kitchen waste disposal unit

mrschaucer

When I've stayed with people who have them they've always ponged a bit, in my opinion. (The waste disposal units that is!) Although that might just be a comment on my friends' cleaning ...

scottishblondie

I've had one for years, I absolutely love it. My parents have had one for as long as I can remember too. It was brilliant in my flat - no rotting food waste in my kitchen bin. I've brought it with me to my new house. The council doesn't supply bins for food waste and I have no interest in starting my own compost heap. For the 2 weeks before it was installed, it was the only thing I missed about my old flat!

It is bit noisy but you only run it for a minute or so. Mine does not smell, and never has. I had a couple of occasions where the pipes blocked, but that was down to my flatmate not running enough water down with the waste. I have the continuous feed type, and I've never dropped any cutlery in when it's running, but if anything needs retrieved the opening is big enough for a hand (turn it off first of course!!).

penguingirl

My parents used to have one, and tbh if you have children I would think twice- as kids (particularly in the 10-13 range) we used to always try and switch it on without water running, it had a few objects (coins and the off teaspoon) that we dropped and it did smell a bit- especially if you can't be bothered clearing it each time you've put something in. And it was noisy. My parents still have the same sink, but the last time it broke they just got rid of it and now use a green food bin.

SuzieSue

My parents had one but hardly ever used it when I lived there. I might have considered it before the council started collecting food waste, but now it is much quicker just to put all the food waste in the green bin than it would be to spend time putting it in the diposal unit.

Ganga

Thanks for all the infomative replies,it seems from reading all the replies that some people love them but other have a lot of negative issues with them.My initial interest was because on a sunday the family come round for lunch and i end up washing the dishes/pans etc. and allthough i repair pumps and construction equipment for a living ( and some of the pumps work in sewage treatment plants)i do not like handling waste food.

Thanks for info

Alan

Ben84

Furts wrote: »

Hi Ganga
This is from an Eco perspective.

When these were introduced to the house/domestic market the water companies hated them. This is food going down the sewers to be treated at a sewage works. These works were never designed to cope with this. The water companies regarded this as a lazy innovation. Fortunately, not many people bought them.

Spool on a few decades and it is minimize waste, compost in the garden, and use the local authority compost/green/brown box schemes. So, the water companies have been let off this one

I would never have one...but other mse users will no doubt disagree!

I have mixed feeling about them regarding environmental issues. Previously it seemed clear enough, you can turn food waste in to useful compost at home, or you can turn it in to sewage and flush it to a treatment plant that consumes lots of energy and water to break it down, with any remaining sludge being landfilled. Despite greenwash from the companies who make them, it's pretty obvious which costs the most in environmental terms. However, not all sewage goes to conventional treatment plants any more and depending on where you live, some of it is being used to make biogas. If that's the case, adding ground up food seems to result in a lot more biogas. I saw an article about it while considering if I should get one or not:

http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/from-kitchen-scraps-to-biogas-stockholm-embraces-garbage-disposals.html

I quite like the idea of using the drains to send food waste instantly and cleanly away to be turned in to fuel. It also has the promise of making sewage to biogas plants more profitable and so more likely to be built. However, my house is still hooked up to a conventional sewage plant and apparently not a very good one at that, so I'm going to keep composting while that's the situation.

Furts

Ben84 wrote: »

I have mixed feeling about them regarding environmental issues. Previously it seemed clear enough, you can turn food waste in to useful compost at home, or you can turn it in to sewage and flush it to a treatment plant that consumes lots of energy and water to break it down, with any remaining sludge being landfilled. Despite greenwash from the companies who make them, it's pretty obvious which costs the most in environmental terms. However, not all sewage goes to conventional treatment plants any more and depending on where you live, some of it is being used to make biogas. If that's the case, adding ground up food seems to result in a lot more biogas. I saw an article about it while considering if I should get one or not:

http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/from-kitchen-scraps-to-biogas-stockholm-embraces-garbage-disposals.html

I quite like the idea of using the drains to send food waste instantly and cleanly away to be turned in to fuel. It also has the promise of making sewage to biogas plants more profitable and so more likely to be built. However, my house is still hooked up to a conventional sewage plant and apparently not a very good one at that, so I'm going to keep composting while that's the situation.

Hi Ben84
My comments were directed towards the majority who are in main sewers. I have doubts regarding sink waste disposers for anyone on septic tanks or their own sewage treatment plants.

Maybe biogas is the way forward but I will let others trial the technology!

cyclonebri1

Are they quite?

No way, they are very very noisy


What stop knives and fork falling in?

The grid thing, but you have to remove it to get the cabbage down so yes, knives and forks do fall in, then it really gets noisy.


Bones and grizzle etc???

Just about as noisy as knives and forks.

Have I had 1 before?

Had them for the last 30 years, still have.

Essential??

No, I agree, lazy, but very convenient.

Would I buy another??

Not sure, the last 2 came as freebies with complete fitted kitchens.

:A:A:A:A:A:A

Ben84

Furts wrote: »

Hi Ben84
My comments were directed towards the majority who are in main sewers. I have doubts regarding sink waste disposers for anyone on septic tanks or their own sewage treatment plants.

Maybe biogas is the way forward but I will let others trial the technology!

I'm a little confused by your reply. I think you're reading this as people making biogas at home? That's not what I was talking about however, the biogas plants are owned by the water companies in some areas and use the sewage from many households. It's not a common thing in the UK yet (I know of one near Oxford), but I'm sure it will come here eventually. If if does, for the people who are connected to it, the environmental situation changes a lot.

Ganga

Ben84,they are more common than you think,we have a new one in our area,it is run by Northumbrian Water,they collect sewage from many plants in the north east and take it to the main plant in Howden which is on the river Tyne,they have done this for years but they used to treat the sludge and dipose of it thru agricultural fertilizer( it did not go on to crops for human comsumptsion) but they have now built a multi million pound plant that removes the gas and runs huge generators that puts electric into the national grid as well as running the plant itself,i was told it will pay for itself in a short time.

Regards
Alan