What do you put down your waste disposal (Insinkerator)?

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jaymz

1133 posts

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#205299 7-Nov-2016 21:49

Today, I installed a new Insinkerator 56 into our sink at home. The previous owners had removed the unit and put a simple drain pipe in.

During the process of researching makes and models, I found that there was lots of opinions regarding what you can and can't put down the waste disposal. (Google "what can i put in my waste disposal?)

I figured I would list the things that I plan to put down my new unit.

*Disclaimer* Since there are so many makes and models of waste disposal, I will list the things that I think can go through my model. If you look, the Insinkerator Evolution 100/200 models allow you to grind banana peels, pineapple stalks and other woody-er items due to it's two stage grinding setup.

My current setup has the dishwasher waste plumbed through the waste disposal, this was done to help flush the waste disposal pipes more often.

Items I plan to put through my waste disposal:

Vegetable peels, including potato.
Pasta, Rice (Cooked)
Chicken bones (cooked) - not to sharpen the blades as some people claim
Coffee grinds
Orange/lemon/citrus peels and offcuts - to keep the system smelling nice at the same time!
Cooked and non cooked vegetables (cut up into smaller pieces)
Ice - to knock off any built up crud

Items I don't plan to put through my waste disposal:

Paper
Tea bags
Banana peels, celery, leeks etc - too stringy
Onion skins - too stringy
Meat, and large bones (cooked and uncooked) - I have two hungry german shepards who love these instead
Hot water - this is not recommended by Insinkerator themselves
Fat, oils - this is not recommended by Insinkerator as well

I read a lot of websites that had information about not putting items down the waste (potato skins, pasta and coffee grinds) due to the risk that this could cause blockages within the waste pipe system (not the waste disposal unit). My reason for putting this stuff through the waste disposal is because I have flushed coffee grinds, and flour down the sink before and not had an issue with blockages in the past.

What do you guys generally put through your units? Does it differ from my list, and if it does what are your reasons for it?

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#1665373 7-Nov-2016 21:57

I have found that stale bacon is a bad one, the meat comes off, the fat all balls up and just bounces around in it.

Meat bones take a very long time to go down in there, but they get there and means nothing stinky in the bin.

I havent tried paper, as I have a bin for that.

Eggshells are great down it, gone in no time.

Onion skins seem fine.

KFC bones are fine too.

really its just the stale bacon that I dont put down it.

I have even put down about 4kg of uncooked rice that had a bug infestation that some people say is really bad to do - nothing bad happened.

Richard rich.ms

jaymz

1133 posts

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#1665384 7-Nov-2016 22:05

richms:

I have found that stale bacon is a bad one, the meat comes off, the fat all balls up and just bounces around in it.

Meat bones take a very long time to go down in there, but they get there and means nothing stinky in the bin.

I havent tried paper, as I have a bin for that.

Eggshells are great down it, gone in no time.

Onion skins seem fine.

KFC bones are fine too.

really its just the stale bacon that I dont put down it.

I have even put down about 4kg of uncooked rice that had a bug infestation that some people say is really bad to do - nothing bad happened.

Yeah, pretty much all the things that I have read that are bad to put down are due to these causing blockages in the pipework due to it sticking to the insides of the pipes. But most of them also talked about multi apartment complexes with shared waste pipework.

I figure as long as you are not flushing fats and other sticky stuff down regularly then you should have no problems with the smaller stuff sticking (also using loads of cold water is a big plus!)

coffeebaron

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#1665385 7-Nov-2016 22:07

Don't you have a compost?

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wally22

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#1665388 7-Nov-2016 22:14

I am quite set against waste disposals as the crud you put down has to be removed during the sewage treatment process, causing the local authority (or its contractors) more work and hence more money. It is simple enough to manage rubbish for collection so it doesn't stink the place up if you have no composting capability.

Also the water used to flush the crud has been collected, treated and sent to your house. Admittedly some councils now have water meters so you pay for what you use, but it seems extravagant.

1eStar

1604 posts

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#1665391 7-Nov-2016 22:20

If your waste pipe is long/flat and shared with dishwasher it can be troublesome. If you don't run enough water with your waste then deposits can build up in pipe and then eventually your dishwasher ends up with waste in it. Don't ask me how I know.

We had some tenants who tried to put polystyrene down the wastemaster once ...

jaymz

1133 posts

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#1665396 7-Nov-2016 22:25

While we do have the ability to compost here at home, we have opted to install a waste disposal instead. The reasons for this was we tried to compost over the last few years and even though we were emptying the bin daily, we still had an issue with smells and with flies (both fruit and common house flies).

We have purchased it now, so no going back anyway.

