Never had one, and don't have one now, but I think they allow you to not have to scoop bits of vegetables, meat, etc. from the sink after you are done washing it. A strainer works fine for me, but then you have to remove it and clean the yucky stuff out with your fingers into the garbage.

I don't have one now but I have in the past, and given the option I would have one again. I never made a point of stuffing garbage down the drain, but it was nice to be less concerned about what's going in the sink. For instance, even if you don't rinse dishes (I don't) scraping is easier with the help of some water. Plus the added benefit that scraps gone down the drain don't stink like they might in a garbage can.

Right now I have a mesh strainer in my sink. It has to get cleaned out several times a day, and it's one cleaning task I could do without - never know what you're touching!

They make lots of crushed ice very easily. Smoothies, too. Yum!
a no-brainer.
Casey

My plumber friend grumbled the whole time he was installing mine about how they are horrible evil buggers, but he put it in anyway because I watch his kids on snow days and I wanted it. I love mine for taking all the leftover scraps from our plates. We compost in the spring/summer/early fall, but here in upstate NY winter runs from late October/early November through March. During the winter months all veggie scraps, peels, egg shells, etc. go down the disposal. We only take out the garbage once a week(most stuff gets recycled) and I don't want smelly garbage. I got an Insinkerator Evolution series gd and that thing has some serious power. I am not at all concerned about it ever clogging up.

Having said all that - judging by your comments, I don't see that you'd have use for one.

I had one for 10 years and didn't install one in this house, primarily due to septic. I don't miss the stinky thing one bit! I have a little strainer that I dump into the trash every night and pop into the dishwasher a couple times a week. But we can do that because we hardly ever have leftovers -- if you're routinely tossing pots of soup or piles of dish scrapings it would be more useful to you.

in our old house we replaced ours 3 times in 2 years- I WILL NEVER own one again. we are building a new house now and it came with one and we told the builder we DO NOT want it!! Not only did we have to pay for the new units but we had to pay the plumber costs every time... it wasn't worth it---

There was one in my house when I got here, and when I remodeled, I replaced it. At first, it got regular use, but, over time, we're eating many more vegetables and less meat, and, since I compost year-round, that leaves almost nothing for the disposer to deal with. If I had to do it again, I'd leave it out for myself, but I'd think hard about whether a prospective buyer would expect one.

I have one and like it but I've never had trouble with it. It is handy to flush peelings and scraps down the sink. My son the plumber recommended one and he put it in. I actually have one in each sink. My sister doesn't have one because her husband thinks they are trouble. She composts and doesn't mind not having one. It is just a personal preference I'd say based on your experiences and what you are used to.

Since I live in the city, there is no opportunity to compost. Also, my tax dollars that are paying for my garbage pickup have been deemed by the City of Chicago only to merit once a week pickup. Just imagine the hot Chicago summers, garbage can in the garage, garage temp in the 90's every day, and that garbage stewing for one week. If I didn't have a disposer the smell would make me have to park my car elsewhere! Also, I appreciate the reduction in volume of garbage with a disposer.

I made sure to buy a powerful Waste King disposer. It grinds almost everything, including chicken bones. I have never had a clog, or even had the disposer hesitate or need to be reset, no matter what I've put down there. I am certain my kitchen redo would not be complete without it.

Is it true that most homes in New York City don't have garbage disposals? Why?

Until fairly recently, it was illegal to have a garbage disposal in NYC, likely due to the state of the ancient plumbing system. They are now legal, but many older buildings still ban them as they can cause clogs in plumbing (if improperly used) that can be inside walls of high-rise, etc. FWIW many buildings also ban washing machines (lint buildup) for the same reson.

If you don't have one, and don't mind not having one, I think it means you don't need one. I probably don't need one either, but they are pretty cheap compared to many kitchen appliances, so I installed one. I use it mainly to keep my sink tidy from all the little bits that collect after dinner. I compost 12 months of the year (and I live a LOT further north of NYC) so it doesn't get used much. But I consider it one of my little luxuries.

