You'll be fine! I grew up in the suburbs with a disposal and have managed 25 years with septic (we do have a disposal but rarely use it).

Start composting; you must be planning some kind of garden on those 22 acres!

Linda

Is it local code that you can't have one?

Many of us here on septic systems have disposals. I don't use it much, because it isn't healthy for the drain field. I've had the system pumped every few years, and there has never been a problem. I've been here 30 years.

I can't imagine.

I never had a garbage disposal and do just fine. true, we got a clean-your-plate rule so food scrapings are not really an issue. anything potentially smelling and not compostable like fat cut off the meat or fish skin etc. goes to a separate plastic bag and straight to garbage can rather than trash can in the kitchen.

it also depends on how big your trashcan is and how often you need to take it out. I have a smaller one on purpose so that trash doesn't stay in for longer than 2-3 days. that way even when you do not compost, smell is not really an issue.

Like janwad, we also have septic and a GD. Some people add a product that's made for septic systems with a GD, but I've never needed to add anything. I do limit what I put down the GD and instead will toss grease and large amounts of leftovers into a plastic bag and keep it either in a garbage can in the garage or in the freezer. If I freeze it, I toss it the day before garbage pickup.

Or......since you have acreage.......you can do as I sometimes do and take the excess out to the edge of the field and dump it! Of course, I never throw out bones or food that would harm wildlife.

So, tell DH that you can still have your GD and that you'll 'baby it'!

Millions of people in New York City do just fine without one.

Compost.

Good grief, why in the world would you have to live without one?!? We've been here in the mountians for 15 years and on a septic system without any problems. Everyone in our area here is on a septic system, which is well over 9,000 homes and, believe me, they are NOT all doing without garbage disposals! You just have to be a little more careful of what you put down your drains. No Liquid Plumber. No huge amounts of bleach. But, the bottom line is that a garbage disposal, used right, is probably beneficial to your system. It adds ground up food that starts to decay quickly, which helps the septic process. Whoever's told you that you can't or shouldn't have a garbage disposal with a septic system does NOT know what they're talking about. I know of approx. 9,000 homes right here that prove him wrong every day.

I think it may vary a little based on what sort of soil your tank is in? Check with the local guys before you're committed to living without. You still don't want to send huge amounts down, and composting is a great idea...but if you do go without...

Get a good sink strainer. Scrape your plates. It's not too bad. You get used to it. If you take your trash out regularly, you won't notice extra stink.

Reminds me of the house down the street when I was a teenager. The homes were built in the early 60s, all septic, and then when the sewer came to town, they were all hooked up. Except one. But decades later, the new owner didn't know there was a septic system. Previous owner didn't know either. It didn't have a pretty ending....

I have one but don't use it much. Just compost all the non-animal matter, throw the rest in the trash, and take out the trash every day.

This is the first house I've owned in which we didn't have one. We, too, are on a septic field and were advised strongly against one. By the same token, we were told that "if we insisted" we could have one (installed AFTER the town inspection), but the list of things I could NOT use it for was so long I decided it was FAR easier to scrape plates. Which it is. Took me one meal to get used to it. Seriously.

I do compost some things, but like others, I just put really smelly things (fish wrappers, etc.) into a separate bag (or the freezer) and put out immediately or, in the case of the freezer, I pull it out on trash day.

For us, the risk of damaging the field was not worth the "convenience" of having a [very] short list of items I could put down the disposal. I also wasn't keen on spending my time after dinner "sorting" the trash!

On the bright side, if I toss a teaspoon by accident, I SEE it in the trash can. No more horrific clunking noises and chewed up flatware!

It is quite honestly the LEAST significant lifestyle change we had to make when we switched from city sewer to septic (I found not being able to have a "wash day" when I could run loads of wash all day FAR more inconvenient!! (You can't do that, either, with a septic field!)

Like others I had a disposer with a septic tank and had no problems. We're connected to the sewer now but I still treat the food scraps the same way.

Everything gets dumped inthe garbage, I use the garbage disposer for the small stuff that doesn't scrape. The garbage is taken out daily.

