Insinkerator, yay or nay?

Belenus

Swasterix said:

Belenus said:

SameOldRoundabout said:

We are having our kitchen done, and insinkerator was high on my wish list. There’s 6 of us, including 4 fussy kids so the leftover scraps are high. I hate the food bin. Kids miss and food goes everywhere. 

I was looking at an Evo 150/250 as there’s an offer on them from a supplier but a plumber has just said don’t ever get one, they need rodding constantly as they get clogged etc. 

Any real life experiences with them? Thanks 

A much better solution would be to reduce food wastage to a level where you don't need an expensive insinkerator that costs you money, breaks down regularly and puts unnecessary demands on waste water systems.

Buy and/or cook less food and teach your children to be less fussy eaters and to be more careful in using bins. Who cleans up the mess they make? If it were my children it would be them who cleaned up any mess and they would soon learn not to make a mess.

Put leftovers in the fridge or freeze them for later consumption.

Mine was £100, negligible in the grand scheme of fitting a kitchen. It has never broke down. Parents have just replaced theirs, previous one was going without issue for close to 20 years. 

I despise food waste, I keep leftovers where I can, my child is not a fussy eater but some waste is unavoidable. When it happens, it’s going down the sink I’m afraid. 

The model the OP is considering comes up as £300 to £400 on google. Then there is the cost of installation plus the possible ongoing maintenance and running costs.

However the real cost could be the cost of all the wasted food that having one will encourage. That could run into hundreds of pounds a year.

In my opinion that is a shocking waste of money when the sensible solution is to reduce food waste.

I agree that some waste is unavoidable; bones, gristle etc but most waste is avoidable with a bit of food discipline.

My opinion, others will no doubt disagree.

Swasterix

Belenus said:

Swasterix said:

Belenus said:

SameOldRoundabout said:

We are having our kitchen done, and insinkerator was high on my wish list. There’s 6 of us, including 4 fussy kids so the leftover scraps are high. I hate the food bin. Kids miss and food goes everywhere. 

I was looking at an Evo 150/250 as there’s an offer on them from a supplier but a plumber has just said don’t ever get one, they need rodding constantly as they get clogged etc. 

Any real life experiences with them? Thanks 

A much better solution would be to reduce food wastage to a level where you don't need an expensive insinkerator that costs you money, breaks down regularly and puts unnecessary demands on waste water systems.

Buy and/or cook less food and teach your children to be less fussy eaters and to be more careful in using bins. Who cleans up the mess they make? If it were my children it would be them who cleaned up any mess and they would soon learn not to make a mess.

Put leftovers in the fridge or freeze them for later consumption.

Mine was £100, negligible in the grand scheme of fitting a kitchen. It has never broke down. Parents have just replaced theirs, previous one was going without issue for close to 20 years. 

I despise food waste, I keep leftovers where I can, my child is not a fussy eater but some waste is unavoidable. When it happens, it’s going down the sink I’m afraid. 

The model the OP is considering comes up as £300 to £400 on google. Then there is the cost of installation plus the possible ongoing maintenance and running costs.

However the real cost could be the cost of all the wasted food that having one will encourage. That could run into hundreds of pounds a year.

In my opinion that is a shocking waste of money when the sensible solution is to reduce food waste.

I agree that some waste is unavoidable; bones, gristle etc but most waste is avoidable with a bit of food discipline.

My opinion, others will no doubt disagree.

Yes, we’ll agree to disagree. 

I understand (and agree with) what you are getting at in terms of food waste, but to say that it encourages it is a bit silly really. Realistically, people will waste what they will waste. It just means their bin may or may not smell. 

SameOldRoundabout

Belenus said:

Swasterix said:

Belenus said:

SameOldRoundabout said:

We are having our kitchen done, and insinkerator was high on my wish list. There’s 6 of us, including 4 fussy kids so the leftover scraps are high. I hate the food bin. Kids miss and food goes everywhere. 

I was looking at an Evo 150/250 as there’s an offer on them from a supplier but a plumber has just said don’t ever get one, they need rodding constantly as they get clogged etc. 

Any real life experiences with them? Thanks 

A much better solution would be to reduce food wastage to a level where you don't need an expensive insinkerator that costs you money, breaks down regularly and puts unnecessary demands on waste water systems.

Buy and/or cook less food and teach your children to be less fussy eaters and to be more careful in using bins. Who cleans up the mess they make? If it were my children it would be them who cleaned up any mess and they would soon learn not to make a mess.

Put leftovers in the fridge or freeze them for later consumption.

Mine was £100, negligible in the grand scheme of fitting a kitchen. It has never broke down. Parents have just replaced theirs, previous one was going without issue for close to 20 years. 

I despise food waste, I keep leftovers where I can, my child is not a fussy eater but some waste is unavoidable. When it happens, it’s going down the sink I’m afraid. 

The model the OP is considering comes up as £300 to £400 on google. Then there is the cost of installation plus the possible ongoing maintenance and running costs.

However the real cost could be the cost of all the wasted food that having one will encourage. That could run into hundreds of pounds a year.

