A compost pile is full of life, even if much of it can only be seen in a microscope. The organisms in your compost pile break down the stuff in your compost by physical and chemical decomposition. Physical decomposition means that species eat the stuff in the compost pile. This happens in early stages of the compost pile. The physical decomposition helps bacteria and fungus with their chemical decomposition.

The chemical decomposition is done by microbes which release enzymes that break down organic structures. The chemical decomposition will increase the temperature in the compost pile. Once the chemical decomposition is finished, the temperature will drop. This encourages physical decomposers to came back and finish their job.

Many of the physical decomposers can be seen with the naked eye. Beetles and earthworms are easy to detect, mites and springtails are smaller but still visible. But most of physical decomposers are microscopic. A huge amount of nematodes are at work in your compost pile. They eat both decaying organic matter and other decomposers.

Like nematodes, the term mite is used for a huge number of species. These small animals have four pair of legs and do a lot of productive work in a compost pile. Centipedes use compost pile as hunting ground, they don’t do anything good for your compost. But it is still best to leave them alone. You can remove them but be careful, centipede bites can be painful.

If you find ants in your compost pile, it is too dry. Just water it and the ants will move. But ants are useful in a compost pile so you don’t need to panic. But a compost pile that is dry will need longer time to decompose matter. Flies are not bad for your compost but in larger amounts they can be a nuisance. By increasing the temperature, you can generally get rid of most of the flies. By adding grass clippings, you increase the temperature.

For fast decomposition you need a carbon to nitrogen ratio of about 30:1. If you have much more carbon, the decomposition will be slower. Too much nitrogen on the other hand, and the compost will generate ammonia and start to smell. So try to keep the carbon/nitrogen ratio at about 30:1. As mentioned previously, you also need to make sure that your compost pile does not get too cold or hot. A cold pile will decompose slower. If it gets too hot, microbial activity will cease and the decomposition will stop.

As mentioned, far from everyone likes worm composting but it is actually very well suited for indoor use. Vermicomposting as it is called has a number of advantages, here are a few of the most important:

– does not smell
– requires very little space
– produces high-quality soil
– requires little maintenance

You have some initial costs, you need a compost bin and worms. After that, vermicomposting is cheap. You can construct your own compost bin but you can buy worm bins relatively cheap nowadays so that is an easier solution.

Since worms prefer to stay near the surface, a deep container is not optimal. Instead, a set of trays maximizes the amount of surface area. That’s why you have a lot of stackable tray solutions on the market. The worms will move upwards once they have eaten themselves through the food in a tray.

Note that only a few worm species are suitable for vermicomposting. Don’t just take some you managed to dig up from your garden. Most often used are red wigglers and red earthworms. You can order worms online or by mail-order. Note that if you live in a very hot climate, such as in southern Florida, you need to use other worms, for example blueworms.

So how many worms do you need? As a rule of thumb, worms eat half their weight every day. So if you have one pound of worms, they eat about half a pound of waste. But be careful not to overfeed your worms, excess waste may start to smell or attract flies.

You create a home for your worms by using paper, cardboard or grass and a little bit of soil. You need to shred the paper. Make sure that the paper, grass or cardboard is wet. The worms will die if their skin dries out. Place the soil on top. All together you should have at least ten inches.

Once the worms have settled into their new home, you can add a little bit of food waste. The worms need a little bit of practice before they get up to speed, so don’t give them too much food scrap in the beginning. Add new food waste once the previous scraps are almost gone.

Don’t put any meat or dairy products into your worm compost. Also avoid grease and oil. Be careful with salty food, too much of it may dry out your worms.

Maintaining the right moisture in your worm compost will probably be the biggest challenge. If it gets to dry, the worms will die. The moisture should be between 60% and 85%. Note that it can get too wet as well, so don’t add too much water.

The garbage disposer is fairly old. It was invented back in 1927 in Wisconsin. Although, it would take a couple of years before the first waste disposers appeared on the market. In some places in the US it became compulsory to use a garbage disposer. But in some other locations it was prohibited to use garbage disposals. Even today, you have people who insist on that garbage disposals create more problems than they solve. But you also have locations, especially in Europe, that encourage the installation of waste disposers because it reduces the amount of food waste that ends up in landfill.

