InspectAPedia ®

Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice
InspectAPedia
Home
| Air
Conditioning
| Electrical | Indoor
Environment
| Exteriors | Heating | Home
Inspection
| Insulate
Ventilate
| Interiors | Mold
Inspect/Test
| Plumbing
Water
Septic
| Roofing | Structure | Contact Us
Directory of Professionals to Inspect or Test a Building


SEPTIC SYSTEMS HOME
SEPTIC SYSTEMS ONLINE BOOK
WHAT CAN GO INTO TOILETS & DRAINS?
NEVER FLUSH INTO SEPTICS
BETTER NOT TO FLUSH
HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS
OTHER CHEMICALS
CHLORINE IN DRINKING WATER
CHLORINE IN SEPTIC WASTEWATER
DISHWASHERS vs SEPTICS
DRUGS INTO the SEPTIC TANK?
GARBAGE DISPOSAL vs SEPTICS
  GARBAGE GRINDERS on Septics
  GARBAGE GRINDERS on Sewers
REVERSE OSMOSIS CONCENTRATE WASTE DISPOSAL
TOILET TISSUE?
TOILET TISSUE TEST
WASHING MACHINES
WATER SOFTENERS
* NO FLUSH SUMMARY LIST

More Information

InspectAPedia.comInspectAPedia ® Home & Site Map
InspectAPedia Blog - News Updates
Air Conditioning & Heat Pumps
Bookstore
Electrical
Environment
Exteriors
Heating
Home Inspection
Insulate Ventilate
Interiors
Mold Inspect/Test
Plumbing Water Septic
Roofing
Structure
Accuracy & Privacy Policies
Contact Us



LARGER VIEW of a home garbage disposer unit - photo courtesy of InSinkErator, unit shown is the Evolution Septic Assist that includes
an enzyme injector for use with private septic systems.Garbage Grinders or Garbage Disposers and City Sewer Systems
Effects of Garbage Disposal Units on on Municipal Sewers
InspectAPedia®  -    

  • Garbage Disposer & Food Waste Grinder effects on septic systems
  • Garbage Disposal Unit effects on municipal sewer systems
  • Garbage Disposer building codes & installation advice
  • Find Garbage Disposers & Food Waste Grinders, products & repair sources
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest. We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices, false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at InspectAPedia.com/appointment.htm.

Here is a guide to use of garbage disposers or garbage grinders at buildings served by city or municipal sewer systems. Garbage disposal units, also called garbage grinders, food waste disposal units, or garbage disposers add to the solid load in the septic tank. A garbage grinder is a mechanical grinder which receives food scraps, typically down a kitchen sink drain, and grinds them into a water/debris slurry that can pass down the building drain. Both electric and water-powered garbage grinders are available.

While garbage grinders are a convenience for the homeowner, the added waste they place in the septic tank might mean that the septic tank needs to be pumped more often. Photo courtesy of InSinkErator™. The garbage disposal unit shown is their Evolution Septic Assist(TM) that includes an enzyme injector for use with private septic systems. However depending on local municipal ordinances regarding use of garbage disposal units in cities and towns, this unit and similar models might be found installed in homes served by municipal sewers as well.

This document is a chapter of Inspecting, Testing, & Maintaining Residential Septic Systems an online book on septic systems.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

SEWER SYSTEMS & GARBAGE GRINDERS - Garbage Disposal Unit Effects on Public Sewer Systems

While garbage grinders can cause an added loading on conventional, residential, on-site septic systems, their use is not necessarily bad in municipal sewer systems according to some researchers, as indicated in the article abstract quoted below. Other studies of the effects of garbage disposers on municipal sewers have been conducted by various groups including the University of Wisconsin, Delft University Netherlands, and the Cooperative Research Centre, in Sydney, Australia, and the New York City Dept. of Environmental Protection

Most cities served by municipal sewers `in the U.S. permit the use of garbage disposals and some cities require their use. Using a kitchen disposer or grinder in cities served by a municipal sewer reduce the volume of organic waste which otherwise has to be hauled to a landfill. Cities in the U.S. and other countries are inconsistent in their view of the use of garbage disposers. New York City now (since 1977) permits their use on residential buildings. Austin Texas has a rebate program to convert garbage disposer use in food service businesses to a scrap bin system.

Rules for Use of Garbage Disposers in New York City

New York City, which used to prohibit the use of these devices legalized their use in 1997, out of concern for the increasing volume of garbage in the city, and in the face of inconclusive test results about their effect on the sewer system.

There has been episodic debate over the question of whether or not garbage disposals clog municipal sewer lines & systems. The New York Times reported in2009 that a New York City ban on residential disposals in effect from 1971 was lifted in 1997 after a two year test convinced the NYC DEP that in New York City residential garbage disposals were not causing a problem. In New York City restaurants are prohibited from using garbage grinders and disposal units, and co-ops and condominium boards are allowed to restrict their use as well.

According to Bolzonella et als., "The use of garbage grinders is not a usual practice in Europe, but it is in other countries around the world (e.g., North America, Japan and Australia). Sometimes, garbage grinders are accused of producing problems in sewers and wastewater treatment plants and are prohibited by environmental protection laws. In this study, the different impacts determined by the use of this technology were considered to show the positive impacts of its use.

In particular, it was shown that garbage grinders enable the disposal of household organic wastes with advantages for the wastewater treatment processes because of an increase in the carbon/nutrients ratio in the wastewater. This is particularly important for biological nutrients removal processes. Daily specific contributions for person equivalent (PE) due to organic waste disposal through garbage grinders were found to be equal to 75 gCODPE(-1) d(-1) for carbon (as COD), 2.5 gNPE(-1) d(-1) for nitrogen and 0.25 gPPE(-1) d(-1) for phosphorous, respectively.

