Everything that no one wanted to know about garbage disposals

Unless you’re a neurotic woman trying to get this whole eco thing right

So I’ve spent the last 2 months obsessed with garbage disposals and I don’t see it stopping anytime soon. On more than one occasion, it’s been the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning (this is not an exaggeration). I know what you’re thinking – I need a hobby. And you’re right! But that’s neither here nor there. 

I’ve had a garbage disposal living in my sink for nearly a year, and I don’t really know why it’s there. Sure, I know a garbage disposal disappears your leftovers, but, from an environmental standpoint, is that better or worse than throwing them in the bin? We all know composting is the ideal way to get rid of food waste, but what about the bits that can’t be composted? What do you do then?? 

Because I hate travelling alone, I thought it’d be best to take you along on this journey of incinerator discovery. Let’s go!

“We all know composting is the ideal way to get rid of food waste, but what about the bits that can’t be composted?”

What is a garbage disposal really? 

Essentially, it’s a motor attached to a grinding chamber that pulverises food to about 2 millimeters so that it’s small enough to pass through plumbing. The food only leaves the chamber with the addition of water, making whatever travels through your pipes about 70% water – not unlike what flushes down your toilet. 

Who invented it and what were they thinking? 

The honour of inventing the most perplexing kitchen appliance belongs to John W. Hammes, an American architect. In 1927, Hammes started tinkering at the request of his wife, who hated the smell that food scraps left in their garbage. He started selling these contraptions under the name “InSinkErator,” which is coincidentally the one I have in my kitchen. Later, the garbage disposal was marketed as a way to keep food out of landfills. 

What happens to the food after it passes through your pipes? 

Like all of your sewage, it ends up at your local water treatment facility. From there, it can be condensed into fertiliser or it will end up in a landfill.

Wait, what? The pulverised food could just end up going to landfill anyway?

Yep. Obviously, if it’s just going to end up in a landfill, you should skip a step, save a tonne of water and just put the food in the bin. In fact, one Australian study shows that the eutrophic impact (destroying nutrients in water that help plants thrive) of sending your food waste down the disposal is more than three times larger than sending it to the landfill. 

So then the bin it is! 

Well, not so fast. Many wastewater plants capture the methane from food waste and turn it into renewable energy. In a landfill, all scraps can do is emit dangerous greenhouse gases. According to scientist and civil engineer Stefan Grimberg, “If 30,000 homes used a disposal to get rid of their food waste rather than their garbage can, the global warming potential of disposing food waste would be reduced by 1.9 million kilograms of carbon dioxide.” That’s the equivalent of not driving 76 million kilometers! 

So what do I do??

I hate to say it, but it just kind of depends on where you live. If your community is experiencing any kind of drought, you should definitely skip the disposal. Beyond that, it’s a gamble. Of course you could always do a little research or reach out to your local water treatment facility to ask how they handle organic waste. I looked into my city, found out that the Department of Public Works is currently testing different methods to capture methane gas from food scraps – so disposal it is for me. Cool! 

Well, I think that’s it. That’s everything that no one wanted to know about garbage disposals. Am I completely satisfied? No. But I think I’ll finally be able to sleep tonight. Just don’t get me started on the refrigerator’s eco setting, ok?