Raleigh Bans New Garbage Disposals
Today the Raleigh City Council pulled a surprised move and banned new and replacement installations of garbage disposals. Here is what was on the agenda:
The garbage disposal installation prohibition ordinance is the only remaining part of the comprehensive package of sanitary sewer system program improvements, recommended by City staff to the City Council on October 19, 1999, that has not been approved by City Council and implemented by City staff. The prohibition of garbage disposal units connected to the City of Raleigh sanitary sewer collection system was originally proposed as part of an ordinance regarding the restriction of materials placed into the City’s sewer system. The City Council approved the materials restriction ordinance at the November 5, 1999, Council meeting, but directed City staff to develop this into a separate ordinance. The garbage disposal installation prohibition ordinance was then sent to a public hearing that was held at the December 7, 1999, City Council meeting. After receiving comments at the public hearing, the City Council returned this item to the Public Works Committee for further consideration but no action was taken to approve the draft ordinance.
Personally, I am so angry about this that I should just put the keyboard away. That the citizens never recently had a chance to reiterate their overwhelming opposition on such an enormously invasive restriction is unconscionable.
The city has put ourselves into great sanitation risks. With once-a-week garage pickup, biodegradable waste sits in containers festering with bacteria, especially in warm months. The ban on garbage disposals compounds this problem because not only are fatty food wastes in the normal garbage, so are non-fatty waste products. The changes will result in more unpleasant garbage situations that release harmful gases to residents in warm months.
The move comes after an incredibly weak, 9-year "education campaign" that consisted of a cartoonish message to avoid putting "fats" down the drain. What "fats"? Where was the continuing specific message about what exact foods do and don’t go into the sewer? Where was the education concerning the problems caused by gummy residue of liquid clothing detergents?
So far the Meeker regime has discontinued twice-a-week garbage pickup, imposed water restrictions with no hint of ever lifting them, and banned garbage disposals. If the current plumbing trends continue with this council, we will all be chopping vegetables over slop buckets, finding some place on our own to dispose of garbage, drilling wells in our yards, and using outhouses because the city will have banned any solid matter in their sewer system. Given the patterns, why should we have any reason to believe that we are not being driven toward an 1800s, rural lifestyle? Living in a city should offer lifestyle advantages and better sanitation with progress. Those we aren’t getting.
A step in the right direction would be to pick up our increased biodegradable garbage load twice-a-week. Until then, I’m not holding my breath. On second thought… I will due to the city’s increasingly oppressive stinch.
Your city councilor’s contact information is here.
19 Comments
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March 4th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
This just sounds like a whole lot of ridiculousness to me. And just plain dirty and smelly on top of that.
It always amazes me how LITTLE research is actually required before the city council makes decisions… any business that acted in that matter would be out of business in no time.
March 5th, 2008 at 1:03 am
“A lot of us are used to modern conveniences. It’s like saying, ‘You can’t use your dishwasher. You’ll have to hand-wash your dishes,’” Buxton said, noting his store sells 10 to 40 disposals a week.”
Don’t give them any ideas!
This is absolutely absurd. Hell, wouldn’t surprise me if processed fibrous vegetable matter didn’t help scrub out some of the grease from the sewer lines. In no way does this do anything to stop their chief complaint.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:22 am
I too think this is a little absurd. Was the garbage disposal the enabler of putting grease down the drain? Probably not. How does banning garbage disposals keep people from throwing grease down the drain? Stupid if you ask me.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Been meaning to start composting again but got out of the habit. Guess I need get back into that routine.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:26 am
The way I read this, it’s only illegal to INSTALL disposals? Raleigh businesses can still sell them and residents can still buy them?
I predict an surge in black market garbage disposal installations. Working with “local plumbers and contractors” won’t accomplish anything. When you buy a garbage disposal, they come with instructions. This is completely unenforceable.
