I’m going to be mr buzzkill and just point out that the sludge from garbage disposals goes into the sewer and has to be treated at the local waste water treatment plant.
It is more evironmentally sound to send more of your garbage to be incinerated to generate heat and electricity.
Garbage disposals just shift some of your solid-waste load to the liquid-waste track. If you’ve got a better handle on the liquid treatment, then they do make sense.
As far as what goes in there… most of it is obvious. The non-obvious parts are mostly fibrous bits, especially onion skins and celery scraps.
Incineration plants are simpler than waste water treatment plants.
And the risk of having “a bad day” and end up with unprocessed waste water polluting a river/estuary/coast line simply doesn’t exist.
No, incinerating organic waste with other solid waste isn’t the best solution, but it is better than showing it down the drain.
My husband the Renegade Plumber tells folks, “A Disposal is NOT a wood chipper or an Electric Hog!” while he fishes avocado skins and turkey leg bones out of their pipes. Good for our bottom line though!
Carrot/Potato peelings are a DEFINITE no-no. They will clog that sucker up in a heartbeat. Speaking from experience here.
As for picture frames…yikes! I did have a roommate once who threw in Pork Chop bones, etc. We were renting, so his philosophy was “I don’t own it. If it breaks, they can buy a new one.”
Your roommate’s mindset is why, as a landlord, I keep my rental “minimized” to reduce damage, no garbage disposals, no screen doors, no ceiling fans, no fancy fixtures, cheap easy to replace everything.
Yep, renters “can’t have anything nice” because… “bad additude” of a few.
I don’t have a disposal, but I’m confused. If peelings aren’t supposed to go in, what is a disposal FOR?
That said, I mostly use them to make “garbage stock.” I rinse all my vegetables well before peeling or trimming, then use the peelings and trimmings to make vegetable soup stock. You get a flavorful stock for essentially free, and, if you’re the sort of person who normally rinses off your vegetables well before prepping them, it’s not even any extra work.
Adam, you are on the right track to what splits up couples, but you are in the wrong room. It is not the kitchen sink but the *bathroom* sink that is the epicenter.
The secret to a long and happy marriage is separate bathrooms, or at least dual (not duel) bathroom sinks.
Hah! True. I try to keep my bathroom sink clutter to a minimum. Also, shortly after moving in together while dating, my now husband asked me politely to please recap the toothpaste, and not leave extra paste on the cap, and squeeze from the bottom. Because it was like a little stabbing peeve of his. I hadn’t even noticed the state of the tooth paste. I told him I would do my best to mend my ways, but I know I am absent minded, and if he found me falling back into old habits, I would start buying separate toothpaste to massacre so he could preserve his own tube. Still happily living together 4 years later!
A late friend of mine wrote an article about modern conveniences in London flats sometime just before or after WWII, and they included sink disposals. He said that one “over-enthusiastic” lady tried to put a broken umbrella down there, with results which may be imagined.
I’ve never encountered one of those things in Oz. They are strictly Television Props, or now, I guess, comic book props. Australians don’t install them. The drain is just for rain: You can get into trouble for putting non-food liquids down your sink, let alone non-food solids.
We have compost buckets, if that is any way related. Food waste goes from there to either a bin in the back yard, or a chook pen, whichever you’ve got, and from there to the garden. Those who don’t compost, send it to the tip, in a bag, not through the drain.
I’m going to be mr buzzkill and just point out that the sludge from garbage disposals goes into the sewer and has to be treated at the local waste water treatment plant.
It is more evironmentally sound to send more of your garbage to be incinerated to generate heat and electricity.
Buzzkill off.
Well… if “Mr. Buzzkill” is the nickname your girlfriend gave you…
Garbage disposals just shift some of your solid-waste load to the liquid-waste track. If you’ve got a better handle on the liquid treatment, then they do make sense.
As far as what goes in there… most of it is obvious. The non-obvious parts are mostly fibrous bits, especially onion skins and celery scraps.
Incineration plants are simpler than waste water treatment plants.
And the risk of having “a bad day” and end up with unprocessed waste water polluting a river/estuary/coast line simply doesn’t exist.
No, incinerating organic waste with other solid waste isn’t the best solution, but it is better than showing it down the drain.
My husband the Renegade Plumber tells folks, “A Disposal is NOT a wood chipper or an Electric Hog!” while he fishes avocado skins and turkey leg bones out of their pipes. Good for our bottom line though!
His favorites are people with septic systems AND garbage disposals. Makes the septic pumping service happy though.
Carrot/Potato peelings are a DEFINITE no-no. They will clog that sucker up in a heartbeat. Speaking from experience here.
As for picture frames…yikes! I did have a roommate once who threw in Pork Chop bones, etc. We were renting, so his philosophy was “I don’t own it. If it breaks, they can buy a new one.”
Your roommate’s mindset is why, as a landlord, I keep my rental “minimized” to reduce damage, no garbage disposals, no screen doors, no ceiling fans, no fancy fixtures, cheap easy to replace everything.
Yep, renters “can’t have anything nice” because… “bad additude” of a few.
Adam – Does your girlfriend read this? Are you sure this is most effective communication strategy?
🙂 Looking forward to the Bugmartini book!
Oh her and I have joked about this before. I told her I was doing this strip and she laughed.
Glad you’re looking forward to the book. The Kickstarter will start sometime this month!
I don’t have a disposal, but I’m confused. If peelings aren’t supposed to go in, what is a disposal FOR?
That said, I mostly use them to make “garbage stock.” I rinse all my vegetables well before peeling or trimming, then use the peelings and trimmings to make vegetable soup stock. You get a flavorful stock for essentially free, and, if you’re the sort of person who normally rinses off your vegetables well before prepping them, it’s not even any extra work.
Colour me (really, honestly) interested. How do you make stock out of peelings ?I would much rather use them than put them to the waste bin…
dralou – boil the goodness out of the peelings, then discard the solids and season to taste.
thanks 🙂
Adam, you are on the right track to what splits up couples, but you are in the wrong room. It is not the kitchen sink but the *bathroom* sink that is the epicenter.
The secret to a long and happy marriage is separate bathrooms, or at least dual (not duel) bathroom sinks.
I think I can guess what a near-future episode of Bug Martini is going to be about…. 😀
Hah! True. I try to keep my bathroom sink clutter to a minimum. Also, shortly after moving in together while dating, my now husband asked me politely to please recap the toothpaste, and not leave extra paste on the cap, and squeeze from the bottom. Because it was like a little stabbing peeve of his. I hadn’t even noticed the state of the tooth paste. I told him I would do my best to mend my ways, but I know I am absent minded, and if he found me falling back into old habits, I would start buying separate toothpaste to massacre so he could preserve his own tube. Still happily living together 4 years later!
A late friend of mine wrote an article about modern conveniences in London flats sometime just before or after WWII, and they included sink disposals. He said that one “over-enthusiastic” lady tried to put a broken umbrella down there, with results which may be imagined.
So… how does this situation ‘flush’ out when we run into the “just cleaned my bathroom” comics?
I can’t find them in the archives.
Is she the Shredder?
I’ve never encountered one of those things in Oz. They are strictly Television Props, or now, I guess, comic book props. Australians don’t install them. The drain is just for rain: You can get into trouble for putting non-food liquids down your sink, let alone non-food solids.
We have compost buckets, if that is any way related. Food waste goes from there to either a bin in the back yard, or a chook pen, whichever you’ve got, and from there to the garden. Those who don’t compost, send it to the tip, in a bag, not through the drain.