I have heard differing opinions regarding the effect waste disposals have on the sewer system, ranging from the waste causing more problems, to large volumes of water causing more problems. The end result is a very grey area for me, if someone can provide more detail about what impact a household waste disposal has on a city sewer system I would be interested in the read.

jaymz

1133 posts

Uber Geek

#1665398 7-Nov-2016 22:29

1eStar: If your waste pipe is long/flat and shared with dishwasher it can be troublesome. If you don't run enough water with your waste then deposits can build up in pipe and then eventually your dishwasher ends up with waste in it. Don't ask me how I know.

We had some tenants who tried to put polystyrene down the wastemaster once ...

I am figuring that is why the dishwasher waste enters a pipe in the top of the Insinkerator. That way no waste from the Insinkerator is passing past the waste of the dishwasher (as it enters at the topmost part of the system)

I have hear horror stories of tenants filling them up with paper and other crud and wondering why it stopped working!

On that note, that is why i chose the 56 model from Insinkerator, it has stainless steel grinding components so less chance of rusting occurring over time.

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Fred99

13684 posts

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#1665400 7-Nov-2016 22:32

wally22:

I am quite set against waste disposals as the crud you put down has to be removed during the sewage treatment process, causing the local authority (or its contractors) more work and hence more money. It is simple enough to manage rubbish for collection so it doesn't stink the place up if you have no composting capability.

Also the water used to flush the crud has been collected, treated and sent to your house. Admittedly some councils now have water meters so you pay for what you use, but it seems extravagant.

That kind of depends on the treatment plant and availability of water, the stuff which gets through the waste disposal is mainly organic and helps feed the digesters - in Chch methane from there is used to power the plant, and feed surplus generation into the grid.

From my time visiting the plant, the stuff being screened out consisted mainly of corn and condoms, with the occasional set of false teeth and items which got flushed. The corn was remarkable - it looked almost as good as new.

mattwnz

20181 posts

Uber Geek

#1665412 7-Nov-2016 23:10

I found them hopeless, and more hassle than they are worth. My house has been through about 4 of them over 20 years, and they were either middle of the road or top models. Initlaly we used to put all food waste down it including things like bones and teabags. They couldn't handle teabags at all. The pipes regularly bocked up. They all failed for various reasons, units failed, the bottom corroded all the way through, pipes sheared. The last one has been in for about 3 years and only use it about once a month to keep it going. The only reason it was replaced, rather than replumbed to a waste, was because i was cheaper and less hassle just to install another, rather than the cost of a plumber to redo the plumbing. I got the cheapest one this time and it performs as well as the expensive ones, just a bit louder. I am surprised that councils allow them, as they would be putting a lot more load on the waste treatment plants. Composting is really the answer, and you will find many new kitchen have compost bins instead of waste disposal units. If I didn't do composting, I would just stick everything in the bin. There are also other types of composting which you do in a bucket which doesn't smell or attract flies called Bokashi http://www.compostguy.com/bokashi-resource-page/

I wouldn't recommend putting bones down them. It causes so much noise and vibration, and I think doing that caused one of mine to die due to the vibrations eventually shearing a pipe off.

Journeyman

1189 posts

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#1665426 8-Nov-2016 01:19

jaymz:

What do you guys generally put through your units?

People who displease me.

andrewNZ

2487 posts

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#1665437 8-Nov-2016 06:36

Its been years since I've had one, but the most (very) common blockages were potato peelings. They didn't get chopped up at all, just slipped past and plugged the pipe.

I've had good success unblocking it again with the hose though. Put the running hose up the outlet outside, seal the rest with your hand to apply some back pressure to the block. You usually can feel when it lets go.

surfisup1000

5288 posts

Uber Geek

#1665460 8-Nov-2016 08:06

Our insinkerator has been running like a trooper for 9 yrs now (got the most powerful version, why would you not?).

The main thing we try to avoid , are onions, and fibrous types of food, and bones.

Plenty of spoons have fallen into it, and, somehow a ball bearing at one stage which made us think it was broken haha.

The worst things are little bits of plastic, like the ringtabs around plastic bottle caps.

Once the airswitch got a little hard to press, disassembled and cleaned fixed it.

Suckerpunch

124 posts

Master Geek

#1665474 8-Nov-2016 08:39

No hot water down it? That sounds a bit extreme.

reven

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#1665476 8-Nov-2016 08:43

I've never had an issue with one. But I've never put bones down them (or tea bags), bananas skins I usually throw in the rubbish bin outside.

Generally use hot water with them (didnt know this wasnt recommended) as I'm usually clearing off plates when using it.

sidefx

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#1665479 8-Nov-2016 08:48

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