Over time, disposals will cause the drain pipe to clog up, especially if you put onion skins, coffee grinds, lettuce etc. in them. Ask any Roto Rooter guy.

1. Even if you compost, some little bit of "stuff" still gets in the sink strainer that you have to dump in the garbage. With a disposal, you don't need the strainer or to worry about the little bits of crud.

2.Some people have extended time between garbage pickups, and putting the smelly stuff down the disposal helps with the odor factor. The new 1 hp Evolution series has a double direction grind and can handle even rib bones and potato peelings and grind them into the world's itty bittiest pieces that are perfectly safe for normal plumbing fixtures (along with plenty of water at the same time.)

3. Having a garbage disposal somewhat simplifies the DW plumbing hookup to the sink. They have a input port just made to accept DW discharge. This is especially important for DIYers. Less so for those who will pay a plumber to hook up everything as they have access to many parts and pieces not sold at the big box stores.

4. The cool factor. How cool is it to be able to completely dispose of a whole human body through your sink if you want to? LOL!

Ohh, live_wire, #4 -- ICK!!

I grew up with one, then didn't have one for 25 years and missed it. We put one in the house we built in 2001 and are putting one in the house we're building.

I compost everything I possibly can, so I just use the disposer for just the stuff that ends up in the sink strainer and bits that I don't want sitting in the garbage can for a couple days.

Absolutely NO bodies, human or otherwise! I'd compost a dead goldfish.

Double ick!

Where I live everyone has disposers. We also have garden waste recycling where they do municipal compost, and one can put all the peelings into that. It's a lot worse for your pipes to put fats down the disposer than peelings. I love being able to peel 10 lb. of carrots into the sink and just grind 'em up, though that's enough peelings to make it worthwhile to take downstairs to put in the green bin, so don't often.

I decided that contrary to GW received wisdom, I don't want a disposer in my prep sink. They're going to set up the cabinet and plumbing so that it can be added, but not put it in. Picking up the peelings isn't that hard. But it's very nice for clean-up to just be able to scrape the bits of yuck into the disposer, rather than having to classify them and choose between garbage and compostable.

How else would people have chewed-up spoons with which to give their children medicine?

I had one in my old home. I decided I didn't need one in my new kitchen. I don't miss it at all. It makes noise. It uses energy on something that doesn't need to use energy. It's something else to repair. I was always nervous that something that shouldn't be there, fell in.

I've had three disposals in three different houses & removed them all. Senseless to waste all of that clean treated water (that I have to pay for) to chase garbage down the drain. Much more environmentally conscious to conserve water & compost. I live in Wisconsin & compost 12 months of the year. The bunnies make off with most of the compost during the winter months but leave me rabbit poo in exchange.

I have one now for the first time ever. It isn't critical, and we're not heavy users so we just got a compact one. I love being able to spritz stuff down the GD drain instead of having to clean the sink. The other thing I have to confess is that when I clean the fridge out, I inevitably end up with 3 or 4 "science experiments". I much prefer just being able to quickly flush them down the GD rather than carefully scraping everything out into a ziploc bag or disposable container while savoring the aroma - and then praying it doesn't break or explode as it sits in the garbage.

sombreuil_mongrel - loved the smoothie comment

live_wire - I'm a big fan of yours and a generally a fan of dark humor, but ditto hostagrams "ICK!!"

I wouldn't live without one. If I had to move to a town that outlawed them it would be a deal-breaker. Have had 3 garbage disposals in almost 40 years and can't imagine not having one.

This forum can suck you into thinking you NEED something you don't. I've always had a garbage disposal and recently started composting. Using the gd is part of my rhythm as I work in the kitchen. OTOH it sounds like you manage well without a gd so save your $$ OR spend it on something that would serve you better. :)

My outlet under the sink is too high up the wall to use a disposal. And I live in a Co-op and can't go about breaking pipes without major approval. So I guess that leaves me without.