I’m still incensed. This is a ridiculous, draconian, wrong-headed law. I doubt it will fix any of the problems with Raleigh’s sewers.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:03 am
This is a weird, out-of-the-blue ordinance. Usually in larger cities garbage disposals are discouraged in order to limit the food supply for sewer rats. I wasn’t aware this is a huge issue in Raleigh. Certainly not to the scale of New York and other large, old Northeastern cities. Seems to me the city needs to establish a decent composting plan before taking this extreme step. Of course composting doesn’t do anybody much good during a drought when its illegal to water a garden. Oh, there’s another thought. How about a useful sewer program, like purple-pipe reclaimed water for watering of gardens. This wouldn’t be affected by a drought. Oh, wait, yeah, that requires some foresight.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Unfortunately, this is not a surprise, but very stinky. The Meeker regime, also, during 20 years of unprecedented growth in Raleigh, failed to add any additional water sources or reservoirs, thereby putting the “D” in drought for the city of Raleigh. Yet, thought nothing of taking a million dollars from the discretionary fund & throwing it at the Fayetteville Street project. Let’s stop the stupidity & get a new mayor for this great city before it’s too late.
March 6th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Yet-another way by some city leaders – I’d like to believe there are some voices of common sense in the council – to dictate the rest of us how to live our lives. I am sure there are cases where some control needs to be in place, but garage disposals shouldn’t be on the top of the list. Unless some of our city leaders get kick-backs from garbage disposals manufacturers… Raleigh residents will go out there and buy 2-3 units and have them for the future :LOL:
March 6th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I wholly agree that Meeker is lousy leader. I have not liked him since he first put his name in the hat for the job.
However, something needs to be done. I’m not 100% sold that this is the answer but I do know that I have a disposal that I don’t use. The most it ever sees is 1/2 a lime or lemon to freshen it up.
If your scraps smell, freeze them until garabage day then throw them out.
I’m with Raleighbob. Time to start composting again.
March 6th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
While I do think this is a ridiculous, unenforceable rule – if my garbage disposal broke, I would just go right outside town and buy one and have a handy friend put it in for me – I don’t really think Meeker’s done a bad job. The city has faced insane growth during his time. Of course, it is silly we have a smaller water supply than other local cities with much smaller populations – ok maybe he’s not doing so great. But didn’t he run unopposed in last election?
And I actually disagree about garbage pickup too. Twice a week garbage pickup seems too frequent. Do most places have twice a week? I’m not sure since I’ve lived here all my life. I also think the addition of more items to recycling is a huge step forward.
March 7th, 2008 at 12:14 am
I’m beginning to think the people on the city council don’t really want their jobs any more. They enacted this unanimously.
If we need to upgrade the sewer system, I’d rather the city issue bonds and do it than impose new regulations that make everybody’s lives a little bit worse.
March 7th, 2008 at 6:34 am
This is ridiculous. Its time for Meeker & Company to go. This is outrageous government intrusion which rivals a communist regime. I’m sick and tired of Meeker deciding what’s best for me and my family. This was handled as underhandedly as Mike Easley’s push through of the Lottery when one lawmaker was literally on his death bed — and another was out of town on his honeymoon. Where is the public voice? I can only hope and pray this begins the movement to remove this tree-hugging idiot from office.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Well I think there needs to be some facts in this discourse, other than knee-jerk partisan criticism.
From greenerchoices.org: “Waste from garbage disposers can overburden old municipal sewage systems. Garbage disposers can double the volume of nonliquid material that goes down the drain, displacing food waste from land to water. Each person in the U.S. discards about 300 pounds of food per year. Many sewer systems around the country are more than 100 years old and operating beyond their design capacity–resulting in more than 40,000 overflows of sewage treatment systems each year. When these old systems fail, they can release raw sewage containing high levels of nitrogen, chemical contaminants, and microbial pathogens into local waterways–causing harm to ecosystems, animals and humans.”
Also “A disposer uses more water. While garbage disposers are not going to have a large impact on your household’s electricity use, they do require running water to move the waste down the drain—about 700 gallons per year.”
I grew up learning that you throw food scraps in the trash (or nowadays…compost it). Garbage disposers were primarily for when you rinsed off little bits of food still stuck to the dishes, and wanted to make sure it all got down through.
If everyone still used their disposers in that manner, then this issue probably would have never come up. But it’s amazing the number of people who use it as a trash receptacle and throw potato peelings, vegetable scraps and Lord knows what else down there!
