A plea from Building Services about our garbage disposals
May 31, 2011 •
Matthew Leet, the Chief Engineer for Building Services, asks Franklin Building staff to go easy on the garbage disposals to avoid clogging the drains. Use the compost bins and trash receptacles for all but minimal amounts of food waste. Here’s what he has to say:
Garbage disposals: A bit of a misnomer
All sinks in the Franklin Building kitchens are equipped with a garbage disposal for the convenience of a speedy clean up, but did you know that the term “garbage disposal” does not come with an explicit license to dump garbage wholesale down the sink? It’s true!
A slightly abnormal radish or shrimp tail might make its way down, but it’s a guarantee that if we attempt to dispose of all our food debris down the disposal we will eventually have to roll up our sleeves and get down and dirty. That’s because too much food debris down the disposal can clog the plumbing — and I’m sure you’ve guessed that by “we,” I mean “me” and by “me,” I mean “Olen and me.”
Each kitchen also is equipped with its own compost wastebasket, the white trash can, right next to the recycling bin and garbage can. Please use our compost wastebaskets for leftover food instead of trying to feed it down the garbage disposal. Then, feel free to rinse any remaining strands down the disposal.
Because old habits die hard and because I like to make lists, I offer you the following list of items that should never be put down the disposal:
- Coffee grounds
- Paper products
- String or rope
- Plants or other nonedible vegetation
- Foil or other metal
- Glass or plastic
- Overdue books or DVDs
- Unwanted toys
- Laundry
- Chemicals or solvents
- A whole container of week-old noodles
- A head of romaine lettuce
- Your keys or security badge
In summary, don’t be fooled by the term “garbage disposal.” Like many things in life, it turns out that YOU are the garbage disposal, and that thing underneath the sink is just a fallible appliance connected to an iron pipe that eventually gets clogged and really nasty.
If you have any questions about the garbage disposal, or any of the above, don’t hesitate to contact me, Matthew Leet in Building Services, at 7-6102.