The garbage disposer is a relatively simple device. It sits underneath the kitchen sink and shreds the food waste that is feed to it into very small pieces so that they can pass through the plumbing. The disposer is typically electrically powered. It has a motor that spins a flywheel with impellers. The impellers and the flywheel grind the food waste and water from the tap flushes the shredded food waste into sewer system. The electric motor is either an induction motor or a commutator motor. The latter is more powerful but also nosier so good sound insulation is required. InSinkErator waste disposers generally use induction motors. Most Waste King garbage disposals on the other hand use commutator motors, although Waste King calls them permanent magnet motor.

Not all waste disposers are electronic, a couple of models are powered by water pressure. This type of garbage disposal doesn’t have a flywheel, instead they use a piston with cutting blades which chops the waste into small pieces. This type of disposal is better at handling fibrous food waste but it is slower than the electric models. Commercially, the water powered garbage disposal has had big difficulties competing with the electric models.

You have two types of garbage disposals, continuous feed and batch feed. The batch feed model is safer, it can only be operated when the lid to grinding chamber is closed. This makes it impossible to get fingers trapped in the grinding chamber. But the continuous feed type is more convenient to operate. Virtually all of the popular garbage disposals are continuous feed models.

Most garbage disposals have an inlet for dishwashers, allowing you to connect your dishwasher to your garbage disposers. Your dishwasher should have a back-flow preventer installed. By connecting the dishwasher to the garbage disposal, you don’t need to scrape or rinse your dishes before you put them into the dishwasher.

Most garbage disposals can be used with a septic tank. But a garbage disposer will put some extra strain on your septic tank so make sure that your tank is properly sized.

A garbage disposal can jam, so most models have some kind of anti-jamming features. Most garbage disposers come with a wrench and have a hole in the bottom so that you can manually turn the flywheel if you need to clear a jam. Note that you must turn the unit off before you try to manually turn the flywheel.

What is the difference between garbage disposal, garbage disposer and waste disposer?
There is no difference between a garbage disposal and a garbage disposer. It is the same device, it generally called garbage disposal but garbage disposer, waste disposer and waste disposal are often used as well. In Canada, the term garburator is often used. Note that a trash compactor is not a garbage disposal. The trash compactor compresses garbage so that it takes up less space.

What should not be put into a garbage disposer?
Obviously no foreign objects, including fingers! Bones should be avoided. The most powerful garbage disposals manage small bones without any problems. Small waste disposers have trouble with bones. To avoid unnecessary jams, don’t put any bones, except for very small pieces, in your disposal. Grease can cause blockings which can be expensive to fix. Be careful with pasta, only put down small amounts of pasta in the garbage disposer. Fibrous vegetables often cause the problem, they are tough on the garbage disposal. If you have a compost heap, put the vegetables in the compost instead.

Should I use cold or warm water?
Always use cold water. Warm water can melt fat which may re-solidify further down in the drain and cause a blockage. Also always run cold water at least for 30 seconds after the garbage disposer is finished with the waste.

Can I use ice cubes to clean my garbage disposer?
Yes, but contrary to some rumors, they don’t improve the garbage disposal. But ice cubes clean the disposer. Using ice cubes made from lemon juice can remove bad smells.

My garbage disposer smells. How can I get rid of the smell?
Always run cold water while the garbage disposal is running and clean it regularly. Otherwise the garbage disposal may start to smell. Cleaning means the rubber in the sink. Don’t stick your finger down the grinding chamber! You can put lemon or orange peels down the garbage disposal to replace bad smells. Ice cubes made from lemon juice can also be used.

