going back to the OP: AIUI … You ask which (garbage disposal or trash) is environmentally friendlier due to a disagreement with your Mom whose objection to using the trash is it means she has to take the trash out of the kitchen more often due to smell? Sure your question is interesting on its face, but it hardly seems like your Mom’s position has anything to do with environmental impact. Am I missing something? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-more-environmentally-friendly-to-put-food-scraps-down-the-garbage-disposal-or-to-put-them-in-the-kitchen-trash/975828.md?page=4)