Waste disposals

debtfreeforlife · 7 January 2018 at 11:20PM

Hi all, not sure if this is the right place to post this but thought I'd try. I am currently considering getting a waste disposal in my flat as 95% of my waste is food waste, which stinks up the kitchen bin if I don't empty it every few days, and wastes bin bags etc. The only food which goes in are peelings (minimal), stems for peppers, tea bags, etc. There aren't any other options for food waste disposal for me - my flat is too small for a worm farm or any kind of composting, and as I'm in a block of flats, a large food waste bin is impossible and impractical. I've spoken to my property manager about it and we agree that a communal food waste bin would be misused (it would be widely accessible to hundreds of people) and a significant health/pest threat. I've looked to see if there's anywhere nearby that I can send the food waste to, but there isn't.

I was wondering if anyone has any other solutions for reducing food waste that I haven't suggested, and also if anyone else has waste disposals and how they work for them? I am used to them as my parents have had one for years, but would like to know if anyone has recently installed one and the impact on energy and water bills.

Thanks! Mods, please feel free to move this if you think I've put it in the wrong place...

ETA - forgot to add - my dad who knows about these things is confident that a waste disposal is suitable in my flat, so no issues there.

pile-o-stone · 8 January 2018 at 10:00AM

We had a waste disposal unit in our previous home and it kept getting blocked with food waste. It was relatively easy for us to unblock as the waste pipe was accessible. As you are in a block of flats, access could be a problem. Also you could end up blocking your neighbours pipes too.

If you're on the ground floor and have a small terrace or garden, you could look at composting. We now have a Joraform compost tumbler. This is an insulated hexagonal barrel that's raised off the ground (so no access for vermin) that has two chambers. You fill one up, then start using the second chamber while the food waste in the first one composts down. By the time the second chamber is full, the first one is ready to empty. Because they are insulated they get ready hot when the bacteria breaks down the food. It's amazing on a frosty winters morning to open the composter and see a ton of steam come out. The composter is often much warmer inside than our house! Another great feature is that the tumbler is raised up so that we can put cooked food into it (you can even put meat into it if you eat sentient lifeforms). The tumbler is much easier to use to turn over the compost than using a spade in a traditional compost heap.

I have no connection with Joraform, just a very satisfied customer. Other insulated compost tumblers exist.

debtfreeforlife · 8 January 2018 at 9:50PM

Thanks pile-o-stone - I hadn't thought of that as my parents' disposal never gets blocked. Do you know what the make is of your old one, please?

Unfortunately I am on the first floor - nowhere to put a composted, and nothing to do with the compost afterwards.

Martyn1981 · 9 January 2018 at 8:47AM

debtfreeforlife wrote: »

Unfortunately I am on the first floor - nowhere to put a composted, and nothing to do with the compost afterwards.

Hiya. Does your local authority have any plans to collect waste food for anaerobic digestion?

We have a small food caddy in the kitchen for scraps, peelings, bones etc, and the council provide bio degradable bags for it. You then pop these bags in a larger tub, which is collected/emptied each week.

Waste disposals

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