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Original poster

Do you have a food waste disposal on your sink?

52 replies

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 13/10/2019 19:10

We've just had a new kitchen designed and I've insisted on having a waste disposal added because I hate plucking out slimy food waste from the plug hole. My DH is convinced he's going to force his hand down it and lose his fingers Confused (Yes, he does do stupid shit sometimes).

It's not possible, is it?

OP posts:
CactusAndCacti · 14/10/2019 07:53

We moved into this house last June, there was one in. I have never used it.

funmummy48 · 14/10/2019 08:04

I think they are “green”. You’re not transporting your waste anywhere to be dealt with and it’s not rotting down producing methane, nor being incinerated.

puppyconfetti · 14/10/2019 09:13

And for those saying to clear leftovers from crockery before washing, where do put your leftovers?

In the bin, which I considered rather normal.

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AllDaySnacker · 14/10/2019 11:32

In response to PP about where the leftover food goes after cleaning down the dishes: in the food waste bin, which gets taken out regularly and doesn’t smell too bad.

SpiritInTheNight · 14/10/2019 11:41

I think they are a really bad idea. They put solid lumps into a sewer system which isn’t designed to take them. The additional chemical and energy costs incurred to treat things that aren’t designed to be flushed are massive not to mention that is is someone’s job to go out and physically clear blockages.

Putting food waste in a food caddy so it can be taken away and digested is a much better solution.

Pineapplemintandstrawberrysage · 14/10/2019 12:04

We had one we bought our house. I don't like it, it's too noisy. And I don't like the thought of flushing food into the drain. So we got rid of it.

funmummy48 · 14/10/2019 12:44

They don’t put lumps of anything in the water as the food waste is ground up so finely. We asked my BIL who’s a civil engineer for a water company for his opinion before we fitted our first one and he said they didn’t cause any problems to the waste water system. 😁

SpiritInTheNight · 14/10/2019 13:05

I presume you also put fat down your waste disposal? No matter how fine your waste disposal grinds it up, it will congeal in the pipe contributing to fatbergs. This is especially a concern if you live somewhere with separate systems.

TellItLikeItReallyIs · 14/10/2019 13:13

DH is convinced he's going to force his hand down it and lose his fingers

Some brands will not work unless the "plug" is in the sink - it turns to a set position to let water through so you literally can't cut your fingers off as it won't work with the plug cover in place.

I have one and it's absolutely brilliant. Couldn't recommend highly enough - means you have very little stinky food waste in the house, and bins don't smell.

VanGoghsDog · 14/10/2019 13:26

No-one has suggested it's not "perfectly legal" 🙄

There is fat on the food you throw down it, it should not be in the water system. It congeals and sticks stuff together.

And yes, shit goes down the sewer. But shit is digested food. Food from plates, well food anyway, is undigested and is entirely different.

Our water board is very clear that only water, the appropriate detergents, wee and poo should go down the drains/sewers.

We don't have food caddies or a digester system where I live so food goes in the general waste, which I admit I'm not keen on, would prefer the food caddy, but there you are. Still happier without the waste disposal.

AlexaAmbidextra · 14/10/2019 13:50

Well precisely because it’s chucking food in the sink

I don’t ‘chuck food in the sink’. Confused. I scrape food from the plates down the plughole. I don’t just throw it in with gay abandon from ten feet away.

AlexaAmbidextra · 14/10/2019 13:55

There is fat on the food you throw down it, it should not be in the water system. It congeals and sticks stuff together. And yes, shit goes down the sewer. But shit is digested food.

You do realise there’s fat in human faeces?

SpiritInTheNight · 14/10/2019 14:01

Digested fat in faeces doesn’t contribute to fatbergs, undigested fat does contribute.

Davros · 14/10/2019 14:08

I have one but I hardly use it, only to drain the sink if the trap fills with water. I food recycle religiously 😇. I've got it off to a fine art despite resisting at first

TrollTheRespawnJeremy · 14/10/2019 14:14

I have one, I only really use it for getting rid of soup or out of date yoghurt from the fridge or similar.

It's really bloody noisy. I like it though. Very handy.

HoldMyLobster · 14/10/2019 14:44

I presume you also put fat down your waste disposal? No matter how fine your waste disposal grinds it up, it will congeal in the pipe contributing to fatbergs. This is especially a concern if you live somewhere with separate systems.

What are 'separate systems'?

janj2301 · 14/10/2019 14:46

Had them in every kitchen for the last 30 years. You have a wall switch for power then a switch next to it so you can never turn it on by mistake. Mine have never smelt. You run them a few seconds after all the waste has gone and occasional bleach. Can't put onion skin or rhubard peel down them though.

SpiritInTheNight · 14/10/2019 15:01

In most modern developments there are two separate system, one takes the foul flow (toilets,sinks etc) and the other takes surface water (roof drainage).

This is usually a good thing as we only treat the foul water, surface water is discharged to the nearest watercourse or Suds pond.

However if you only have a foul system and you put waste down it, you don’t have rain water to dilute food waste and move it along the pipe so it is more likely to cause a blockage.

funmummy48 · 14/10/2019 15:28

@TellItLikeItReallyIs no, I don’t put fat down it. That wouldn’t be a good idea. 😉

GoodGriefSunshine · 14/10/2019 15:33

SpiritInTheNight
I presume you also put fat down your waste disposal?
Why would you possibly presume that? Strange thing...accuse someone of doing something based on your presumption and then condemn them for it. Stop presuming. You're not great at it.

wowfudge · 14/10/2019 15:35

I think they're a vile idea. Much better to compost food waste than wash it down the drains.

HoldMyLobster · 14/10/2019 15:39

Interesting, SpiritInTheNight, I didn't know that.

We don't have gutters, but we do have a french drain system around the edge of the house that discharges to a sump pump, which discharges to an outflow away from the house. So that water is not going into our septic.

Our foul water all goes into a septic tank. We are actually very careful what goes into it - minimal fat/grease, paint, bleach etc. We recently got a food waste bucket which is where most food goes now. I wonder if our septic will now be working better as a result?

butteryellow · 14/10/2019 15:53

The racket from when a teaspoon had made it down one I had once made me fairly sure I wouldn't bother again. - well, and the racket from it being in use in general.

Now that we have food waste bins I can't really see the point of waste disposals.

janj2301 · 14/10/2019 16:54

I watch DIY shows. Waste disposals r now illegal in Canada. If you have one you can keep it but you can't replace them or instal new ones

wowfudge · 14/10/2019 17:10

Rightly so janj and interesting to know.