Modern homes are equipped with appliances that help make life a little easier. From dishwashers to touch-activated faucets, many of these life-simplifying appliances have found their homes into kitchens. Hidden away under sinks, the humble garbage disposal is one of the most common elements of the modern home, but is it a good idea to use one if your home uses a septic system?
Why Do We Use Garbage Disposals?
Since not every home has the convenience of a garbage disposal, it is necessary to first clarify that a garbage disposal doesn’t really dispose of garbage. It makes it easier to get rid of food waste, but many people who take them for granted misuse them. A garbage disposal grinds up food waste that falls into the kitchen sink drain. It’s your sewer system or septic system that really disposes of waste.
But you can’t just throw anything in your garbage disposal. Bones from meat, eggshells, coffee grounds, nuts and other substances can damage blades, leave debris in the disposal, or accumulate and cause a blockage. But most of these things are things you wouldn’t put into your sink anyway if you have a septic system or cesspool.
Cesspools and Septic Systems can Benefit from Garbage Disposals
If you tend to send a lot of food waste down the drain, a garbage disposal can help make your septic or cesspool’s job easier. Smaller chunks are easier for your waste management system’s bacteria to break down. Just don’t use it as an excuse to throw things down the drain you wouldn’t normally wash down there. Soft organic, biodegradable food waste is the only food that should go through your garbage disposal to your septic system.
Not sure what to do with food grease, eggshells, onion skins, potato peels, coffee grounds, and other garbage disposal no-nos? Check with your city to ensure composting is legal where you are, and give that a shot if it is! It’s another environmentally friendly way to take care of waste.
