# What does a garbage disposal system accomplish? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509 "2011-06-06T16:28:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dingbang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/81 "2011-06-09T14:12:35Z")
Related anecdote: I was having a party at my house one time, with me and some friends cooking a big meal for everybody, when I walked into the kitchen to find my buddy Scott vigorously jamming a big mound of potato peels down the sink drain. “Hey man, where’s the switch for the disposal?” he asks. “Dude… I don’t have a disposal.” ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/82 "2011-06-09T14:36:46Z")
RE Trash Compactors, there are some municipalities that charge for trash by the bag - either requiring each garbage bag to be stickered or selling logoed garbage bags. So a trash compactor would save you money. For example, where I grew up still offers pay by the bag [http://www.quakertownboro.com/index.aspx?page=130](http://www.quakertownboro.com/index.aspx?page=130) ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/83 "2011-06-09T15:34:28Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > As any competent plumber will tell you, \ Every competent plumber on the SDMB has left me with the impression that the sentence above should end thusly: “… That you really shouldn’t even put _water_ down your drains. Don’t you realize that putting stuff down your drains can clog them? And then I have to make my living coming out to your house to fix it!” I know. The horror. People put stuff down the drain. We flush stuff too. From reading this site, I’ve come to believe that plumbers don’t really think you should use your plumbing at all. ---
**Author:** ![Dingbang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/84 "2011-06-09T18:26:39Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Every competent plumber on the SDMB has left me with the impression that the sentence above should end thusly: > > "… That you really shouldn’t even put _water_ down your drains… I’ve come to believe that plumbers don’t really think you should use your plumbing at all. Yep. My new wife was extremely skeptical of me using the garbage disposal for ANYTHING – even a bit of scrambled egg that was left on a plate. Turns out that a plumber had told her virtually anything will clog the disposal and so she should never, ever use it for anything at all. That’s all it took and now she has sworn off the disposal forever. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/85 "2011-06-09T19:06:06Z")
I can’t understand this attitude. It’s like plumbers take offense that the rest of us do stupid shit, like you know, run water down our drains and stuff, that _keeps them in work_. If you are so personally affronted by my drain-clogging habits, why on earth did you become (or continue to be) a plumber? Don’t you _want_ me to clog my drains so you can charge me $300 an hour to fix it? Not grokkin’. ---
**Author:** ![Mgalindo13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea5d25/32.png) [@Mgalindo13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mgalindo13)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/86 "2011-06-09T21:19:21Z")
Delayed post already answer the question. ---
**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/87 "2011-06-09T23:28:47Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Every competent plumber on the SDMB has left me with the impression that the sentence above should end thusly: > > “… That you really shouldn’t even put _water_ down your drains. Don’t you realize that putting stuff down your drains can clog them? And then I have to make my living coming out to your house to fix it!” > > I know. The horror. People put stuff down the drain. We flush stuff too. From reading this site, I’ve come to believe that plumbers don’t really think you should use your plumbing at all. Hehe, preach it. But it’s not just the SDMB and plumbing. It’s the entire internet and _any_ kind of home-related practice. It seems to me that according to the internet, if you do anything in a manner that’s not 100% optimal according to the most strict professional guidelines, your whole house is liable to collapse on you. Wanna hang a picture of Nana in the living room? You can’t just go to your neighborhood hardware store and buy any old nail. To get the job done _proper_, you need to go visit an iron mine on Mars to get some ore and then have it forged into a nail by Elrond Half-elven. Then you need to go get your hands on Thor’s hammer but before you even think about putting that nail in the wall, make sure you get your whole house inspected for structural integrity by a team of civil engineers from MIT. _Then_, you have to get a suitable string … Don’t get me wrong, I respect the professionals a lot and appreciate the knowledge they impart. But just once, I’d like to hear one say, “eh, it’s not great what you wanna do, but it’s probably good enough for your purposes for a while, as long as you recognize that there’s a chance that one day you might have to fix it again.” ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/88 "2011-06-10T02:03:51Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > I can’t understand this attitude. It’s like plumbers take offense that the rest of us do stupid shit, like you know, run water down our drains and stuff, that _keeps them in work_. If you are so personally affronted by my drain-clogging habits, why on earth did you become (or continue to be) a plumber? Don’t you _want_ me to clog my drains so you can charge me $300 an hour to fix it? Why should they settle for this when they can charge you $300 an hour to fix it _and_ make you feel stupid? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/89 "2011-06-11T04:03:34Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Hardly the same thing. When you’re not on the Straight Dope, there’s differing opinions on septic tanks and garbage disposals; the downside of having one is that you need to pump it more often. As it only costs about $100 each time, I am willing to do that. $100 every 5 years or so is nothing compared to the convenience of a garbage disposal. Opinions are a dime a dozen. I don’t think you’re going to find any reputable source who will tell you that installing a garbage disposal on a septic system is a good idea. > [@Athena](#): > > Last we had it pumped was 5 years ago; we probably need to do it again this summer. Wait a minute–you said earlier that you’ve had the garbage disposal for eight years. So in that whole time, you’ve only pumped your tank _once_? (And that was after just three years of use.) How then exactly do you know that your septic system is fine, anyway, five years later? Only because there’s presumably no sewage backing up in the house? BTW, the usual recommendation for pumping a septic tank is every 2-3 years. Add a garbage disposal, and you should be pumping your tank every year. > [@Athena](#): > > And our septic tank is huge. We have a big house, built for a family of 6 or more. We’re only 2 people. Well, that’s one bright spot in your favor. > [@Athena](#): > > The septic system can handle it. And you state this based on what, exactly? Your extensive professional expertise, or the one time you’ve had your septic system pumped? > [@Athena](#): > > Not an issue; we have 11 acres. So good, you’ve got the land area. It still costs $15-20K to replace a leach field. > [@Athena](#): > > Nope. And we consulted a few plumbers, not just one. Nobody could see issues as long as the septic tank got pumped. How nice for them. Unfortunately, plumbers are generally not qualified to make such a determination. I’m a licensed professional engineer. I’ve actually designed septic systems. And I’m telling you it’s not a good idea. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/90 "2011-06-14T02:04:01Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > The meal you just ate is riddled with pollution and bacteria? :eek: Absolutely. As soon as someone else touches food on a plate it begins it’s transformation into garbage. The remains of a meal are disgusting. And transforming them into a pool that I’m sticking my hands in is revolting. Why else are we washing plates anyway? But most important, why would I dip amdish into a pool of something that is exactly what I’m trying to remove from it? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/91 "2011-06-14T02:55:55Z")
Presumably you’re using dish detergent, which binds on one end of its molecules with the food, while the other end is water soluble, so the food particles, while dispersed in the dish water, are easily swept away in the rinse process, leaving a clean plate or glass (or hand). The scrubbing process does not need to take place under running water. ---
**Author:** ![Redfishhunter930](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Redfishhunter930](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redfishhunter930)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/92 "2011-06-15T00:09:48Z")
I lived in the States all my life. I now live in Quebec City. Moving up here I made my own, I use the handle of a spoon or a fork with a lot of water and peas, corn,mashed potatoes,etc… go down the drain great. No clogs and I purposefully put my coffee grounds down the drain so I can get dirty looks from the treehuggers :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/93 "2011-06-27T03:22:53Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > Am I the only one composting my vegetable waste? I have a green bin, so it could all go in that if I didn’t have a garden, but mostly my potato peels and onion skins and egg shells and coffee grounds go in my yard composter. Since I live in a second-floor apartment, I have neither the space to compost nor any use for the end result. However, I am gratified that my borough has started a pilot program to collect composting waste. It’s not in my neighbourhood yet, but I’m looking forward to it. