What Not To Put In A Garbage Disposal?

Garbage Disposal can chop up biodegradable food items like food leftovers. Also, the disposal unit can shred soft and liquid food waste. Here is the list of food waste that is easy for disposal blades to cut down: 

• Cooked meat scraps
• Citrus 
• Fruits
• Vegetable scraps

Most homeowners believe in a myth about garbage disposal that garbage disposal works like a blender to chop up every food scrap. That’s why they misuse this product and find it to break down or get clogged. 

Today, I will walk you through a list of What Not To Put In A Garbage Disposal, including: 

• Hard items like fruit pits, eggshells, and bones
• Fibrous foods like celery, coffee ground, onion & garlic skins, and corn husks
• FOG or fats, oils, and grease

I will also explain why you shouldn’t put those items in the garbage disposal unit. 

Without further ado, let’s dive in. 

Table of Contents

• What Not to Put In A Garbage Disposal?
  • Hard Items 
    • 1. Eggshells 
    • 2. Bones
    • 3. Fruit Pits
    • 4. Nuts
  • Fibrous Foods 
    • 5. Onion and Garlic Skins 
    • 6. Corn Husks 
    • 7. Celery 
    • 8. Asparagus 
    • 9. Banana Peels 
    • 10. Potato Peels 
  • Greasy and Oily Items
    • 11. Grease and Fats 
    • 12. Oil
  • Expandable Items 
    • 13. Pasta 
    • 14. Rice 
    • 15. Oatmeal 
    • 16. Paint 
  • Non-food Items
    • 17. Paper
    • 18. Plastic
    • 19. Metal 
  • Chemicals and Harsh Cleaners
    • 20. Bleach 
    • 21. Drain Cleaners
• What Are The Alternatives For Disposing Of Items That Shouldn’t Put In The Disposal?
  • Composting 
  • Recycling 
• FAQs
• Conclusion

What Not to Put In A Garbage Disposal?

There are lists of items that shouldn’t go down the garbage disposal, including hard items, fibrous foods, greasy or oily items, expandable foods, non-food items, and chemical & harsh cleaners. 

Below, I will explain why you shouldn’t put those items in the garbage disposal. 

Hard Items

Hard items like shells (eggshells or crab shells), bones, and fruit pits shouldn’t go down the garbage disposal.

1. Eggshells

Eggshells are at the top of the list of items you shouldn’t put in the garbage disposal because they pose several risks:  

• It forms a clog
• It creates a granular waste
• Damage the blades 

The membrane lining of the shell can wrap around the blade, leading to blockages. Additionally, eggshells not only break into small pieces but also stick together, creating  paste-like substances when mixed with water. 

Consequently, they are difficult to flush out and clog the pipes. 

Eggshells break into pieces and create a granular waste. This granular waste can stick to any sludge in the pipe and clog the garbage disposal. 

Lastly, eggshells are abrasive for the disposal blade to cut through, though they seem small and harmless. As a result, the disposal blades may dull over time. 

2. Bones

Garbage disposal isn’t designed to chop up bones. Bones are hard, and your disposal can’t grind it up. If you put bones in the garbage disposal, it will: 

• Dull the disposal blade
• Break down the blade
• Strain the motor and cause it to burn out.

3. Fruit Pits

Fruit pits such as those from peaches, plums, and cherries should not go down a garbage disposal. They are hard and unbreakable. 

Even the most powerful garbage disposal can’t chop them up. If you let those fruit pits go down the disposal, it could break the disposal.

4. Nuts

Say a BIG NO to put nuts down a garbage disposal. Nuts are hard that put unnecessary wear and tear to the disposal blade. 

A continuous grind of the nut will dull the blade over time. It can even reduce the lifespan of your garbage disposal.

Fibrous Foods

You shouldn’t put fibrous or starchy foods like asparagus, celery, corn husks, onion, and garlic skins in the garbage disposal. 

The stringy nature of these foods can clog the disposal blade and the pipes.

