OK, i feel stupid to ask, but need to. What is the intended purpose of a garbage disposal?

Question

Are you supposed to throw all of the big leftovers in the trachcan and just rinse your plate into the disposal part of the sink...or is it built for you to put ALL leftovers from meals into it? For instance, my daughter had a PB&J sandwich that was quartered. She maybe had 1/2. I let the disposal have the other half. Should I be putting stuff like that into the trashcan? I am afraid I have been over exerting the disposal...please let me know what you know. THANKS

Answer 1

What Goes Down Garbage Disposals

Small amounts of leftover food from your plate
Small potato pieces and peelings
Carrot peelings
Coffee grounds and tea bags (some say these are not OK)

What Does Not Go Down Garbage Disposals

Anything that is not biodegradable food
Anything combustible
Plastic and metal
Cigarettes and butts
Bones from any animal
Hamburger
Bacon grease or other grease
Egg shells
Potato skins or large amounts of potato
Corn cobs or husks, lettuce, asparagus and other fibrous fruits and vegetables
Pasta and rice
More notes:


Just remember, whatever you wash down the sink must make it to the road (city pipes). If it is doubtful that a peice of food will get that far without causing a back-up, don't wash it down your sink.

Anytime you put anything in your disposal make sure you run water for about 30 seconds. This will make sure you get the longest life possible out of your disposal.

Too much of anything is not good. For example, small amounts of potato peels might be okay, but if you put a lot, you're asking for a repair bill.

This old stand-by is right on: "When it doubt, throw it out."

Consider running ice cubes in the unit as a means of 'cleaning' the unit. The hard ice chips help knock down the scum layers that build up below the seal, and in the grinder wheel.

An old plumber told me, "As little as possible -- that's why they make garbage cans."

The only things that should go into a garbage disposal are things that are left over after you scrap your plate into the garbage can.

I'm sorry to say I'm a plumber who hates garbage disposals. The real answer is that not much should go in them. The disposal will have a tough time with foods like pasta and rice-add to disposal slowly and run plenty of water. It will have a real tough time with slimey things like potato peels and won't do well at all with onion skins, sections of onion or stringy vegetables like asparagus.

Whatever you do put in there always run water long enough to ensure that whatever food debris you have just deposited into your sink drain is washed along into a larger main drain pipe or your'll be calling me to come and snake your drain line.

Anything that can grind easily. It isn't a good idea to put in broken carrots or tough things, but soft things that can grind and move through pipes (soft foods) are okay. Be careful of certain chemicals which claim to clean your garbage disposal, always read the labels.

Answer 2

Girl,
I've installed disposals that the owners wanted to grind down chicken bones with.
A disposal that can take chicken bones is a high dollar jobber, let me tell ya.

Anyway, it depends on your disposal. If you have a 1/2 horse disposal, it'll handle most you have, but chicken bones.

A 3/4 horse is ideal, and a one horse disposal will take about anything you scrap to it.

Look under your sink at the disposal, and you should see somewhere on it, how big it is.

FYI a 1/3 horsepower disposal is worthless.

Also, you always run water with the scraps while you are feeding the disposal

Answer 3

I see no problem in using the garbage disposal to dispose of leftovers. Although, if they are rather large, you may be better off just cleaning them off into the garbage. You should not grind overly-fibrous materials, such as bones and coffee grounds, and I've had issues with grinding egg shells as well. Obvously, you shouldn't grind any non-food materials, like rubber, glass or metal.

Just make sure you run the water before and after grinding. Cold water works best, as hot water can melt fats and clog the mechanism and the pipes.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

Get prepared for a blast from your "green" friends. Garbage disposals were designed to take the scraps that normally would have ended up in the compost heap - veggie peelings, crusts, leftover meal bits. Dry onion skins and celery stalks don't do well, nor should you put bones or paper towels down the disposal. You might want to check on the manufacturer's website for ways to clean it out or what you should and should not put through it. They are not environmentally friendly, btw.

Answer 5

You should be putting leftovers like you said in the trash not into the garbage disposal. The disposal is only there if you really need to use it. Using it all the time and with big portions of food will only ruin it forcing you to replace it.

P.S Wow that person who commented before me has no life. Its just a garbage disposal.

Answer 6

The purpose is to grind up the leftovers to a small enough size that they will either go through the sewer of will be able to be digested by the bacteria in the septic tank.

They do not normally handle things like bones well, but anything soft can go through.

Answer 7

You are better of making a compost pile and throwing ALL food leftovers and scraps, including bones, into the compost. I have been doing this for 20 years and always have a supply of the most wonderful, soft, black potting soil you'd ever want.

It's a waste to throw any of it down the sink drain.

Answer 8

Garbage disposal units can handle anything except bones.
But whatever goes down has to be processed as sewage.
This is not a good idea if you are on a septic tank system.
Personally, I compost all kitchen waste, except meat & dairy.
If she were my daughter, she'd save her PB&J in a baggy.
Children should be taught not to waste food.

Answer 9

Good question! The only thing I know is to not put bones down them. I used to throw just about all down mine, running water while it chewed up the garbage. Never got clogged.