"It sounds all well and good to have a large array of things sitting along your countertop sink line" I do not think there should be an "array of things" along the back of the sink. The air gap is not required if you have a dishwasher with a high loop - dishwashers sold in the last 10 years or more come with the high-loop pre-installed. If you live in the one state in the U.S. that has a code requirement for an air gap (California), you put in the air gap for the inspection, and after that, replace it with an in-counter soap dispenser - as long as your dishwasher has a high loop hose. As has been said in this thread, use a batch feed disposal and you'll not need a button or switch anywhere for the disposal. I have a batch feed disposal. My sink has a single-hole faucet and an in-counter soap dispenser. i.e. two holes behind my sink. That is all.

The green grounding wire and the white wire coming from the right side of the box are a bit of a mystery. What were they connected to? Are you sure there is not a black wire with them? Also, are there bare or green grounding wires coming from the top and bottom? Is the receptacle a GFCI (with a "test" and "reset" button)? If you can confidently answer these questions, especially the mystery ground and white wire, we ought to be able to help you. Otherwise, it would be best to call an electrician. A switch loop is the only place black would connect to white, and the white would have to be reidentified with a black marker or black paint at each end. But in your case, it does not appear to be a switch loop.

'splain please. It was a 12/3 going to the right for the over-the-sink light switch & receptacle then down to the D/W. You got me scratching my head on that one! I don't have a clue why there is a third conductor running to the DW. It might be worth looking at the termination of that wire. My hunch is that one of them is unused, but who knows? "I think the Two-Pole GFCI 20A breaker is a great idea. The breaker box is in a back bedroom so if it trips, no biggie in getting to it. Also, I read this while Googling Two-Pole GFCI 20A breakers: 'GFI devices cannot operate on circuits with shared neutrals.' True? False? Isn't that what I have (circuits with shared neutrals)? Just trying to cover all bases." That's a great question. As of maybe five years ago, I think the correct answer would have been "true". (How old was the source of that information?) But now, there are (at least) two types of two-pole GFCI breakers. The simple 240V two-pole versions will not work, because they only measure current imbalance between the two opposite-pole hots. These may have a white pigtail to the neutral bar, but that's only to power the internal circuitry of the breaker (essentially 120V). The second type--designed for 120/240V circuits--will work on an MWBC with shared neutral. These have a lug on them to attach the shared neutral as well as a pigtail to the neutral bar. Basically, they compare the output of the two hots and, if they're out of balance, they measure the current on the neutral to account for the residual difference. The bottom line is that it's important to make sure that the breaker monitors the neutral current and is suitable for use on the MWBC. (Also, it is possible that not all manufacturers offer a compatible breaker, especially if your main panel requires an old, discontinued or scarce breaker type.) BTW, your question made me rethink my estimate of a $30 cost differential. Those 120/240V GFCIs were quite expensive when they first came out a couple of years ago and I'm not sure how much they've come down in price. I may be too optimistic on that guess about price, so you might want to look at price/availability before you decide which way to go. (Also, if you can't find one at a big box store and have to go to an electrical supply house, they have a way of gouging a one-time walk-in DIYer with a ridiculously high "list price"!) *** Broaching a related issue here. If you go the route of changing the hardwiring to "plug in", I hope you're aware that you'll need to retrofit the appliances with proper cords and plugs. You shouldn't just put a new plug on the romex tails! "Retrofitting" is probably more easily done with the disposal, since they frequently come with a plug-in option. But dishwashers? Not so much.

You can only accomplish this if there is a white neutral wire at the switch. If the original circuit went to the light first, then there is only a loop to the switch which interrupts the black hot wire. The cable from the light to the switch may have black and white, but the white should be taped or painted black where it attaches to the switch. In that case, you will have to fish a new cable to the proposed outlet.