Those determined a value of 30 for the COD/N ratio. Moreover, no problems with solids settling in sewers were noted. These results were extensively compared with literature data. The economical balance showed that the use of garbage grinders allowed a global saving of some 17 Euro year(-1) for a three people family. Important benefits are also gained from an environmental point of view (e.g., organic wastes disposal nutrients removal in wastewater treatment and increase in biogas production with energy reclamation)."

Share this Article      

...

Technical Reviewers & References

  • Daniel Friedman - principal author/editor of the InspectAPedia® Website
  • InspectAPedia Bookstore lists recommended books, organized by topic & available for purchase. Most of our articles also list books on the specific article topic as well as other references, and information sources.
  • Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.
  • Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.

Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

WHAT CAN GO INTO TOILETS & DRAINS?
NEVER FLUSH INTO SEPTICS
BETTER NOT TO FLUSH
HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS
OTHER CHEMICALS
CHLORINE IN DRINKING WATER
CHLORINE IN SEPTIC WASTEWATER
DISHWASHERS vs SEPTICS
DRUGS INTO the SEPTIC TANK?
GARBAGE DISPOSAL vs SEPTICS
  GARBAGE GRINDERS on Septics
  GARBAGE GRINDERS on Sewers
REVERSE OSMOSIS CONCENTRATE WASTE DISPOSAL
TOILET TISSUE?
TOILET TISSUE TEST
WASHING MACHINES
WATER SOFTENERS
* NO FLUSH SUMMARY LIST

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

  • Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
  • Additives & Chemicals: Septic System Maintenance - Are they even needed? Are they even legal?
  • Biomat Formation in the Septic System Drainfield Absorption System - what leads to drain field clogging and expensive drainfield repairs
  • Building Code Treats Garbage Grinder as An Added Bedroom in sizing septic tanks and estimating septic tank pumping needs. New York State Septic System Design Regulations 75-A.6 Septic tank design specifications
  • Buyer's Guide Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems Inspection & Testing - What to Do, Step by Step.
  • Cheating on Water Tests - (Chlorine in Wells and Septics) Testing Water for Real Estate Transactions - Water Test Cheating Warnings for Home Buyers and Home Inspectors
  • Clogged Drain Diagnosis - is the problem the septic system or the Building drain system?
  • Contamination in Buildings how to test buildings for bacterial contamination from Sewage and Septic backup, remediation, & references
  • Garbage grinder output in septic sludge
  • Leach Field Inspection Procedure Septic Leach Fields - how to inspect and diagnose septic drainfield failures - what causes septic field failure?
  • Maintenance: Ten Steps to Keeping a Septic System Working, suggestions from the U.S. EPA, edits and additions by DJF
  • New York Times: "Bigger Muscle for the Disposal", Jay Romano, New York Times, 2/26/2009 p. D2.
  • Septic System Maintenance advises to count a garbage grinder as one more bedroom
  • Septic System Capacity affected by garbage disposal units
  • Sewage & Septic Backups and what to do about sewage spillage in buildings
  • Tank Location - How to Find the Septic Tank, how deep will the cover be, how to document its location
  • Tank Pumping Frequency Guide for Septic Tanks: When, How, What to Watch For when pumping or cleaning septic tanks
  • "[The] under sink garbage grinder: a friendly technology for the environment", Bolzonella D, Pavan P, Battistoni P, Cecchi F., Department of Science and Technology, University of Verona, Strada Le Grazie 15, I-37134 Verona, Italy, Environmental Technology, 2003 Mar;24(3):349-59, abstract and article also available from the U.S. NIH at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  • Water Usage: Capacity: Determining Needed Septic Capacity - Typical residential water usage for people, appliances, and activities.
  • What is a Septic System An Engineer's View & Septic System FAQ's
  • ...
SEPTIC SYSTEMS HOME

More Information

InspectAPedia.comInspectAPedia ® Home & Site Map
InspectAPedia Blog - News Updates
Air Conditioning & Heat Pumps
Bookstore
Electrical
Environment
Exteriors
Heating
Home Inspection
Insulate Ventilate
Interiors
Mold Inspect/Test
Plumbing Water Septic
Roofing
Structure
Accuracy & Privacy Policies
Contact Us

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

InspectAPedia.comInspectAPedia® Home & Site Map - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice: In-depth research & advice on diagnosing, testing, correcting, & preventing building defects & indoor environmental hazards. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.
GO TO the MOLD and INDOOR ENVIRONMENT INFORMATION CENTER for in-depth advice on avoiding testing for or cleaning up mold and other indoor environmental hazards, odors, gases, contaminants
The Mold Information Center:
What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems
GO TO MOLD TEST KITS: This expert-recommended mold test kit is cheap and yet top performing *IF* you use a competent analysis laboratory!
Use this simple, economical mold test kit
by following our instructions on how to collect and mail mold samples to our lab
GO TO IAQ/MOLD-TEST LAB SERVICES: Mold, Pollen, indoor air quality, field and laboratory services by an expert.Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.
GO TO our PRE PURCHASE BUILDING INSPECTION SERVICES: Authoritative information for home buyers and home owners is included with your inspection.
Building Inspection, Problem Diagnosis
, Forensic Investigation & Testing, Repair Consulting

CONTACT Daniel Friedman - Dan is a senior ASHI home inspector, nationally recognized expert on building inspection, building failures, and sick building investigation
Contact Daniel Friedman for website content suggestions or for fee-paid consulting

10/23/2009- 05/29/2006 - InspectAPedia.com/septic/Garbage_Disposer_Guide2.htm - © 2009 - 1988 Copyright Daniel Friedman All Rights Reserved - InspectAPedia® is a Registered U.S. Trademark