Insinkerator - yay or nay?

[iwantabreakfastpantry]

I keep reading mixed things about insinkerators, particularly wrt the environment. We hate emptying our food waste bin and we don’t have a compost so we were hoping this would be a good solution.
Advice welcome

Yes from me too. like most things they don’t smell if you clean them.

wouldn’t be without mine at all.

Currently fitting my 3rd kitchen in 7 years (don't ask). I had an insinkerator in the last 2. I was contemplating getting one in this kitchen and decided against, as I'd been quite happy without one for the last 2 years.

It didn't stop the main sink strainer getting clogged up with bits. It was just one way of getting rid of food waste, and the existing methods were working just fine.

When I told teens my decision, both were very happy. One said how they always worried it was going to slice their hand, the other commented on how much it stank.

So I'd say no, particularly if you're happy with your current methods.

@Thelondonone obviouly, you don’t put fat down it. Brother in law is a civil engineer for a water company and says they don’t cause any issues. He has one too. 😄

It’s good. Not essential. Not as helpful as the boiling water tap.

Love it. We stick almost everything down ours, it can even do meat bones. So few bins now! Clean it every so often by chucking a lemon and a few ice cubes in there.

I'm an afficionado. I love mine. You do lose a bit of space in your cupboard and you do have to run water through it regularly (and lemon) so it doesn't get smelly.

No other downsides that I can think of.

Had one in a kitchen I moved in to. Used to a good scraps bin so didn't use much. Was always little flies around it in summer despite cleaning regularity. Think the world has moved on from waste disposal now and we all do food scraps recycling.

I don't like boiling water taps either. Something to do with the taste but we are in an area of hard water

This ^^
A very definite no from me. Most water companies hate them as well.

So none of the food you put down contains fat? Erm, of course it does. I wasn’t suggesting you were pouring chip pan fat down the sink. However, putting food into the water system isn’t good for the environment, whatever you’d like to think.

Please can you link to a source of UK water companies’ opinions on waste disposal systems?

I see that someone upthread has a relative who is an engineer for one and says they are not a problem. That could be made up, of course, so would be interested to see something official as we are considering one.

I can’t see how fatbergs would be a risk unless you pour fat down the sink, which you can do with any normal sink if you are an idiot. They don’t make it easier to dispose of fat, they make it easier to dispose of fibrous things.

And I’m intrigued at the idea that putting food waste into the water system is a bad thing, I mean, isn’t that what faeces are?

Apart from occasional intrusive thoughts about insinkerating my hand, it’s great 😅 use less space in the bins and they don’t smell as much with rotting food inside. Also great for keeping the sink clean.

Really prevalent in NZ and I had never had one before I moved here. I use it a lot, never put fat in it, just vegetable peelings etc. Does not smell, I put lemons and ice cubes through it every so often and it smells just fine.

@RoadSignFool my apologies, I was getting it mixed up with what goes down the toilet. I still feel uncomfortable about the idea of a waste disposal system. We compost veg feelings etc and have very little food waste anyway. Our council doesn't do food waste bins.

There was actually a study done on a new build estate in Shropshire by the local council a couple of years ago, with houses fitted with Insinkerators as part of the trial to see if money could be saved on local refuse collection.

Severn Trent didn't take part unfortunately, but the study took detailed samples of levels from the sewerage systems etc to try and determine if more fat was present or higher nitrate levels.

It also works out that the average costs are:

Electricity: £0.46p
Water: £2.80
Sewerage: £1.74p

Total Householder cost £5.00

Council savings on waste collections through using a Waste Disposal System are £15.33 per household.

It's quite fascinating actually, as are some people's responses to the questionnaires believing they cost a fortune to run, are dangerous and smell.

https://www.local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/impact-household-food-was-cc5.pdf

This is brilliant information, thank you!

This is interesting. Essentially what they are saying is that he waste ends up in the same place whether you put it in a food waste bin and it’s collected by van, or you put it down the waste disposal.

@RampantIvy there is also a link in the report to an anti-waste disposal statement by Water UK from 2009, it is broken but I am trying to find it.

Sorry, meant to post a screenshot of the interesting bit:

Thanks everyone- very useful info