I do compost, so it's not a big deal. I would have only used it when cleaning up the sink of the tiniest scraps. Thanks to some of the fine people on this forum I feel almost righteous that I'm forced to do without.

"How else would people have chewed-up spoons with which to give their children medicine?"

That gets my vote for the best comment...

"Senseless to waste all of that clean treated water (that I have to pay for) to chase garbage down the drain."

We have a whole house water purification system. So, does that mean we're not supposed to flush the toilets and "waste all of that clean treated water"?

I'll continue to use the garbage disposal and flush the toilets.

;-)

I have one now and pretty much have always had one. I don't think they are a necessity and will probably not put one in as part of my remodel. I am some what shocked as to how people use them though. I don't put carrot peels or potato peels or anything else like that in my sink. I peel at the counter and put all the scraps in the garbage or compost bin. I have started composting lightly and even in the winter, I only take trash out twice a week. We have trash pick up once a week too. Once I started recycling all my different items, what actually goes in the garbage is so small that I sometimes have a hard time filling up my large trash bag. I know this is an effort most people are not interested in but it really makes a difference and I don't have really smelly trash either.

Good luck!

This whole thread makes me smile. I lived abroad in a fourth floor walk-up. I still have my garbage strainer. :) It's the rubberish thing one puts in the sink to catch the scraps. We used to do as our neighbors did and put the garbage, tied in a plastic bag, outside the front door waiting for whomever was going downstairs to grab it. What a pain! All I wanted when I moved back were a dishwasher and garbage disposal.

Davidro1 asked why, and so many of the responses are in the negative. I don't use mine much either, though I let the city deal with the composting, but I like it fine. BTW, the carrot peels go down when one is just too tired or rushed to deal with 'em. :) And when the roots get into the pipes it's not the disposer remains that stop up the works.

But I agree totally that if you don't have use for one there'e no reason in the world to install it! Maybe make it possible to retrofit if you're going to sell, ever.

Would I be out of line if I said we need a garbage disposal because my wife (the same wife who rinses dishes and bowls before putting them in the dishwasher) often uses the sink as a garbage can? I've retrieved countless banana peels, egg shells, corn husks and cobs, uneaten food items, and other stuff from the sink. Maybe we don't need a garbage disposal. Instead, maybe we need a trash compactor. Please don't tell me I need a new wife!

I live in NYC and never had a disposal. I put one in the new kitchen because I could. I'm glad I didn't take money out of my pocket for it (thrown in by my appliance dealer and DIY install). After the initial novelty and being tried out by every guest who wanted to, it's hardly ever used and I mostly forget I have it. Curbside garbage pickup is 2x/week. OTOH, I'm still loving the Tapmaster so I'd recommend putting the money there.

chipshot: Somehow your description conjures up a possibly humorous picture of your wife scraping off stuff into the sink and of you standing next to her retrieving much of it. Is this a joint activity? If she's willing to watch you do what you do, she's a keeper. Just kidding, of course, except for the keeper part.

I have septic, try to avoid putting anything down the sink and as crazy as it probably sounds, would still would not do without disposals on both cleanup and prep sinks. Even just lifting the strainer up from the sink, there's stuff that gets down there anyway -it's a big convenience to be able to turn the GD on when that happens.

I live in a 70 year old ranch house with a septic system. We put in a GD about 20 years ago. When it died, we put in a new one that was about 3 times stronger. I love it!!! I compost, and do not put a lot down it, but with kids (especially teenagers), stuff ends up in the sink that is so much easier to rinse down than scoop out!

BTW, we also put in a septic system 2 1/2 times bigger than the contractor recommended, because we really hate dealing with problems.

It is definitely your choice. Best of luck!

