Are garbage disposals the same as flushable wipes when it comes to deceptive marketing? I’m asking this question after an article promoting the use of garbage disposals with septic systems crossed my desktop recently.
The story reminded me of the wipes manufacturers promising their convenient products are “flushable” but leaving out one important fact: Sure, you can flush them down the toilet, but what happens when the wipes build up in the household plumbing or make their way to the septic tank? All of us know the answer to that — and the disastrous consequences.
Like the universal advice from pumpers and other septic system experts to avoid so-called “flushable” wipes, industry experts have been pretty clear on the question of adding a garbage disposal in houses using septic systems. Let’s review the succinct recommendation on the topic from our friends at the Water Resources Center at the University of Minnesota Onsite Sewage Treatment Program. Its website states:
“Do not use a garbage disposal or dispose of vegetables, meat, fat, oil, coffee grounds, and other undigested food products in the septic system. Use composting or garbage service.”
Often the message I hear from pumpers is even shorter, if not sweeter: The only things you should flush down the toilet are what comes out of your body and toilet paper.
HEY, IT’S OK
So my eyebrows were raised when an article came to me from the blackbirdnews.com touting the use of an unnamed garbage disposal designed for septic system users. It actually said a garbage disposal offers septic users distinct advantages over simply throwing food waste away.
It stated the undersink grinder “reduces the quantity of food waste that is added to the tank. Instead of throwing away food scraps in the trash, which can quickly accumulate and cause odors, homeowners can grind up their food waste and send it down the drain.”
Using this — again unnamed — garbage disposal, breaks down the food waste, reducing the risk of clogs and backups: “When food scraps are ground up and sent down the drain, they are exposed to more surface area, which allows bacteria and other microorganisms to break them down more efficiently. This means that food waste is processed more quickly in the septic tank.”
Then the most dubious statement of all: “(A) garbage disposal for septic tanks can also help to reduce the need for septic tank pumping. When too much waste accumulates in the tank, it can become full and require pumping to remove the excess. However, by using a garbage disposal to grind up food waste, homeowners can help to keep the tank from filling up too quickly.”
I call fake news.
I told you earlier that the article didn’t name the septic-safe garbage disposal. But it did include a hyperlink that takes the reader to the website of the InSinkErator company, the largest manufacturer of garbage disposals — where you are greeted by this message:
TRUTH ABOUT GARBAGE DISPOSALS
“You’ve probably been told that using a garbage disposal to get rid of food waste is going to upset that delicate [septic] system. The reality is, it won’t.” Then the company reveals what it calls “the truth about garbage disposals” for septic systems. And it’s a real doozy:
“A garbage disposal grinds food waste to easily flow through a home’s plumbing and into a septic tank. Once there, food scraps decompose faster than other waste sent into the tank. Because food scraps are 75% to 90% water, they add very little to the solids that settle at the bottom of the tank. Studies show that septic systems attached to a garbage disposal don’t require more frequent pumping than those that aren’t.”
This statement directly contradicts every message I have heard from the top septic system experts and educators over the past 20 years, as well as the experience of pumpers in the field. It’s another way this reminds me of the “flushable” wipe messaging from those who want to sell consumers wet wipes.
InSinkErator is now selling a garbage disposal, the Evolution Septic Assist, it says is specifically created for use with septic systems. The unit injects what it calls exclusive “Bio-Charge” enzyme treatment when in use, which it claims helps keep septic systems running smoothly. I would be interested to hear if pumpers have any anecdotal experience with this garbage disposal. Please share your stories at editor@pumper.com and I will include them in a future article here.
Whether or to what degree the new disposal reduces the negative impact of added food wastes on septic systems is unclear to me. But I suspect pumpers and our industry experts would say that not using any garbage disposal in the first place remains the better option.
LISTEN TO THE PROS
I will take the word of professionals who maintain septic systems over the company trying to sell garbage disposals. Consider Pumper’s longtime friends at Tim Frank Septic Tank Cleaning in Ohio — first Tim, and his son Tom Frank, wife Carol and the family. They are past presidents and members of the National Association of Wastewater Technicians, certified septic system inspectors, and qualified service providers of the Ohio Waste Haulers Association. Here’s what they say in their website blog on caring for septic systems:
“Most garbage disposal manufacturers are quick to tell you that yes, you can use their product with your septic system, but ignore the ugly truth that can be hiding behind that answer. It is not OK. You really shouldn’t be using a garbage disposal with your septic system.”
The Franks go on to explain that using a garbage disposal overloads the human wastes accumulating in the septic tank. “This excess waste will never get a chance to break down in the wet environment,” the Franks go on. “The thing that garbage disposal manufacturers don’t tell you is that you have to pump your tank at least twice as often if you use their product.”
The message the Franks share with consumers is a valuable one. Adding a garbage disposal makes a septic system work harder. It may increase the chance of system failure without more diligent maintenance, and extra pumping over time raises the price for what should be a very efficient and cost-effective treatment system.
PROCEED WISELY
Following the advice of pumping industry leaders, it would seem to make sense for your customers to avoid installing garbage disposals. And experts will say that if a homeowner on septic already has a garbage disposal, use it sparingly and dispose of most kitchen waste in a compost pile, the garbage bin or feed it to the chickens in the backyard.
So, are the companies that market garbage disposals as septic-safe providing disinformation similar to those who promote using “flushable” wipes? You tell me. What has been your experience with garbage disposals and septic system users? Does the general public understand the proper use and limitations of these machines? Or as with the wipes, are they oblivious to the harm these products might be doing to their septic systems?
