It's a LOT easier to live without a garbage disposal than it is a functioning septic system. ;~) The fine grinds produced by a disposal tend to float on the surface of the septic and then float out into the leach fields and clog up the lines. The occasional use of a disposal for the itty bitty bits that clog up a sink won't affect things too badly, but you CANNOT grind up food waste and flush it down your system. You need to look into composting the veggie matter and freezing the meat matter until pickup if infrequent trash pickup is a reality in your area.

Yay. Well, better to know now and decide if it's worth it.

I know it may seem silly to some, but I seriously am not sure I want to live without a garbage disposal. I've never lived in a place without one, so it seems so inconvenient to have to go outside to a compost pile a few times a day to dump stuff, etc. If it's raining or extra hot or extra cold, I usually don't go outside except to go to the car. I guess I'm a city girl, lol. I just don't know yet. It's hard to imagine all the people on septic in this country not having a garbage disposal, but what do I know.

we use one on ours and have had no issues with it. we do NOT put meat down it though. most food is scraped into teh trash or compost heap. as long as you don't jsut keep dumping large amounts of food down it, it will be fine. food will digest inteh tank just like in your stomach.

grease, oils, and fats will NOT break down inteh tank and they WILL clog the lines.

Oh yeah - I don't put grease, oil, or fat down my disposal even now with regular sewer lines. I just found out a friend has a certain type of garbage disposal and aerobic septic system from Hydro Action. I need to call her and ask about her garbage disposal.

We use our garbage disposal (we have 2) on our septic system, but, like davidandkasie, we do not put any meat down the drain. We have a 500 grease trap in front of our septic tank to allow us to use the garbage disposal without any problems. My installer said this was the ideal setup which will keep us from having any problems. We will still have to have the septic pumped, but much less frequently than anyone without a grease trap.

So no meat, and get a grease trap. I can do that. Whew. I'm feeling better already, lol.

I live in a house with a septic system and no garbage disposal, and like you, I was worried about it when we moved here. But, having no garbage disposal is not a big deal. We keep our veggie scraps in a container (with a lid) on the countertop. Ideally we empty it once a day (after dinner), but in reality, especially right now when it's really cold, it gets emptied every few days, and it doesn't smell when the lid is on. We keep a glass jar near the stove, and dump grease into that, and when it's full, it goes into the regular trash. And, we do have regular trash pickup, so meat scraps just go in there. I actually don't miss the garbage disposal at all, and I feel very good about how we've reduced the amount of landfill trash that we generate.

oops - should have said 500 *gallon* grease trap. ;)

Heh... I was going to say 'it isn't the disposal, it's what you put through it...'

I've had one for over 20 years, with no appreciable problems. Impossible to say what the drain field looks like, but still.

But we have dogs that get all the better table scraps, and things like potato or apple peals go straight to the trash.

So about all that actually goes through the disposal is the occasional stray veg peel, a few bits of uneaten salad, the occasional lemon wedge from a gin and tonic, and whatever escapes from the dishwasher.

Given how little I put down there, I'm not sure its going to be worth having in my new house, where I'd need one for the prep sink, one for the cleaning sink on the other end of the room.

Overall, I worry more about things like those cloth acne pads and other non-biodegradable material that ends up getting flushed from time to time.

At my old house I hade the disposal but only used it for the little stuff I couldn't scrape off. Just a little extra convenience, but I never ran it with large stuff. Never had any issues with the septic and it passed the inspection.

At our new house there is no disposal, but we've bought one and I'll install it when I get some time. I can't stand having to dig out the little stuff that gets trapped in the sink strainer - not much, but I'd rather have the disposal for that.

BTW we are not doing a compost as all it would do is feed all the wild animals here and don't want anything to draw them to our yard or stink stuff in the summer. Learned our lesson previously on that one.

scrapulous - they have enclosed ones, just gets so hot here in the summer and the compost gets really hot by itself so it melted the plastic one we tried and the smell was awful.

Yet another good point. We're near Houston, so it gets hot here, too. Hmm. I'll have to keep thinking.

I just asked DH about this (he's been a septic designer and installer in 3 different states), and he said the issues that Live_Wire_Oak mentioned apply even if you don't put meat scraps or grease down it.

In our case, we have horrible soil and a very, very expensive septic system. I would rather live without a disposal (which are actually illegal in my town) than risk ANY damage to the septic. Now, if you live in a very sandy area, your leach field will probably never fail (that you would ever know of) because it will percolate into the surrounding sand.

Are you willing to risk it?

We don't have a compost pile yet (too much landscaping going on right now, need to figure out where it will go). All the scraps go in the trash. If you are concerned about animals, you can buy one of those tumbling ones that is on a stand. We have friends with one and it works great, composts very fast. Once we get the landscaping worked out I plan to put one of those near the back door just for the winter so I don't have to walk through 40' of snow when it is 0 out. My father has had an open compost pile for as long as I can remember and the only animals that we've ever seen eat out of it are crows.

Proper composing neither stinks nor attracts animals. If it does either, you have too high a ratio of green based (nitrogen) to brown (carbon) based waste. Adding brown waste will cure the issue. That includes shredded dry leaves, newspaper, sawdust, and other dry carbon based waste. A simple circle of concrete reinforcing wire left over from your build will contain a nice sized compost pile, and if you have room, a 3 pile system is the way to go. Not only does composting reduce the matter going into your landfill, it provides a nutrient rich fertlizier for your trees and shrubs. Check out the Compost Forum for more tips on a successful compost pile/heap.

Thanks Live Wire Oak for the compost info. I'll look into that, too. So much to learn about this whole building a home thing, but it's exciting.

scapulous

My DW gave me this book as a gift (a sort of joke) but it explains septic systems and how to care for them in very simple terms.

The Septic System Owner's Manual (Paperback)
by Lloyd Kahn (Author), Blair Allen (Author), Julie Jones (Author), Peter Aschwanden

In our new home (our first time on a septic system), we chose to wire for the disposal but to not install it. We wanted to try living without first to see what it would be like. It really is not a big deal - the stainless sinks we have came with a deep basket cup that catches food waste but does not clog and we dump the food waste into a trash can. It reminds me when I was a kid - before disposals became popular and affordable - when I had to do the dishes as a chore. You get used to it.

The problem with the disposal is conditioning yourself to not use it the way you might on public sewer. There are a lot of materials (like apple skins) that are not good for the septic - see the book for the list. I was worried that we would forget, or get sloppy, or have guests over that would not ask - and we might run into problems. There are other items you need to be careful of too - the one's that often get flushed down the toilet. See the book, no need to get gross here.

We spent a small fortune on our septic system. I want to make sure it will never fail. This has become a real issue in the county where we live where septic systems have been failing frequently mainly due to what people throw in them, some due to bad designs. Most of the issues stem from folks who lived on public sewer all their lives and then moved to the country to septic - and were never told how septic systems work and how to care for them. My septic system did not come with an ower's manual - so the book really is a great reference guide.

Best of luck living in the country - it really is nice. Except for the bears and snakes - but we will get used to them too.

You might want to check to see if your excavator (septic system installer) will even allow you to have a garbage disposal. My husband is an excavator, and any warranty on the septic system is null and void if a garbage disposal exists.

BEARS AND SNAKES?????? That's it - I ain't movin!

LOL

Never thought about it not being allowed. But I'm feeling better about it all today than I was yesterday, so I'm sure I'll be fine either way.