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/94 "2011-06-27T03:38:22Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I never understand all the doom & gloom around garbage disposals. Me too, and I’m almost 33. I had no idea they were not common all around the world(in developed countries, I mean). Are they not? It just chops the food up…super small and the food goes down the drain. It’s no big deal. It’s just for the tiny scraps on your plate when you are done. Or some old left-overs you are getting rid of. Just feed them down their slowly with water running and…it’s over. I wonder if any of you are thinking of trash compactors, which are different(and I don’t see them very often). ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/95 "2011-06-27T19:50:12Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > Am I the only one composting my vegetable waste? I have a green bin, so it could all go in that if I didn’t have a garden, but mostly my potato peels and onion skins and egg shells and coffee grounds go in my yard composter. > > I can’t imagine flushing that down the sink. Yay, a composter! 😉 I feel the same way. I wish I currently had a way to compost and something to do with the finished product, I hate putting food scraps in the garbage, much less down the sink. I’ve also been watching the dishwashing discussion with interest. I let the water trickle into a small pitcher that I use to rinse the dishes that I wash with a sponge I’ve impregnated with dish soap. I rinse the soapy dishes into the basin with the rest of the dishes waiting to be washed until it’s full, and when the drainer is full any remaining dishes go in the basin to soak. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/96 "2011-06-27T20:36:47Z")
> [@Jeneva](#): > > Yay, a composter! 😉 I feel the same way. I wish I currently had a way to compost and something to do with the finished product, I hate putting food scraps in the garbage, much less down the sink. > > I’ve also been watching the dishwashing discussion with interest. I let the water trickle into a small pitcher that I use to rinse the dishes that I wash with a sponge I’ve impregnated with dish soap. I rinse the soapy dishes into the basin with the rest of the dishes waiting to be washed until it’s full, and when the drainer is full any remaining dishes go in the basin to soak. But what the heck do you do with compost if you don’t have a yard? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/97 "2011-06-27T21:06:12Z")
I grew up with one, called a “Disposal.” When my Mom instructed me not to put chicken bones down, my Dad argued that if that were true, it would be caleld a “dispose-some.” I’ve never put harder bones like pork or beef into it though. It does fine with chicken bones and eggshells. I killed one once with a bunch of celery - the fibers got all wound up on it and burned out the motor. I have always thought that the presence of disposals is why so any American cities smell better than their foreign counterparts. Not as much organic waste rotting in cans. A compst heap is an excellent thing - until your first rat infestation. Rodents have a way of changing your mind about a lot of things very very quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/98 "2011-06-28T11:20:12Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > But what the heck do you do with compost if you don’t have a yard? Give it to someone who can use it, I suppose. If one had a flat full of houseplants there would be a use for the harvest from a worm box. 😉 Otherwise, I’m sure friends with gardens would appreciate it. I lived in a house without much yard space and not enough sunlight for growing much of anything at all, at all, but we still composted our scraps in a bin outside the back porch. Now I live in an upper floor flat, so can’t even do that, but I am considering getting a worm box one of these days. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/99 "2011-06-30T14:48:31Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I have always thought that the presence of disposals is why so any American cities smell better than their foreign counterparts. Not as much organic waste rotting in cans. 😕 I’ve traveled around the world and never noticed that foreign cities smell worse. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509/100 "2011-06-30T15:48:27Z")
I don’t get the general attitude towards plumbing you see on the internet but I’ve always thought it was a bit of embarrassment on the part of engineers and such. It clear that systems that clog are not _designed well_, rather than _being used improperly_. I mean perhaps they are being used improperly for how they were designed, but it’s clear to anybody that _being able to flush anything that fits down the toilet_ and being able to _handle anything that the garbage disposal managed to grind up_ would be important features of a well designed plumbing system. The analogy with smoking and cancer is sort of insane. You can’t change the way you were born, but you can design better plumbing. Don’t tell me that I’m using the toilet wrong or using the garbage disposal wrong, tell me what modifications I have to do to my plumbing to be able to use these things the way I want to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-garbage-disposal-system-accomplish/584509.md?page=6)