Are garbage disposers environmentally friendly?
This is a hotly discussed topic. Some people argue that garbage disposers are indeed environmentally friendly, while others tell you that they create more environmental problems than they solve. You can read more this topic here, are garbage disposals environmentally friendly

What is a septic tank?
A septic tank is a key part in a septic system. A septic system is small-scale sewage system. Septic systems are common outside urban areas, with no connection to main sewer systems. The waste water flows through the septic tank and continues to the septic drain field. Solid waste stays at the bottom of the tank, while scum stay at the top of the tank. Some of the solid waste is decomposed. In most cases, the septic tank needs to be emptied regularly. Garbage disposals can be used with septic tanks, as long as the septic tank is properly sized. A garbage disposer will add some additional strain to the septic system.

Should I buy a Waste King waste disposer or an InSinkErator garbage disposer?
Only you know which garbage disposal is the best for your kitchen. But as a rule of thumb the following general guidelines can be used. If you want the best garbage disposal and don’t worry about cost, buy an InSinkErator Evolution waste disposer. The InSinkErator Evolution Excel is, arguably, the best garbage disposer on the market. See our InSinkErator Evolution Excel review for more information. If you want good value for your money, buy a Waste King garbage disposer. They are much cheaper and most customers are very happy with their Waste King disposer. We recommend the Waste King L-8000 if you want a powerful garbage disposal and the Waste King L-2600 if you are happy with a 0.5 HP waste disposer. See our Waste King L-8000 review and Waste King L-2600 review for more information. Both InSinkErator and Waste King disposals have an expected lifetime of at least ten years.

What’s the difference between an EZ mount and a 3-Bolt mounting disposal?
The 3-bolt has all stainless mounting components while the EZ mount is made of plastic and aluminum. The EZ mount uses a removable splashguard while the 3-bolt has a hush cushion which is not removable.

If you are missing a question in this garbage disposal FAQ, feel free to email us.

The short answer is that organic waste is waste from living organisms, both plants and animals. Organic waste is biodegradable. This means that it can be degraded by living organisms, which means that it will be broken down fairly quickly and naturally.

Organic food has become very popular but the word organic does not have the same definition as in organic waste. While organic food becomes organic waste, organic waste includes much more than just organic food.

Most households produce a lot of organic waste. According to a study in the UK, about 21% of household waste is organic. So what should you do with your organic waste? The best way of handling organic waste is to return it to nature the natural way. This means putting it into a compost heap. Households are not the only source of organic waste. Restaurants and supermarkets generate a lot of organic waste, such as leftovers and spoiled vegetables. Organic waste also includes garden waste, for example grass clippings. A number of industries generate organic waste as well. This means that municipalities have a lot of organic waste to deal with.

Needless to say, far from every household has their own compost heap. A few municipalities have compost facilities but they are the exceptions. In most cases, organic waste ends up in landfills. It has been well known for a long time that organic waste in landfills create a lot of problems. Lately, a lot of money has been spent on research looking for better ways of handling organic waste.

Biogas and animal feed are two examples of what organic waste can be used for. Using organic waste for animal feed is illegal in many countries. This is due to the risk of transmitting diseases. Biogas is created by the anaerobic composting, or strictly speaking anaerobic decomposing. It is produced in special biogas plants. Biogas can be converted into electricity or heat. Compressed biogas can be used to power vehicles. In Europe, biogas has become a common source for transportation vehicles.

In some places the installation of garbage disposals is being encouraged. This is because the municipalities want to convert the food waste that reaches the waste water plants into biogas. By throwing most of your food waste into the waste disposer, it travels through the sewers to the waste water plant. The waste water plant converts the shredded food waste into biogas.

In summary, to answer the basic question: what is food waste? The short answer is waste from living organisms, both plants and animals.

One solution on the problem created by food waste is the garbage disposer, also called garbage disposal. Food waste is shredded into small pieces and is transported via the sewer systems to the wastewater treatment plant. This solution is hotly debated every now and then. Garbage disposers solve one problem but they also create new problems. It is worth noting that very few operators of wastewater treatment plants like garbage disposers. On the contrary, most owners want them banned.

In many ways, composting is the best solution for getting rid of food waste. The average household in the US throws away more than 400 pounds of food waste each year. Of course, commercial entities, such as supermarkets and restaurants, throw away a lot of food waste as well. But if households started to compost most of their food waste, the amount of food waste in landfills and wastewater treatment plants would be much smaller.

