Food has to go somewhere when it’s not eaten. While technology is constantly helping us in the fight to rid our planet of trash while keeping our homes clean, there seem to be only three solutions to food waste so far. Either the food is thrown into the garbage and dumped at a landfill, it’s composted in some way, or it is sent through the garbage disposal into the sewer. While the third option sounds as bad as dumping your garbage in a landfill, it’s actually a much healthier solution than many homeowners believe.
Garbage disposals can be an eco-friendly and convenient way to deal with food waste and other biodegradable materials that you’re tired of dumping in the trash. While having a garbage disposal requires a little bit more plumbing in Woodbury, NJ than just your average water delivery system, it’s very well worth it and we’ll get into the specifics as to why.
An Eco-Friendly Solution
Garbage disposals are not just a convenient way to dispose of food waste. There are a few nifty ways that garbage disposal systems can reduce your carbon footprint as well as keep your impact on landfills relatively minor!
Avoiding trash bags.
Millions of trash bags are used daily to transport garbage from your home to a landfill. That plastic adds up and is an environmental problem. A garbage disposal requires no plastic whatsoever!
Reduced fuel for transportation.
Trash needs to be transported to landfills via garbage trucks. Since the garbage disposal dumps food waste directly into the sewer, it avoids the use of emissions that garbage trucks produce via transportation.
Wastewater treatment.
The real eco-friendly nature of your garbage disposal depends on the efficiency of your local wastewater treatment plant. Some water treatment plants have anaerobic digestion facilities and other locations that can turn your natural food waste into renewable energy. The energy leftover in your ground up food can help become fertilizer or just biofuel that will end up powering the Woodbury electrical power grid.
Keeping Your Garbage Disposal Happy
While we just discussed some of the amazing advantages of having a garbage disposal installed in your plumbing system, we don’t want to sell you on something that breaks down from misuse. There are obviously some things to keep in mind when using a garbage disposal.
No FOG.
Fog stands for fats, oils, and grease in case you were wondering. These materials might be liquid in the moment, but they can easily solidify and gunk up your plumbing system. Make sure to throw these in the trash and keep them out of your garbage disposal!
Keep it smelling good. If you notice a gross smell coming from your garbage disposal, pour some baking soda, lemon, or citrus down there to refresh the scent of your kitchen.
Hopefully, we’ve clued you in on everything you’ll ever have to know about garbage disposals. Reasons to get one, what they do, and how you can keep your system happy.
If having a garbage disposal installed sounds like a good idea, contact our team at SPS Mechanical Inc. today! Comfort at your service.
