Garbage disposals may seem like a convenient way to get rid of waste in the kitchen, but if you are working on a septic system, garbage disposals and septic tanks don’t mix. While the important septic tank filter will glean out many larger particles that are moving from the septic tank into the leaching fields, garbage disposals only crush food particles to a certain point and they don’t break down fast enough in the system. This results in a clog, which can be time-consuming and expensive to repair.

If you already have a garbage disposal…

It’s best to simply not use it; compost or discard food items that you would have otherwise used the garbage disposal to remove from your kitchen. There are simple lifestyle choices that can help to keep your septic system healthy. These include taking good care of the system by only allowing inputs that it is equipped to handle, even if in the past you’ve had a home with a garbage disposal that you relied upon.

If you think, “I can’t live without my garbage disposal!”

There are a very small group of garbage disposals that claim to be septic safe, like this one, but in general, they will cause you more trouble than they save you time. An important change of mindset when living with a septic system is the fact that it isn’t a system that handles your garbage. That means that not only garbage disposals and septic tanks are a bad combination; toilets also should not be disposal devices for anything but liquid and solid human waste. It’s a change in mindset, but by getting behind a larger change in attitude, you’ll see how your system benefits the environment, which makes the change in habits worth it.

To learn more about what to avoid when using a septic system, contact us.