Have any of you lived with a pressure (as opposed to the more common gravity) sewer?

Millions of people in NY City are buying them now that they are permitted. So are millions of people with septic tanks; Insinkerator makes disposals especially for use with septic tanks. You do NOT need to live without a garbage disposal.

I would rather live without a dishwasher than a garbage disposal; in fact, I am doing it now in our makeshift kitchen and throwing food in the trash is the WORST!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Insinkerator for septic tanks

Thanks for the responses, everyone! I've sent the link for the Insinkerator to DH so he can look it over. I've also done some reading online where it says you can use a GD with a septic tank if your tank is large enough, so I'll have to find out how large our tank is and how large it needs to be to safely use a GD.

ctlady, thanks for pointing out the issue with multiple loads of laundry. I wasn't aware that too much water use would be an issue with the septic tank. I read all kinds of recommendations to use lower flow toilets, shower heads, etc. in order to cut down on the amount of water going into the septic tank. Most of them were things you would do anyway if you were at all green-consious, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Not doing all 3 loads of my laundry on the same day will require a change in my routine, but one that I can live with.

Does anyone know if you can still buy those small garbage bags that were intended to be used for table scraps? I haven't seen them for a long time, but used to use them when we lived in an apartment many, many years ago. I even had a plastic square frame that the bag went over to hold it open so it was easier to fill. Something like that would come in handy to deal with no GD.

not having a garbage disposal is no big deal. i actually got rid of mine. we just throw stuff away, recycle, compost, etc. We take garbage out nightly so smells are not a problem and really stinky stuff is wrapped in old newspapers or plastic before pitching.

Lee Valley sells compostable bags to line your compost can. Not sure that's what you mean. If you're in the boonies and feel up to a serious compost heap, you CAN actually compost all kinds of stuff you wouldn't want to in a suburban sized heap. Check out the Soil & Compost forum here at GW--some of those guys can compost whole animals once their piles get going.

When I was a kid, we had a slop bucket and pigs. Now that I'm all grown up, I have a compost bucket and a Lab.

fori - thanks for the heads-up on the Soil and Compost forum. I'm new to gardenweb and haven't explored it much yet. I do grow hot peppers in a small garden every year for my husband, so a small compost heap could come in handy.

ci_lantro - I'd love the Lab - unfortunately, due to allergies in our family, I won't be able to have a dog or anything else with fur or feathers. :-D

We have two disposals in our kitchen (main sink and prep sink) and we have a septic tank. I don't put everything down the disposals...they're really just for stuff that slips by. We put almost everything in the trash, and take it out regularly. As far as the stuff that does go through the disposal, we've never had any problems, and I don't think our tank is very big either.

I've never had an issue with with our septic system when it comes to washing loads of clothes all day, in addition to running the DW and showers.
I guess it depends on the size of your leachfield, the type of soil and the age of the system, but even with clay soil we've never had any problems.

This same issue came up a few weeks ago. The issue with GDs is they pulverize the waste and create "floaters" that follow the liquids into the leach bed (don't stay with the solids in the tank, to be pumped out) and clog it, causing it to fail prematurely. If you have very well drained soil then the soil surrounding the leach bed will assist and you may never know you have a clogged bed. But if you have poorly draining soil and the bed fails you will eventually end up with it percolating up.

Those bio-assist GDs may may you feel better, but they don't solve the issue of the floaters (they may help with the additional solids in the tank). Basically, using a GD with septic is a gamble. The odds that you will end up with an expensive leach replacement bill will depend on the way you use the GD (only the teeniest scraps vs. all food waste possible), the soil type, and the number of people in your house that won't follow your directions.

I refer to our leach field as the most expensive beach no one will ever swim at. Doing it ourselves (DH is a septic designer and installer and 3 states) cost $20k 4 years ago. Let's say $30k to replace it. Not a gamble I will take. GDs are also banned where I am and DH has seen enough failed leach beds to never let me install a GD, even after we had our occupancy permit.

Do I wish I had one? Only when I have to wait for the sink to drain. In my previous home I used to throw it on just to suck the water down quick.

