to be astounded that this is available to buy here?

[mousymouse]

this
I know these from living in the us, but we never used it because of the rats.
just doesn*t seem right to me, have learned that food waste should never go down the drain because it blocks them and attracks rats...

I know what a waste disposal is, thanks. I don't get why you're 'astounded' that they are sold over here, as if they are some brand new invention that the Brits would be dumbstruck with horror over. They've been around for donkey's years, don't see how this is newsworthy.

The local authority will take cooked food in its food caddies, but when we compost for the garden we never put cooked food in because it makes rats more likely. In our garden compost caddy we just put in vegetable and fruit waste--just raw. Plus egg shells and flower stems.

Any hotel in the UK will have a waste disposal as a lot of business garbage disposal will refuse food waste on collection.

A rat is 7 ft from everyone anyway, we have to live with that fact, but at least the plague is not around to harm us, well it is but rare

we have one
I don't think it affects rat levels

Oh, it all becomes clear. My friend was describing some chicken wire box thing for composting, that must have been what she was talking about. Sadly, we have a tiny garden, hence the bokashi rather than normal compost.

Thanks. That bokashi thing looks just what we need. I feel horrified at the amount of food waste we have to bin, esp with 2 little (fussy) kids. Now they are out of nappies, could get down to one bin bag a week!

(On a side note, it's not illegal to put nappies and other san-pro in the bin without sluicing first, it's classed as reasonable household waste, not clinical waste. There is a link on the Defra website which I will try and find)

Found it: here

I have a waste disposal unit in the 80s kitchen that was put in by the previous owner.

I don't use it that often - but when I do - its very useful. What is the problem with them?

Presumably the organic waste is just processed with all that other organis waste we all flush down the loo and turned into fertilisers by the Thames Water - or whoever your water supplier is.

I used to have one of these when I lived in a top floor flat on my own. It was fabulous! As a single, I didn't create much rubbish so if any leftover food had gone in the bin it would have ended up sitting there for ages. Composting doesn't seem like that attractive an idea when you have to walk up and down three flights of stairs just to get rid of an apple core.

I like my waste disposal unit and I don't have any rat problem. The organic waste it generates can be captured by the sewage system and digested to make methane. I am not sure if Thames Water do this at their sewage farms but it is technically possible. These units seem no worse than composting.

i have one but its broken at the moment, i did love it though

Waste disposal: Great for goldfish whose air sacks are fucked.

Relax.... I didn't.

V.bad for watches

Does food in waste disposal units attract more rats than putting food waste in the bin?

mousymouse - would be great if you could come back and explain why you are "astounded"

Thighs :o :o

Uh? The vast majority of food waste disposal systems send the waste intoo the waste pipe. Same place as most of the food that you eat ultimately goes. Some (more modern) blocks of flats have a specific food waste collection facility that the units are linked up to.

YABU to be shocked about them because of the rats. Our food waste currently goes into the food bin that our council gave us and we have issues with rats on our street. At least the disposal unit sends it all underground. No better, no worse when it comes to the rat problem.

Obviously, it would be better for people to recycle where the facility is there, but if this is not possible for various reasons then a waste disposal unit is perfectly reasonable.

I am astounded because I thought that disposing of bio matter (apart from feces) via the drains is not allowed.
in home economics at school we learnt that we should never dispose of food waster through the loo for example for that reason.

Well obviously it is allowed or they wouldn't be sold would they?

Incidentally, did n-one else snigger at the word flange in the description....

But you're not chucking it down the loo, why would you do that? Waste disposals are meant to grind it up, it's not like chicking some old potatoes and a few manky chicken legs in whole.

Of course you can flush food waste down the toilet. That's exactly what you do when you eat something then have a poo (albeit with some biological processing on the way).

Waste disposal units aren't anything new and usual though. My parents had one in the seventies (and do in their current house too) and my gran also had one.

I award this thread my very first