Food Waste Disposers - Environmental Benefits

In addition to reducing household waste, a food waste disposer can reduce the amount of waste that goes as land-fill. Waste has become a major global issue and legally binding limits have been established for some countries on the amount of food waste that can be used as land-fill. A food waste disposer can reduce the volume of waste going as land-fill dramatically, by up to 50%. Life-cycle studies have identified major cost benefits from using the food waste disposer rather than land-fill methods alone. Ground food waste channeled to a waste water treatment plant can create valuable fertilizer and generate energy by capturing methane gas. Food waste disposers complement the compost pile. Composting is an environmentally-friendly way to use the space in yards to slowly break-down organic matter such as food waste. Composting with food waste is not an option for many people who have neither the necessary space nor the time to tend to a compost pile. Additionally, protein food waste such as meat, fish, dairy products and many cooked foods should not be put on a compost pile. The decay process is different from that of green waste and can produce harmful pathogens, noxious smells and be an obvious attractant for rodents and insects.