Foods to Put in a Disposal

• Many of the foods that you throw out can be put into a garbage disposal, including fruit and vegetable peelings, eggs and meat. You can also dispose of some items that you may have been hesitant to put down the disposal in the past through the garbage disposal, such as the small pits and seeds of fruit, egg shells and small bones. When grinding large items, cut them down into small pieces that easily slip through the disposal guard to prevent clogging.
  
  

Foods to Keep out of a Disposal

• The most important foods to avoid putting into a garbage disposal are oils and grease, so do not rinse pans that have been used for frying or sauteing over your sink. Instead, allow grease to solidify in a pan, and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel or scrape the solid oil into a coffee can or another container with an airtight lid. Also avoid the skin of onions, celery and other items that may have strings, which can wind around the disposal's blades; rice and pastas, which can continue to expand inside piping and lead to clocks; coffee grounds, which can lead to clogging; and large bones, which may be too firm for the blades of the disposal to break.
  
  

Disposal Care

• When disposing of food through the garbage disposal, always run cold water while the the disposal is grinding the food and for a few seconds after turning the disposal off to prevent foods from sticking and clogging. Eliminate odors from your garbage disposal by running lemon and other citrus fruit peels through the disposal, and sharpen the blades of the disposal by chopping ice up in the disposal every few weeks.
  
  

Alternative to Garbage Disposal

• Even though garbage disposals relieve some of the strain on landfills, they add to the strain on sewage systems. Garbage disposals also require running water to operate, which puts a strain on the water supply, especially in regions where the water supply is already limited. If you have the space on your property, start a compost pile. A compost pile can naturally decompose all of the foods that a garbage disposal accepts as well as those that cannot be put into the disposal, like celery, onion peels and coffee grounds.