Basically, some bad apples have ruined it for everyone else. I can’t really blame the City Council. Given all these facts, I would have voted the same way.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Given that we’ve all had 9 years to think about this, I hardly think those who object are having a “knee-jerk” reaction.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
This is what really blows me away (from the City of Raleigh’s eNews email today):
“Violators will be issued a notice of violation and a civil penalty assessment of up to $25,000 per day, and possibly incur a temporary or permanent interruption of water and sewer services.”
I have to believe that’s a typo? $25,000/day would put a lot of folks in solid debt right quick…
March 8th, 2008 at 10:06 am
This is typical of “Charlie the Red” and his henchmen of “commissars”. One more chance for them to circumvent private property rights while we sleep. How much more will they try to dictate to us. Come on, Raleigh! Wake up!!
March 9th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
It is amazing how many people do not know how to use a garbage disposal. This Thanksgiving, my wife showed me that some take the name “garbage disposal” quite literally. She ground up a bunch of potato peels, and clogged up the sink. I had to teach her the lesson that I was taught growing up — the diposal is only used to grind up the minor food scraps that you rinse off your plate after you threw the larger scraps in the trash.
Perhaps Raleigh can create a poster campaign to train disposal users, which is similar to the poster campaign for locking your car. Perhaps it can say
“Toss the scraps”
“Rinse the plate”
“Run the disposer”
Just a thought…
March 9th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
These are the complete instructions from the Insinkerator 777 instruction manual:
DO…
• First turn on a moderate to strong flow of cold water and then turn on the disposer. Continue running cold water for 15 seconds after grinding is completed to flush the drain line.
• Grind hard materials such as small bones, fruit pits, and ice. A scouring action is created by the particles inside the grind chamber.
• Grind peelings from citrus fruits to freshen up drain smells.
• Use a disposer cleaner, degreaser, or deodorizer as necessary to relieve objectionable odors caused by grease build-up.
DON’T…
• Don’t pour grease or fat down your disposer or any drain. It can build up in pipes and cause drain blockages. Put grease in a jar or can and dispose in the trash.
• Don’t use hot water when grinding food waste. It is OK to drain hot water into the disposer between grinding periods.
• Don’t fill disposer with a lot of vegetable peels all at once. Instead, turn the water and disposer on first and then feed the peels in gradually.
• Don’t grind extremely fibrous materials like corn husks, artichokes, etc., to avoid possible drain blockage.
• Don’t turn off disposer until grinding is completed and only sound of motor and water is heard.
• Don’t be alarmed if a brown discoloration appears on the face of the grinding disc. This is normal. It is surface discoloration only and will not affect the life or performance of the disposer.
—
The reason for the Raleigh ban is grease accumulation in the pipes. The main culprits are from food fats and the narry-mentioned liquid clotheswashing detergents, not fresh vegetable trimmings.
The problem is the ban does not prevent one from pouring bacon and hamburger greases down the drain or from emptying their deep fryer down the drain. It also doesn’t prevent the use of Tide liquid, for example.
Be careful composting! Incorrect methods will attract snakes, raccoons, rats, and bees to your property.
March 13th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Raleigh Rob, you hit directly on what I think the real problem is: “Waste from garbage disposers can overburden old municipal sewage systems.” The key word here is old. Raleigh, once again, has not kept up with growth since the 1960s when IBM first moved to town. Are our leaders addressing the problem and trying to catch up? No! Instead of admitting they haven’t done their jobs well for 40 years and making an effort to bring our city up to date, they’re asking the citizens to pay more and receive less (year-round schools, once-a-week curbside trash collection, and now, garbage disposals). I think it’s time for Raleigh to address its inadequacies and fix them instead of continuing to attempt “bandaid” solutions.
The ban on garbage disposals is not going to solve anything because it only applies to NEW disposals, which means new construction or replacements. It’ll take years (and I’m meaning 20 or so) before this ban accomplishes anything.
Further, the Council points to garbage disposals as the cause of GREASE spills, not a problem with solid matter in the sewer system. Speaking of which, how long will it be before we aren’t allowed to introduce any “solid matter” into the sewer system – or will it be allowed on an even/odd day basis?