What not to put down your waste disposal
<p>People who have waste disposals often swear by them - but be warned: their powers only stretch so far. They might be able to make scraps disappear, but it is a triumph of machinery rather than magic.</p>
<p>Mounted under your sink, a waste disposal consists of a chamber with a set of grinding teeth that disintegrates scraps before passing them in to your drain. Throw items down there carelessly and you're setting yourself up for repairs.</p>
<p>Home renovation listing site Builderscrack.co.nz has a request for a waste disposal fix nearly every three days.</p>
<p>"We have had just over 100 requests for waste disposal repairs just over the past year," said founder Jeremy Wyn-Harris, "[which is] more than I expected as we cover all trades."</p>
<p><strong>1. Bones</strong></p>
<p>That chicken wing or fish bone sliver might look flimsy, but it's not. The grinding system in your waste disposal is simply not powerful enough to chew it up.</p>
<p>"Waste disposals - the bane of my life," said plumber Dan Adams of The Drain Company. "Chicken bones, lamb bones, anything with meat doesn't belong in there." </p>
<p><strong>2. Grease </strong></p>
<p>Sending oil or grease down the sink or waste disposal seems okay until it cools, solidifies and blocks your water pipes.</p>
<p>"People will pour their roasting pans down there on a Sunday," said Adams, "It makes the pipes all gluggy."</p>
<p>Over time, this means duller blades in your waste disposal, an icky smell in your kitchen, and blockages.</p>
<p>Instead, collect excess fats and oil in a covered container and discard in the weekly rubbish, add to your compost bin, or dig into your garden.</p>
<p><strong>3. Egg shells </strong></p>
<p>It's an old wives' tale that egg shells sharpen a waste disposal's grinding teeth.</p>
<p>Though the white membrane inside the egg can get stuck around the ring itself, the real problem is that ground up egg shells take on a consistency similar to sand.</p>
<p>Adams has not personally experienced a breakage to a waste disposal caused by an egg shell, just the problems that come afterwards.</p>
<p>"They tend to build up in the pipework afterwards," he said.</p>
<p>Combined with excess grease, it's a recipe for blocked pipes.</p>
<p><strong>4. Some vegetable peels</strong></p>
<p>Stringy vegetables like celery, corn husks, artichokes, asparagus, carrots, lettuce, onions, and even potato peels cause problems.</p>
<p>Anything fibrous can get stuck around the motor. Scraps like these are best sent to a compost heap. But if down the gurgler they must go, add them little by little and with cold water running all the while.</p>
<p><strong>5. Coffee grounds </strong></p>
<p>Whilst it won't damage your disposal unit and may provide an interim scent refreshment, ground coffee is a big culprit when it comes to blocked kitchen pipes.</p>
<p>"Coffee grounds, they're quite sludgy in pipes," said Adams.</p>
<p>Instead, spread your grounds in your garden or even in your houseplants to repel bugs.</p>
<p><strong>6. Rice and pasta </strong></p>
<p>They may seem benign enough but the water absorption properties of pasta and rice make them a no-go for under-sink disposal.</p>
<p>Their remnants combine to form a gluggy paste in the waste disposal's chamber.</p>
<p><strong>7. Non-food items</strong></p>
<p>Finally, non-food items like cigarette butts, ash, rubber bands, twist ties, paper towel, sponges, pull tabs or plant clippings do not belong in your waste disposal.</p>
<p>Watch out for kids making little additions to your disposal when you're unawares.</p>
<p>"Kids are normally quite naughty," said Adams, "putting things down there like toys, clothes pegs, buttons, and even tinfoil."</p>
<p>"I've usually found this in, dare I say it, rental properties where people are not as careful."</p>
<p><em>Written by Anabela Rea. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz.</span></strong></a></em></p>