Never had a problem with one, except when I didn't have one. I peel stuff into the sink. I'll grab the peels and toss into the compost, but I'm not going to care if I miss a few.

Thanks again, garbage disposal!

It isn't critical, and we're not heavy users so we just got a compact one. I love being able to spritz stuff down the GD drain instead of having to clean the sink. The other thing I have to confess is that when I clean the fridge out, I inevitably end up with 3 or 4 "science experiments". I much prefer just being able to quickly flush them down the GD rather than carefully scraping everything out into a ziploc bag or disposable container while savoring the aroma - and then praying it doesn't break or explode as it sits in the garbage.

My answer is pretty much the same. I don't use it a lot, but when I do I'm sure glad it's there. I grew up with one and then was without for about 15 years and sorely felt its lack at times. So, when we remodeled the kitchen it was definitely a must-have.

I learned a lot here.

We have now realized we can make do with a teensy weensy "wet" garbage container in our new kitchen. We're in a condo, with a garbage chute, huge bins for recyclables near the garbage chute next to the elevator, truly humungous bins in the common area garage, + a live in janitor couple. As it stands, most of our garbage that accumulates in the kitchen is dry. Mostly recyclable. Tea bag contents and coffee grinds go down the kitchen sink drain, and we just don't have a lot of organic garbage. Most weeks, it adds up to the same volume as would fit in 3 or 4 sandwich baggies. We have now started tossing wet garbage every 36 hours.

In the new kitchen, I'm thinking I'll cut openings in the counter behind the sink and embed something like these, and use one of them for garbage:

Sixth Size Stainless Steel Steam Table Pan http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=724541
Sixth Size Polysulfonate Food Pan http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=709288
Sixth Size Polycarbonate Food Pan http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=709106
Oxo POP food container http://www.oxo.com/OA_HTML/xxoxo_ibeCCtpOXOPrdDtl.jsp?section=10421&item=78316
Ikea "365+" food container http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00128584

They are all about 6" or 7" square.

When the garbage one gets a third filled, I'll bag it and put it down the garbage chute. That's the plan: no disposer, just use the garbage chute more.

Lessons learned:
1. garbage chute means not having to buy big garbage pullouts.
2. the KD's we consulted were too "suburban", didn't understand highrise condo living, and wanted us to keep our garbage longer... ;- )

I have had one in every house I've lived in since I was a little kid (which I am certain of since we were taught to never stick our hands down the drain to retrieve a dropped utensil.) We have never composted and have never had a septic system - we have always been on public water.

As an adult in my own homes, I rarely put food down the disposal. I scrape food into the trash (from plates) and don't rinse my dishes before putting them into the dishwasher. I run the disposal maybe once a week because I have a Blanco Silgranit SuperSingle sink and it has only one drain, so I run it to be sure anything my DH might have dumped in the drain is cleared out so there is no smell. If I didn't have one, I wouldn't miss it.

My mom and my best friend both scrape plates and throw food scraps into theirs because they feel it's better than letting the food stink up the trash.

try_hard

There are several good reasons to have a dishwasher, and I think that with modern versions, there are fewer reasons to NOT have one.

We have the power model from Home Depot- we haven't had problems with it, except the time I put the artichoke leftovers down. It wasn't expensive, maybe about $100. I never understand the people that talk about all the problems, and how plumbers love them (for the repairs). We just have not had problems unless we do something pretty dumb- like the artichokes. NEVER do that, take it from me.

Reasons for: Landfill. There is no reason why food waste should end up in landfills apart from things like the artichokes...

Here's my big reason FOR:
Maybe this sounds over-the-top to some of you, but in a landfill, organic materials do NOT decompose in the normal fashion. They eventually degrade, but will generate methane gas, not C02 gas. They are totally sealed up so we don't have to smell our dumps. This means there's no Oxygen to let stuff decompose aerobically. Thus, we get methane. Why does this matter??? Global warming. No kidding. Methane is a much more active greenhouse gas than C02. I would really rather my organic waste either go to compost (mostly it doesn't), or to the water processing stream (via garbage disposer) then end up creating bulk in the landfill which will create even worse Carbon footprint.

