A kitchen waste disposer fits inside of most standard kitchen sinks, and it is an appliance that helps you manage food waste without putting it in a bin to become smelly and rotten. A food waste disposer, grinds up food and expels it down your standard waste pipe with your normal waste water from the kitchen.
How does a kitchen waste disposal work?
The entrance to the kitchen waste disposal replaces one of your wastes so that you can feed food waste directly into the bowl of your sink. It is important that you run water at the same time to allow the waste to flow away once it has been ground up. The waste disposal is designed to break the waste food down into small enough parts so that it never causes an issue with blockages, but there are some foods that it simply cannot process, for example, banana skins due to their stringy composition. Here is a short video on the dos and don'ts;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVh1R-QMgZ4
The limitations of the unit depends on its power, with more powerful units being able to process thicker bones and harder materials, and the budget ones being much more restricted (always use the manufacturers advice included with the disposal when working out what waste types your unit can handle)..
Here is a short video by one of the biggest manufacturers in the UK, Insinkerator.
https://youtu.be/Lq6LOVN5fTY
Are Waste Disposals Safe?
All of these appliances are built to very strict standards for both the electrical and mechanical elements. When operated as per the manufacturer's guidance, these disposers are incredibly safe. They have no knives or blades inside which is a common misconception, and the running gear is deep inside the unit, so you would have to stick your hand deep inside it before you have any contact with running gear.
How long does it take to grind food waste?
The whole process is over in less than a minute, but does depend on the volume and type of waste. Soft fruit will be broken down much more quickly than a chicken carcass. It is recommended to leave the water running afterwards for a short period to push the waste through the waste pipes, with 15 seconds being the standard asked by most manufacturers.
What are the benefits of having a waste disposal installed?
Over 7 million tonnes of food goes to landfills each year which leads to the production of harmful greenhouse gasses.
If this food waste is processed through a waste disposal instead, as part of the water cleansing, remnants of food waste will be removed to create things such as biofuels and nutrient rich composts. All of this can be recovered at various points during the water purification journey.
Rather than putting food scraps into a bin, you can simply remove them through the waste disposal in the sink. This in turn will lead to a nicer smelling and more hygienic bin, and also keep those pesky insects at bay.
How hard is it to fit a waste disposal?
Inksinkerator as the leading waste disposal provider in the UK has some helpful videos on how a waste disposal would be installed. Here is the waste disposal fitting video to give you an idea of just how easy they go together;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt8lE29_bLE
Most waste disposals are designed to fit into a 90mm waste hole on the sink, which as I explained before is standard on most kitchen sinks. Adapters are available to purchase for different shape wastes, but not currently for the smaller Belfast sink wastes.
Do I need any Accessories?
The ISE65 model waste disposal and upwards in the range all come fitted with an air switch as standard to operate the appliance from the worktop. For lower models (45 and 55) you may require a separate air switch accessory which is available in our store.
For thicker ceramic sinks you may also need an extended flange, which allows for the thickness of the sink when installing the waste disposal,
