Are there things I should do to maintain my garbage disposal unit?
There are a few things that will keep your garbage disposal functioning well and odor-free. Be sure you are following the garbage disposal manual’s advice on what items to put in the disposal.
Ice and rock salt used together is an effective way of cleaning and sharpening the blades, while citrus peels will act as a deodorizer. You only need to use small pieces or an orange that’s past its prime, drop them in the disposal and then grind them. Always be sure that you run your garbage disposal anytime you put food into it. B.C. Redi-Rooter Ltd recommends running the water at the same time until the food has passed through the disposal, allowing the water to run an additional 15-30 seconds so the disposed of the product flushes completely through the drain line. Never leave food sitting in the food disposer, this will prematurely dull and wear out the unit and try to run the machine with cold water only.
Is my garbage disposal harmful to the environment?
Buried in landfills, food scraps will decompose, therefore creating dangerous greenhouse gases like methane gas. Food disposers take into account that the scraps of food are over 70% water, grinding the solids and sending them down to existing infrastructure through our sewers and into wastewater treatment plants to be better managed there.
Properly managed wastewater plants today are effectively processing waste material into bio fertilizer and are able to capture and use the methane gas for energy.
It turns out that food waste disposers when kept sharp and used correctly have many environmental benefits after all. Although nothing is better for our planet than your own well-managed backyard compost or a food waste curbside collection program to effectively return your food scraps back into dirt and fertilizer.