Note that some municipalities have restrictions on home composting of food waste. Often they are worried that the food waste in composts will attract rats and other vermin. Before starting to compost food waste at home, check the local rules first.

If you are thinking of composting your food waste, you need to know what food waste should not be put into your compost bin. Fruit and vegetables are safe to compost. The same goes for anything made of flour, for example bread, cookies, crackers and noodles. Other things include grains and rice. You can also put egg shells, corn cobs and husks in your compost but beware that they take a long time to break down.

Food waste that you should never compost includes meat, fish and dairy products. Also grease, fat and oil are no-nos. Obviously, meat will attract maggots and vermin. But the mentioned food waste will also damage the nutrient-rich structure of the compost. Most of the food waste also takes a long time to break down.

Obviously, don’t throw any hard items into the waste disposer. Not only will the disposer jam but the blades in the grinding chamber may get damage. Some people throw down bottle caps and are then surprised that the garbage disposal is jammed.

Jams are not funny to fix but it is fairly straight-forward. Always remember the golden rule, no fingers in the garbage disposal! First you should test if your waste disposer is jammed or broken. This is easy to do. Switch off the garbage disposal, wait a few seconds and switch on the disposer again. If you hear a humming sound, the waste disposer is jammed. If you can’t hear anything, your disposer may be broken.

It is generally best to try to see if you can get the flywheel moving again. Most disposers have a hole in the bottom. By using an Allen wrench, or something similar, you can try to move the flywheel and dislodge the bit that has caused the jam. Move the Allen wrench back and forth. Often this is enough to clear the jam.

But sometimes you need to try to clear the jam from the above. For this use the handle of a wooden spoon and try to get the impellers to move again. With the wooden handle, try to move the impellers by pushing them.

Once you have cleared the jam, you need to remove the item that caused the jam. The safest way to do this is to use long-nose pliers.

Fats are a long-term problem for the plumbing. Never use hot water when running your waste disposer. Hot water can melt fat that which will later solidify. This could block the pipes after a while. Problem with fats in the sewer system is one of the main reasons why some places have banned waste disposers.

You should also be careful with starchy and fibrous vegetables. Most waste disposers have problems with those vegetables and they could also cause blockages.

Make sure that you keep your sink and the entry to the disposer clean. You may want to throw a couple of ice cubes into your disposer once in a while. It is generally not necessary but it can keep the impellers clean. You can also add lemon to the ice to get rid of any odor from the garbage disposer.

The garbage disposal is one way of reducing the amount of food waste that is dumped into landfills. Food waste is the largest category of waste ending up in landfills. It may not sound like a big problem, after all a lot of food biodegrades. But not all food waste biodegrades, some of it attracts vermin and flies. The main problem is the food in landfills produces methane when it rots. Methane is a greenhouse gas, meaning that it increases the greenhouse effect.

Home composting is one of the best ways of disposing food waste but that is not possible for many city dwellers. Clearly, the sheer amount of food waste creates an environmental problem.

The people that are against waste disposers mean that the waste disposer does not solve the problem. The garbage disposal just moves the problem from landfills to wastewater treatment plants. It is true that the garbage disposal creates potential problems. But are the problems created by the garbage disposer larger than the problems it solves?

Many operators of wastewater treatment plants don’t like garbage disposals at all. A lot of the food waste that goes into the garbage disposals consists mainly of water so it makes sense to return it as water. But the wastewater treatment plant has to take care of the solid food waste as well. A lot of the food waste consists of fat which can clog the pipes. The issue is further complicated by the fact that garbage disposals increase the water consumption. Increased water consumption increases the strain on the environment.

The complaints from wastewater treatment plants have led to that in some places garbage disposals have been banned. The ban of garbage disposers in New York was well known, it was lifted in 1997. The pipes in many buildings could not cope with the additional strain that garbage disposals added.