You have plenty of space for a compost pile, and if you garden its a great idea. My father puts everything but meat and bones in his and the only animals he's had in it were crows. My plan is to have a compost pile away from the house and use a spinning composter on a stand near the back door during the winter so I don't have to trudge through the snow.

I used to live in the UK. No-one has garbage disposals there: it's just not an appliance in Britain. Some people put scraps out in the bin (trash) and some compost. I don't think I've seen them anywhere in Europe.

When I moved to the US, my mother (who was brought up in the US but has spent her adult life in Europe) said garbage disposals breed sewer rats.

Millions of us live without garbage disposals. I used to have one but they make me nervous now.

We compost vegetable scraps, seperate plastics, cans and glass for recycling and try to generally keep the amount of trash down. Trying to be as green as possible. I shred cardboard and keep newspaper to help start the fireplace.

The non-vegetable waste (meat scraps, fish bones etc) gets put in plastic bags. We have hauling for that. The P.O. had a burn pile and some still burn in the country but I don't like to do that. We rake leaves back into the woods rather than burn them.

Some say that garbage disposals can be used with a septic system. I feel ours is too old. Anyone building now should discuss it with the engineers. You really do get accustomed to it. No big deal to me at all.

Chipshot, I had a cabin with a pressure system - if what you mean is that it feeds uphill with a sump pump. We just sold it after 14 years with no problems at all. There are several in my hillside neighborhood, and once the initial bugs get worked out, they are fine.

I'd make a compost pile; great for the flowerbeds, even if you don't care to grow your own food. And get a few chickens. You can easily keep 3 in a doghouse set in a small covered pen. Supplement their Garbage Disposal Duties with some scratch grains (50 pounds for less than 10.00, and it will go a loooooong way) and you'll be able to impress and amaze your visitors with your very own home grown, "farm" fresh eggs. They'll be green with envy at your bucolic life. ;^)

I'm not planning a disposer in my remodel. Composting is good. There are lots of containers you can use in the house until you take things to the heap.
My mom always uses a milk carton to put stinky, yucky scraps in. Just open the top fully and rinse out the milk. After you put stuff in, just fold down the top until the next time you need to put something in. Kept it under the sink and just threw it away when it was full or stinky.

We collect our food scraps in a stainless steel container with charcoal filter like the one Plow & Hearth sells. I got it from our local kitchen store. We have 2 so that one is always available while the other gets cleaned out. We don't use the bags.

I've never had a gd and the few times I've used one, I've hated the noise. I like having one less thing that can break and having the space under our sink freed up.

Here is a link that might be useful: compost containers

We are originally from Australia where, like mls99 from Britain, no-one has a GD. When we first moved here, we found it to be quite a novelty! After the novelty wore off though, we stopped using it and I can't imagine needing it. But I thank you for making me aware that this is a potential issue for others, so I will consider installing one in my new kitchen for future owners :)

Did you check your local codes? We have a septic system (1996) here in CT, and our town would not allow a GD. I just make sure I use the sink strainer to catch the small pieces of food. Having used GD in our other two houses, I actually don't miss it at all.

You'll live very easily without one. Just compost what you can and toss the other into a small plastic bag, tie it up and put it in the garbage can where it should go in the first place. When we remodeled our kitchen we had a GD. Did not put a new one in, did away with it all together. I just don't see the need for one. NancyLouise

With 22 acres, you might also want to look into multiple septic tanks. We are on only 2.5 acres, but we have three tanks on three different sides of the house. One serves two bathrooms, one serves the kitchen only, and the third serves the laundry room and guest bathroom. We have lived here 11 years with no problems with any of them. The house (and the tanks) have been here since 1942.

We have garbage disposals in both kitchen sinks, but I am careful how I use them. Little chunks of food on dirty plates after the big stuff has been scraped into the garbage can are fine. Scraps of veggies while I'm prepping are fine. No grease at all, if I can help it, goes down.

We also have laundry days where we do six or seven loads with no problems. We use almost no bleach in our laundry, which is supposed to help.

I really think that, with our habits, it's a great thing that we have multiple septic tanks.

