Garbage disposal rusted out from lack of use, 4 years in. Are they necessary?

[mahina]

My old plumber said he didn't use one. I'd just as soon not have one if they only last a couple of years.

What say you DU? Assuming what goes down is filtered of solids and greasy stuff doesn't go down in the first place?

Thank you!

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Had one, when I moved into my new home, I didn't put one in, and love not having one. Haven't missed it a bit.

But, I'll have to admit, having 3 dogs helped too, ha ha heh.

[dwp6577]

2. septic system or city sewer?

one man's opinion:
septic system with tanks and drain field; no disposal
city sewer; possible, but not necessary...just use your kitchen garbage or compost if appropriate

[mahina]

5. Not on a septic system, on the Board of Water Supply systems

thank you

(Trivia: in Honolulu it is independent from city and state)

[Phoenix61]

3. I despise them. Useless PIAs that eat up valuable

cabinet space. They smell bad and it’s gross to reach in and retrieve lost silverware.

[spooky3]

4. I use mine daily. It's 8 years old and going strong. Previously had one that

Lasted more than 20 years. Maybe you have to use it regularly fur it to last?

They say not to put eggshells or grease into disposers.

[mahina]

6. I definitely never would put either down there, basically don't use it except to clear water backups which maybe are

caused by it in the first place?

I don't use it for anything but soapy water and dissolved cooking stuff that I can't filter out.

Cheers!

[exboyfil]

7. Haven't used ours in 25 years we have been in our house

We are also very careful what we flush. We have never had plugged drains (other than the gunk in the bathroom sink that needs to get cleaned out every so often. We also have very little food waste (between our Aussie and my clean plate policy).

[waterwatcher123]

8. Get rid of it - the organic waste overloads septic systems or adds to the waste load of a WWTP.

Consider composting your organic waste. Even if you do not want to do it on your property, quite a few cities and places have drop off sites for organic waste.

[mahina]

13. Everything except for meat and citrus and other things they don't care for goes in the worm bin

They’re happy little fellas

[Wicked Blue]

9. Used to have one. There isn't one in our present house.

I enjoy not having flatware damaged when someone drops it in the disposal.

[Raven123]

10. IMO, no

I used mine rarely. Went through 2 in what I consider a unreasonably short period of time. Had it removed about 2 years ago. Don’t miss it.

They were popular at one time, which it why so many houses were (maybe still are) built with them.

[nonaa]

11. They are merely a convenience, not required or important

Just remember that your sink drain is for liquids only, use the garbage for garbage and food scraps, and never let onion peels or celery and other fibrous materials go down whether you use a disposal or not.

A note, expensive, high quality disposals last a very long time, cheap ones rust.

[mahina]

14. This one was almost $300

But I’m thinking it might be the last one. They seem to last right around the warranty. I hardly use it, maybe once a week just to clean the water out of the drain.

Cheers!

[anciano]

12. Not necessary IMO....

I prefer a kitchen sink drain strainer. No leaks under the sink, no odors, and no plumbing repair bills.

[2naSalit]

15. There is one in my apartment...

And it's the new one, the other was only a few years old, as old as the housing unit. I do use it once in a while to keep it from rusting so I throw citrus rinds in it when I have them and grind those up. Otherwise, I don't like them. This one is connected to the dishwasher which I do use so it can get smelly if it isn't refreshed once a week or more often.

[RainCaster]

16. haven't used one in 30 years

Been living on a septic system. Never missed it. I make more use of my compost heap that way.

[Diraven]

17. They should last 10 years

We just bought a new one for $150 and installed ourselves, no plumber necessary. We got the exact same model as the old one so it would just snap into place, didn't even need tools. Not sure if they're all like that.

[genxlib]

18. Just my opinion

But I don't want to live in a world without one.

It is so much easier to clean up when the scraps can go down the drain. I hate visiting my mom's house where I have to dig stuff out of the sink

So much neater.

I have been in my house 25 years and only replaced mine once.

[mahina]

19. Lucky!

[FSogol]

20. Think about it, a garbage disposal uses fresh water to wash away food particles. Remove unit and just get a removable

Last edited Thu Feb 20, 2025, 09:41 PM - Edit history (1)

strainer for your sink. Throw food particles in the trash or compost pile. Save water

[chowmama]

21. Never had one, but my parents did

I never felt the need. Especially now, since Minneapolis has a great green bin composting program. It's even able to handle meat and bones.