In my opinion that is a shocking waste of money when the sensible solution is to reduce food waste.

I agree that some waste is unavoidable; bones, gristle etc but most waste is avoidable with a bit of food discipline.

My opinion, others will no doubt disagree.

On a general level I agree. But knowing my own circumstances I definitely don’t. I have 3 teenage/almost teenage boys with additional needs, some of their medication severely effects their appetite, but I can’t just sit back and serve them a portion made for toddlers, I have to hope that today they’ll eat it. The one thing they’ll all have with no quibble is smoothies so we have to a LOT of skins/peels from those. We waste more food than I’d like but I’m not going to cook less and remove the option for them to eat a normal portion because I am worried about waste! The reason I want a higher model is because apparently they process fibrous waste like banana skins more easily, and also there are 6 of us and this was the horse power recommended for 6. 

Thank you everyone. I am so pleased the majority have found them to be a useful addition.  

Swasterix

SameOldRoundabout said:

Belenus said:

Swasterix said:

Belenus said:

SameOldRoundabout said:

We are having our kitchen done, and insinkerator was high on my wish list. There’s 6 of us, including 4 fussy kids so the leftover scraps are high. I hate the food bin. Kids miss and food goes everywhere. 

I was looking at an Evo 150/250 as there’s an offer on them from a supplier but a plumber has just said don’t ever get one, they need rodding constantly as they get clogged etc. 

Any real life experiences with them? Thanks 

A much better solution would be to reduce food wastage to a level where you don't need an expensive insinkerator that costs you money, breaks down regularly and puts unnecessary demands on waste water systems.

Buy and/or cook less food and teach your children to be less fussy eaters and to be more careful in using bins. Who cleans up the mess they make? If it were my children it would be them who cleaned up any mess and they would soon learn not to make a mess.

Put leftovers in the fridge or freeze them for later consumption.

Mine was £100, negligible in the grand scheme of fitting a kitchen. It has never broke down. Parents have just replaced theirs, previous one was going without issue for close to 20 years. 

I despise food waste, I keep leftovers where I can, my child is not a fussy eater but some waste is unavoidable. When it happens, it’s going down the sink I’m afraid. 

The model the OP is considering comes up as £300 to £400 on google. Then there is the cost of installation plus the possible ongoing maintenance and running costs.

However the real cost could be the cost of all the wasted food that having one will encourage. That could run into hundreds of pounds a year.

In my opinion that is a shocking waste of money when the sensible solution is to reduce food waste.

I agree that some waste is unavoidable; bones, gristle etc but most waste is avoidable with a bit of food discipline.

My opinion, others will no doubt disagree.

On a general level I agree. But knowing my own circumstances I definitely don’t. I have 3 teenage/almost teenage boys with additional needs, some of their medication severely effects their appetite, but I can’t just sit back and serve them a portion made for toddlers, I have to hope that today they’ll eat it. The one thing they’ll all have with no quibble is smoothies so we have to a LOT of skins/peels from those. We waste more food than I’d like but I’m not going to cook less and remove the option for them to eat a normal portion because I am worried about waste! The reason I want a higher model is because apparently they process fibrous waste like banana skins more easily, and also there are 6 of us and this was the horse power recommended for 6. 

Thank you everyone. I am so pleased the majority have found them to be a useful addition.  

You shouldn’t feel the need to explain yourself. Your circumstances are your business and nobody else’s. Ultimately everybody generates some level of food waste if at least things like potato peel, banana skins, carrot tops, etc, etc. Do we start lambasting people for asking for advice on combi boilers, because burning gas is bad for the environment? Or updating their kitchen when their old one is perfectly functional (wasteful, yes)?  

To the subject of your post- as an owner of an insinkerator, would I recommend - yes, definitely. 

Rosa_Damascena

I have yet to be persuaded...if Professor Sir Patrick Vallance decreed it, I'd probably do it though.

purplebutterfly

I am going to assume these are mainly for people in flats who don't have quick access to an outside bin or a garden?

We live in a flat and any food waste goes in the kitchen bin then out to the wheelie bins if it starts to smell. 

We don't have a lot of wastage though - I never throw leftovers away, they always get re-used.  It gives me the shivers in restaurants when people leave food on their plates. 

When we move to our new house, I will have a compost bin in the garden for food waste.  

It's worth knowing that a LOT of foods can be eaten and have health benefits.  Egg shells, for example are packed with minerals and nutrients.  Fruit skins contain vitamins and fibre.  Both can be blended in a smoothie for a nutritional boost. 

Another_Level

Down at my coastal retirement place, doing ongoing alterations now and  a sink waste disposal unit is so useful as the council do not take food waste and any food waste would be left fermenting in black bin bags for a couple of weeks.

So i went for a decent waste disposal unit, money well spent 

purplebutterfly

Another_Level said:

 any food waste would be left fermenting in black bin bags for a couple of weeks.

I genuinely had no idea that some places have no outside bins/wheelie bins. 

We just put our kitchen rubbish in bin bags in the wheelie bin and leave it be.  Even in Summer, you can only smell it when you lift the lid to put another bag in.