Raleigh Bans Disposals (Durham, Cary, Asheville: Home Depot, buy, school)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Just because we don't put grease down our drains, or because you are not supposed to put grease down drains, does not mean that people are not doing it all over the city. They are, or the city would not have been brought to this measure.
Just because we don't put grease down our drains, or because you are not supposed to put grease down drains, does not mean that people are not doing it all over the city. They are, or the city would not have been brought to this measure.
Yes, I totally agree with you. But, it has NOTHING to do with garbage disposals. Grease is liquid when its "poured" down a drain, so it doesn't need grinding up. Once it gets hard and turns to lard, you aren't going to get it down any drain, disposal or not, unless you added a LOT of hot water. The council has inacted a ridiculous law and over the top fine for something that won't fix the problem at hand.
Yes, I totally agree with you. But, it has NOTHING to do with garbage disposals. Grease is liquid when its "poured" down a drain, so it doesn't need grinding up. Once it gets hard and turns to lard, you aren't going to get it down any drain, disposal or not, unless you added a LOT of hot water. The council has inacted a ridiculous law and over the top fine for something that won't fix the problem at hand.
I don't think anyone is suggesting that people are putting grease down garbage disposals because they have to grind it up or even think they have to grind it up. They are putting grease down garbage disposals because they cosider it to be "garbage" that needs to be disposed of. It's the same reason the same people pouring the grease might also rake the food scraps off their plates directly into the garbage disposal instead of the trash, because they consider that to be garbage as well, and chances are they don't want their trash to stink from the food - why not put it down the garbage disposal, because it is for getting stuff out of your house to the sewer where things are stinky anyway.
Again, this measure is not being implemented because of people who actually know what to do. It is for those who do not.
I agree that this measure isn't going to keep people from pouring grease down drains, but the grease is not the only issue. And I do believe that it might keep some people who might be encouraged to pour grease down the garbage disposal from doing so, because they might not be inclined to do so if there is no garbage disposal to pour it down. There will always be some that do and sometimes some of those people are beyond help, just like there are still people who change the motor oil in their cars themselves and still let it drain into the grass.
That's right, Miamiblue; grease is not the only problem. As the articles explain, food is a major problem, too.
So does that mean that the problem is word choice? I mean, maybe if we called them something other than "garbage disposals" then people wouldn't use them to dispose of their garbage. Anybody have a better name that might clarify their real use and eliminate some of the prblem?
That's right, Miamiblue; grease is not the only problem. As the articles explain, food is a major problem, too.
So does that mean that the problem is word choice? I mean, maybe if we called them something other than "garbage disposals" then people wouldn't use them to dispose of their garbage. Anybody have a better name that might clarify their real use and eliminate some of the prblem?
I think that might be part of it, MrsSteel. What should we call them? "Drain Flow Protectors"? I am actually finding it difficult to come up with a good description of what they should be used for that won't lead to perceptions regarding "garbage" and then translating that into a reasonable name.
The other part is general education and that is the tough part. It seems as though Raleigh has attempted this to some extent, but how do we know if it actually works? I've seen the grease ads on TV and on city trucks, but is it getting through? And I've certainly not seen anything about putting food down the drain. Maybe the city should try the education route a little more aggressively before outright banning an appliance...
I actually think there is an opportunity here, especially for a plumbing specialist, to come up with solution to enable homeowners to still use their disposals while the moderated refuse is sent to a bypassed filtering system that holds the refuse for composting needs (or, simply, discarded in the trash). Just an idea, but one that could prove beneficial by simply being creative.
That's right, Miamiblue; grease is not the only problem. As the articles explain, food is a major problem, too.
So does that mean that the problem is word choice? I mean, maybe if we called them something other than "garbage disposals" then people wouldn't use them to dispose of their garbage. Anybody have a better name that might clarify their real use and eliminate some of the prblem?
In our college fraternity house, the disposal was called Ralph. A huge monster of a grinder, equipped with an over-head spray wand for rinsing off the dishes/pots/pans. The discharge from Ralph was routed through a grease trap (picture an Igloo cooler sized cast iron box with removable lid) before it connected to the waste line that exited the kitchen.
Maybe the correct answer is to require installation of grease traps on all household waste disposal grinders? One time of cleaning out a grease trap will prevent any homeowner from putting waste down a disposal that doesn't belong there!
I just did some quick internet checking. A small grease trap, sized for 4 gallons per minute of water flow or roughly one household faucet, costs less than $150 and can easily fit in the under sink compartment. It holds 8 lbs of grease - picture 2+ cans or so of Crisco shortening. Requiring the addition of these to kitchen sinks in new homes, and retro-fitting of these to resale homes, would not be so different than requiring the addition of Ground Fault Interrupters to electrical outlets in new and resale homes - something we have all come to expect.
$150 for a small grease trap, or $25,000 fine for having a disposal? Both may be infringements, but one is much easier to tolerate AND it will actually keep grease out of the sewer systems!
Quick answer to someone from earlier in the posts, NYC lifted the ban on disposals in 1997.
Aside from that, some dishwashers are equipped with a small built-in garbage disposal unit - I know, I own one - how is that going to factor into the new ban?
I think NYC has not allowed them for many, many years either.
We just kick the stuff down the subway stairs. I still don't see how this will be enforceable.
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I still don't see how this will be enforceable.
