A growing number of homeowners are interested in what they can do to be more environmentally responsible around the home and often ask a professional for advice on the topic. They might be surprised to discover how maximum use of a workhorse appliance in the kitchen – food waste disposers – can make a difference. In fact, according to studies in the United Kingdom and Australia, using disposers actually decreases a household's greenhouse gas emissions.
Food scraps comprise about 20 percent of the residential waste stream, and currently about 41 percent of U.S. food waste is sent to landfills. Close examination of this scenario shows that it is environmentally problematic. First, trucks drive back and forth between waste collection points and landfills, spewing exhaust containing greenhouse gases.
Second, once in the landfill, food waste continues to create environmental problems. Being carbon-based, it decomposes quickly, producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas up to 21 times more destructive to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. While landfills attempt to capture methane, they face logistical issues due to the speed with which food decomposes and the fact that methane is generated throughout the site. This means only a portion of methane can be recovered. In addition, on average food waste is 70 percent water so as it decomposes it liquefies and mixes with landfill runoff to produce leachate that can contaminate ground water.
In contrast, pulverizing food scraps in a modern disposer such as the Evolution Series from InSinkErator -- which can grind almost any food waste – is a more environmentally responsible alternative. Waste sent through the disposer to the municipal wastewater treatment plant is extracted as sludge along with other solids and "digested" by microorganisms. The resulting biosolids can be used as fertilizer or soil conditioner. (Currently almost 60 percent of the sludge generated by U.S. wastewater treatment plants is processed into fertilizer.)
This process also generates methane, which can be captured at the plant and used to generate energy for operations or be sold to the local utility, helping offset the cost of operation. (Currently about 58 percent of all wastewater flows in the U.S. are "harvested" for the biogas renewable energy content). And numerous independent scientific studies from around the world have demonstrated that using food waste disposers does not harm municipal sewer systems. (For more information on these studies visit www.insinkerator.com)
Disposers themselves have a modest environmental impact. Water consumption in conjunction with disposer use is approximately one gallon of water per person per day – about the same as a single toilet flush. Based on average household use, a disposer's annual electric consumption is about 50? a year.
While composting may be an excellent way to dispose of food scraps, it is not always practical – in cold climates, in crowded urban settings or for high rise apartment dwellers, and it is not recommended for meat or dairy products. In these situations and more, using food waste disposers is an environmentally responsible alternative that complements composting.
| 