Modern wastewater treatment plants are able of converting the food waste in the water into biogas, which can be used as energy source. According to studies, the value of the biogas produced is higher than the cost of processing the food waste in the wastewater treatment plant. This is the main reason why garbage disposals have started to appear in some places in Europe. With the right infrastructure, the garbage disposal can be environmentally friendly.

According to some figures, roughly a third of the global food production is lost. Not everything end up in landfills but the numbers are huge. In 2011, about 1.3 billion tons of food was wasted. One study indicated that about 15% of the edible food bought in the US is discarded untouched. This amounts to $43 billion of discarded food. If the figures are true, this means that the average US household throws away 470 pounds of unused food every year. This adds up to quite a lot of money that could have been spent on other consumer products.

Composting food waste at home would be a good solution but that is not a feasible solution in cities. In some places local authorities subsidise composting bin systems. The main advantage of composting is that organic waste creates a valuable product.

Not only does food waste produce methane when dumped in landfills but vermin and flies are attracted by the food waste. Some food waste also produces odours as it decomposes. With the huge amounts of food waste, landfills are being stretched to the limits in many places.

Given the problems created by food waste, most countries are trying to limit the amount of food waste being generated in the first place. A lot of solutions exist for how to deal with food waste but all of them have their own disadvantages. By trying to limit the amount of food waste generated in the first place, the strain on the waste management systems is reduced.

The garbage disposer is one way of solving the problem with food waste. By grinding the food waste into small particles, it can be transported through the sewer system to waste water treatment plants. Modern waste water treatment plants can convert the food waste particles into bio-gas. But garbage disposers have often come under fire, critics mean that they are far from environmentally friendly. They may reduce the problems at landfills but instead they create new problems for the sewer systems and the waste water plants.

Most septic tanks are very simple, without any moving parts. But a septic system requires on-going maintenance anyway. A septic tank is generally fairly large, a few thousand liters, and has one input pipe through which the household waste enters. On the other side of the tank is the outlet pipe through which the relatively clean water flows to leaching field. The soil purifies the waste water before it reaches the groundwater. In some places, local regulations dictate the required size of the septic tank, often based on the number of bedrooms. Note that local regulations may also dictate how often the septic tank has to be emptied. Septic tanks are made of concrete, fiberglass or polyethylene. Modern tanks typically have two compartments, which makes it harder for the sludge to reach the drain field.

At the top of the septic tank, you have the scum layer which is made up of oil and grease. If the scum layer gets to thick the grease and oil start to flow out of the tank, damaging the leaching field.

The solid waste settles at the bottom of the septic tank, creating the sludge layer. There it is broken down through natural anaerobic processes. Not all solids can be broken down, the tank needs to be drained before the solid waste overflows it. How often the septic tank needs to be emptied depends on a lot of factors. Some of the factors you can control, for example how much and what kind of waste that goes into the septic tank.

A properly designed septic tank will last for decades, as long as it is regularly emptied, without any need of adding any stimulator or enhancer. By inspecting the septic tank every year, you can make sure that the tank is pump before the scum or sludge layer grows too large.

So can you use a garbage disposal with a septic tank? Unfortunately, the question is not easy to answer. A waste disposer will put an additional strain on the septic tank. But how much is impossible to say, it depends on how much and what you feed the disposer. If your septic tank is properly sized, you may not notice any significant difference. If on the other hand, you are already pushing the limits of your septic tank, a garbage disposer may push it over the limit.

Some people say that after starting to use a garbage disposer, they have to empty their septic tank much more often, while others say that they have not noticed any difference. But by limiting the amount of fat and oil you pour into the disposer, you limit the growth of the scum layer in the septic tank. The use of a garbage disposer will also increase the size of the sludge layer. By limiting the amount of food waste that takes a long time to break down, you limit the growth of the sludge layer.

Regardless if you have a garbage disposal or not, you need to be careful what things that go into the septic tank. And be careful not overloading the septic system. Using too much water at the same time can make the water go through the tank too quickly. Put paper, tissues, tampons, dental floss into the trash, not down the toilet. Don’t waste water and use small amounts of soap, shampoo and detergents.