Garburators, Composting and Our Environment….
There has been a debate about garburators going on for many years. Are they helping or hurting our environment? Let’s try to look at both sides…
Benefits
Clearly using a garburator is much better than throwing your leftover food scraps in the garbage. Disposals definitely help to reduce the food waste that hits our landfills. This is a benefit! Garbage disposals grind up the food waste into tiny pieces that can be sent down your drain and then treated at local wastewater facilities. They also cut down on food smells until garbage day comes!
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Coffee Grounds -
Fibrous Foods -
Egg Shells
They do need to be used properly and sending the wrong type of food waste down the disposal can cause problems. Fruit pits, coffee grounds, egg shells, potato peels, grease, fibrous foods and bones should never be put down the garbage disposal.
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Fruit Pits -
Potato Peels
If you don’t have a way to compost your food waste a garbage disposal is a great option!
Concerns
These disposals can cause extra work for the local wastewater facilities. These food particles have to be filtered out and then the solids left can be used for fertilizers or they are then sent to the landfill. This can cause extra work for the local treatment facilities but most are made to handle it well.
There is concern that garburators increase the nutrient loads and decrease the oxygen levels in our rivers. Airdrie sewage is pre-treated with nutrients to eliminate sulfides before it is pumped to the City of Calgary treatment plant. Once the sewage is treated by the City of Calgary it is released into the Bow River. Keeping our waterways clean is something we can all take a part in!
Another concern is the amount of water a garburator uses when most places are trying conserve water.
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Fresh Compost -
Fresh Vegetables
Finally, the most environmental way to dispose of our food waste is composting . Most communities now have composting programs available. If that is not something you can do, a garburator is a great choice as well! Just make sure you are careful about what you put down there and how much water you use. If you need a garburator installed OR removed….. Call Paul because He loves this stuff!
587-583-5495
pmcplumber@gmail.com
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