12 Items You Shouldn’t Put Down Your Garbage Disposal

An eco-friendly kitchen gadget, the modern garbage disposal is becoming a common fixture in American homes. On the market since 1938, garbage disposals are a great way to cut back your trash output. With proper care these nifty machines can be used to grind your organic waste for years.

To avoid major plumbing problems and keep it from clogging you’ll want to keep the following items out of your garbage disposal:

 

1. Bones – are too hearty to break down and will just splinter spin around in your garbage disposal. Not to mention they won’t fit down your pipes

2. Coffee grounds – grind into a sludgy mess that is difficult to remove

3. Oatmeal or Noodles – these items expand with liquids and can grow in volume and make it very difficult to grind down into your drain

4. Nuts – turn into a thick goo, just think peanut or almond butters

5. Egg shells – many are divided on this but membranes can wrap around the shredder blades

6. Corn husks – their fibrous husks and strings can get all tied up, much better material for composting

7. Fibrous veggies – squash or pumpkin also quickly grind into a sticky mess in garbage disposals

8. Anything not organic – this goes without saying, anything that isn’t organic should not go into your garbage disposal but into your trash or recycling

9. Stone fruit pits – like bones, these are just too hard to grind and won’t get small enough to wash down the drain and are likely to damage your blades

10. Chemicals or paint – along with trash, these are very serious pollutants and should be disposed of properly and never down a drain

11. Shellfish shells – very difficult to break down, any shells should be avoided and also are great for compost since they are full of minerals

12. Grease/oils – builds up and clogs any drains or pipes and can stick to your shredder blades.