5. Onion and Garlic Skins

Garlic and onions are seamless for the disposal blade to cut through. But the problem lies with their skins, which have a fibrous texture. 

The fibrous texture of the onion or garlic skins can wrap around the blades, leading to blockage or even damage to the disposal. 

Additionally, the thin, wet membrane of onion skins can get caught in the drain and cause a restriction. 

Even worse, the thin membrane can trap other foods that come after it, causing a blockage. 

Apart from creating a clog or damaging the unit, garlic and onions release a strong odor that lingers in the unit and pipes, responsible for the unpleasant smell in the kitchen. 

6. Corn Husks

Corn husks are fibrous. Their long, stringy fibers can wrap around the disposal blade and cause blockage. 

Even worse, the blockage can lead to burning out the motor. 

Nonetheless, Corn kernels are abrasive for the disposal blade and can get caught in the P-trap of the drainpipe.

7. Celery

Celery is a fibrous vegetable that contains thin, long, and fibrous strands. 

This stringy nature of celery can wrap around the blade when you put it in a disposal. It doesn’t only wrap around the blade but also gets tangled within the unit’s mechanism. 

Consequently, the disposal gets clogged or even damaged. 

8. Asparagus

Never put asparagus in your garbage disposal machine because of its fibrous texture and stringy nature.

Like other fibrous foods, asparagus has a fibrous texture. The thin fibers of this vegetable can wrap around the disposal blade, causing blockage. 

Turns out, the tough, stringy fibers of asparagus can effortlessly tangle up the blade or its mechanism. 

It affects the normal operation of the disposal, puts strain on the motor, and damages the disposal in return. 

9. Banana Peels

Though putting a tiny amount of banana peels in a garbage disposal is okay, I highly suggest you do not let banana peels go down the disposal unit. 

I recommend it because banana peels are soft and fibrous, which can bind up the disposal’s mechanism. 

10. Potato Peels

Another item that shouldn’t go in the garbage disposal is potato peels. They have a lot of starch, which can clump up and develop a paste. 

Also, starch in the potato peels can turn into a gluey mass that can adhere to the blade and jam up the disposal. 

Greasy and Oily Items

Don’t put greasy and oily items in the garbage disposal

11. Grease and Fats

According to NCSD, you should never put fats, oil, and grease in the garbage disposal because they cause obstructions in the underground pipes. If you do so, you will encounter problems like blockages and sewer overflows. 

12. Oil

Like oil, you should never let the oil go down the garbage disposal as it causes blockage. Putting oil down the waste disposal can also reduce the chopping ability of the blade. Over time, oil can coat the blade and make it less effective. 

Expandable Items

Expendable items like pasta, rice, and oatmeal shouldn’t go down the garbage disposal due to their expansion threats. 

13. Pasta

You shouldn’t let the pasta go down to the garbage disposal. Pasta has a tendency to expand when exposed to water. Due to its stretchy nature, pasta can clog the disposal or the pipe connected to it when you flush it. 

When you flush down the pasta, your garbage disposal can mash it into a thick paste. And this paste gums up the disposal, making it impossible for the disposal to work. 

14. Rice

Rice is a starchy food. It absorbs water and expands up to four times its size when cooked. When you flush down to your garbage disposal, it mixes with water and swells up. Due to this, the cooked rice adheres to the confined space in the garbage disposal and causes restrictions. 

15. Oatmeal

Like Pasta and Rice, oatmeal has an expansion threat. If you flush oatmeal down the garbage disposal, it expands with water and clogs the pipe. Besides, the oatmeal tends to stick with the disposal, which can trap other wastes and cause blockage. 

16. Paint

Never put paint down the garbage disposal as it clogs the drain pipe because it coats the pipe. If you flush the paint down the disposal successfully, it can harm the fish and wildlife, pollute the water, and make the sewage treatment system less effective.  

Non-food Items

Non-food items like paper, plastic, and metal shouldn’t go down the garbage disposal. 