Our Corgi is our main disposal. Her favorite job is to do the after meal plate licking. Anything too spicy for her gets thrown in the trash. We did put a disposal in the new kitchen but we don't use it much.

As others have said- millions live happily without a GD. My DH, a civil engineer,who does septic and solid waste work & can get quite riled up on the subject! Towns in our area on septic don't allow them for a good reason.
I can't imagine how the cost of installing more than one septic tank could offset the convenience of pushing food scraps down a hole in your sink. We compost and throw trash in the trash can. I guess we are old fashioned!

We have septic at both our home and lake cabin and though we have a disposal at home we don't use it - other than for what Sue36 mentions - flicking it on to suck the dishwater down the drain more quickly. Sure - you can have one if you push it - but why? Have you ever seen someone's property torn up to install a replacement septic system or had to buy one? It's happening alot where I live. People will say they've never had a problem with their septic system but in reality a septic system can be failing without being apparent to the homeowner.

I keep all the little plastic bags I get at stores and use one each time I'm prepping a meal - set it right by me and the cutting board. I'll put all the plant type stuff in one since we recycle that type of waste - composting of sorts - but we don't make compost for gardening, etc. - we leave the compost in the woods. If I have yucky meat or fish type stuff I put that in a separate bag and tie it tightly shut. I will either put it in the inside trash can or take it out to the garbage can. We too don't have a huge kitchen trash can so garbage doesn't stay inside very long. The other thing I've done - if I want to peel a bunch of things into the sink so the peels aren't flying all over - is line the sink with a newspaper - peel away into the newspaper - then pick paper and peels up when done - no muss, no fuss.

Really, it's not a big that big a deal - if it's the worst problem you have to deal with you'll be a lucky person.

Composting is very good, but it's not always an option. For example, here in the New Mexico mountains, we're strongly cautioned NOT to compost as it draws the bears right to our houses . . . and coyotes and packrats, which are very destructive out here. The bears,on the other hand, tend to try and come thru our screened doors and windows looking for more food inside. The coyotes just eat our pets.

bellsrus-
Why don't you just pretend for one week that you do not currently have a GD, and see how it goes? I agree with so many others here that it's not nearly the big deal you think it may be. I had one for over 20 years and got rid of it with this remodel. Don't miss it a bit.

I'm throwing in a link to another msg board with a group of responses about food in the disposal and people who DO have one with a septic system. Interesting read.

For myself, I read the insert that comes with our water bill every month. It tells us NOT to put anything except the fine food debris left on plates after you scrape off the majority into the garbage can. And when I asked several of my plumbing clients about it, they all agreed, that even if it didn't jam MY disposal, it puts a huge burden on all the plumbing in the city. (I don't understand how any of this works, but I did listen and stopped putting pieces of food, peels, etc. in my GD)

And here's the thing...I do scrape my plates into the garbage can. I pile up peels, meat trimmings and whatnot and put that in the can too. Then, after the dinner is cooking, DH takes that bag of trash out to the big can.

I wish I composted. I hope to start one day. But till I do, I don't have stink in my house, because trash doesn't sit in my house even 24 hours. And this is my 2nd disposal only. Last house had one. This house has one. All my growing up years we scraped, took the trash out in a timely manner, and composted. Other homes, I've scraped into trash.
It is SO NOT a big deal.

Red

Here is a link that might be useful: think twice before you do it

Another question on septic tanks...it occurred to me that perhaps laundry soap should be liquid instead of powder, that it would be better for the septic system. Does anyone know whether that is actually the case, or not?

I guess if the powder dissolves all the way it wouldn't make any difference?

Liquid or powdered laundry soap, it doesn't make a difference. We have been advised to only do a maximum three loads of laundry in one 12 to 24-hour period, though. But that's just so we're not dumping a large amount of water into the septic field too quickly. As for food scrapes, the garbage disposal grinds them down quite small, so that's not as issue. But, like everyone else I know who has a septic spystem, we scrape our plates into the trash and not the disposal. I just like the convenience of grinding down the small stuff and not having to worry about stopping up the drain or pipe.