So now, even when I prepare watermelon (which is often!) I use my knife to chop the rind a couple more times, and put it down the disposer instead of the trash. When I have really fibrous stuff, like the stems from cut flowers, I toss those in our green recycling bin. We're hoping for some limited food-scrap composting to come to our area soon, but I can't do it in my tiny yard. My disposer is happy to gobble up rinds and pretty much anything else, as long as it isn't patently stupid (like the artichokes....). Usually one extra chop with a knife is enough to ensure that it will not be an issue.

Sound's too much or too paranoid? Think about how much food waste you scrape into the garbage in a week. Think about the pile that makes in a landfill when you sum it up across all the others doing so. It's just not necessary, and it is so simple to use a garbage disposer.

My two cents.

I have had a disposal since around 1988 and it is just one of those things that I feel that I cannot live without. I use mine for everything from leftovers to veggie peelings to crud leftover in pots and pans. When I soak a nasty pot or baking dish it's so easy to just flip a switch to clear the gunk instead of emptying the little strainer in the sink drain when I dump the soaking water. I had to live without one for 3 months before my apartment was ready and that's when I noticed how much I really used it. I will never again be without a disposer or a dishwasher.

david, I think your original post was about me. I'm not hiding the garbage disposers, I'm just not having them installed until after we pass inspection. We are doing this upon the advice of our lovely plumber who's been in business for 24 years and who regularly installs disposers post-inspection, including his own.

Our plumbing inspection will be done tomorrow which means my 2 Insinkerators will be installed soon ... so excited! I've lived without one for 10 years, and I'm really looking forward to no longer having to clear that gunk mike1975 was talking about.

...which begs the question, what is it about disposals in your locale or situation, or your plumber's ability to install them properly, that would be so problematic as to require installation post inspection?

Ours cost us over $100 recently when my wife used it for sweet potato peelings, but didn't run the water afterwards enough to clear them out of our drain pipes (apparently)...I just use it so that I don't have to pick up small odds and ends from rinsing dishes out of the sink. We have a little garbage can on our counter for larger amounts of garbage, vegetable peelings, etc.

Personally, I have a hard time with the concept of using electricity and potable water to dispose of food scraps and peelings that can be either composted or sent to a landfill to nicely decompose and enrich the soil there.

I could definitely live without it. My wife uses it much more than I do.

-Roger

Perfect example...this morning I left a pan to soak that had baked on ziti and sauce. Toinght I just dumped out the water and threw it into the dishwasher. All of the burnt on pieces went right down the drain with a flip of the switch.

yathink, you never fail to disappoint with your sarcastic remarks. Local code requires that you put in a much larger septic tank if you have a garbage disposer, probably to allow for the worst case scenarios where people are grinding up watermelon rinds and rib roasts. We have no intention to upgrade our septic to allow for a few ounces of food scraps every day. If we're wrong and our septic system fails, then we'll have no one but ourselves to blame, right? I'm not going to be losing any sleep over it.

mike, you should be composting those burnt pasta pieces, shame on you! ;)

Sarcastic? I thought it was a reasonable question - and a reasonable answer. Sounds like I'd do the same in your case.

I am definately not a composter...I have such a brown thumb that I kill fake flowers!

I had a garbage disposal all of my life in California until I moved to a second home in NYC. I honestly didn't know people didn't have them! Thought it was standard.

I used the disposal for food and the trash compactor for everything else and took the garbage out once a week, the night before pick up.

Can't have a disposal in NYC....now I have to take the garbage out every day (sometimes every other)... or the garbage stinks up the kitchen.

I guess I'm a garbage disposal and trash compactor girl, cuz I hate taking out the trash!