17. Paper

Garbage disposals aren’t designed to break down non-degradable products like paper. That’s why items like paper never go down the garbage disposal as they cause a clog. 

18. Plastic

Like paper, plastic is also a non-organic material. And a garbage disposal isn’t designed to chop up the plastic. 

If you put plastic in the disposal unit, it can damage the motor and impellers, which could lead to a costly repair. 

19. Metal

Garbage disposals can only chop food items, not foreign materials like metal or glass. 

Letting metal go down the disposal means bringing damage to the unit or ejecting the item back at you. 

The unit will bend the fork and cause a jam if you accidentally put it in the garbage disposal unit. 

Chemicals and Harsh Cleaners

Never put chemicals (bleach and paint) and harsh cleaners in the garbage disposal. 

20. Bleach

Bleach is a toxic chemical that shouldn’t go down the garbage disposal. This harmful chemical will release fumes and cause a clog by hardening the grease and fat.   

Additionally, bleach can react with other drainage systems like pipes. This chemical is also not friendly to the environment.

21. Drain Cleaners

Drain cleaners contain toxic and strong chemicals to fight against the germs. But the harmful chemical is not friendly to your garbage disposal. 

The chemical reaction eats up the rubber gasket of the disposal and damages the disposal blade. Even harmful chemicals in the drain cleaner can break the unit entirely. 

What Are The Alternatives For Disposing Of Items That Shouldn’t Put In The Disposal?

Composting and recycling the items that shouldn’t go down the disposal unit is the best way to dispose of them. 

Composting

Composting is the best way to dispose of the biodegradable food waste your garbage disposal struggles to process. 

For example, you can toss food scraps like banana peels into a trash bin. You should only put organic items like eggshells or vegetable scraps into the trash bin.  

You can use that compost for gardening as it will improve soil health. 

Recycling

Garbage Disposal can’t dispose of non-food items like paper, glass, metal, and plastic. 

Instead of tossing those non-food products, throw them into a recycling bin. Recycling those items doesn’t only help you protect your garbage disposal from breaking down. 

It also saves money, uses less energy, and protects the environment. 

FAQs

Is it okay to put citrus peels in the garbage disposal?

It’s okay to put a small amount of citrus peels in the garbage disposal as it helps freshen the disposal unit. However, throwing too much citrus peels into the grinding chamber can create a clog due to their fibrous nature. 

Can I put shells from seafood (e.g., shrimp, crabs) in the garbage disposal?

No, you can’t put shells from seafood like shrimp or crabs because they are hard to the impellers and dull the blades. 

Are fruit peels safe to put in the garbage disposal?

No, you shouldn’t put fruit peels, especially from bananas, in the garbage disposal because they are soft and get wrapped around the impellers. Consequently, the disposal unit can get clogged. However, putting a small amount of peel from citrus in the disposal can freshen the disposal. 

Is it safe to dispose of large amounts of food waste in the garbage disposal?

No, disposing of large volumes of food waste can overload and clog the garbage disposal. Instead, feed the food waste gradually while running the disposal unit. 

Can I put bread and bakery products in the garbage disposal?

Never put bread and bakery products in the garbage disposal as they can expand and form a pasty blockage in the pipes. 

Is it okay to put nutshells (e.g., from peanuts, walnuts) in the garbage disposal?

No, don’t put nutshells in the garbage disposal because they are abrasive to impellers, causing them to dull or damage. 

Can I put dairy products in the garbage disposal?

No, you should never put dairy products in the garbage disposal because they can create thick, sticky residue that can restrict the disposal and the pipes. 

Conclusion

Avoid putting food scraps in the disposal listed throughout this article. 

This will help you avoid operational problems like blade obstruction, jammed garbage disposal, and faulty motor.

With garbage disposal, you can grind the following list of food waste: 

• Vegetable peels
• Fruit scraps
• Leftover cooked food
• Small bones
• Biodegradable kitchen waste