There are a lot of things that come together to put up a commercial food business or a restaurant. One of them is handling food waste, which is why many restaurants and food businesses have garbage disposals. Now, you need to know how use it properly and what not to put in it, otherwise, the garbage disposal may jam or trip. So, commercial appliances repair experts suggest you should never put these things into your garbage disposal.

What You Should Not To Put In Your Commercial Garbage Disposal?

Bones

First of all, bones, whether it be full-on bones, shattered bones, cartilage, or even soft bones that are chewable, everything in this line is off-limits for the garbage disposal. Yes, the garbage disposal is like a food incinerator, but it doesn’t mean that you can put anything and everything in it. It will only cause the bones to stay the same because the impellers or grinding blades are not strong enough to break and pulverize bones.

They will get stuck in the path of leading the waste down to the landfill or the actual disposal, and this can be a huge problem in itself. So, whatever you do, keep your commercial garbage disposal bone-free.

Grease/Oil

This is something that you might have heard time and time again, but yes, even though oil and grease may look harmless, they can turn into a pretty bad mix of sludgy and oily waste if they go down the garbage disposal.

Since it’s a restaurant and things are being prepped left and right, it’s easy to discard the oil down the drain and not think too much of it, but it will come back to be a pain in your neck and a clog in your drain when it doesn’t let anything else pass through. So, the garbage disposal is not the place for oil or any fatty things.

Cooked Pasta

You might be thinking that pasta is a very safe choice to put in your garbage disposal since it’s soft and squishy and can easily break down. Well, it’s not, because it is soft and squishy. This makes it an edible sponge that can absorb way more water than its weight.

So, if you dispose of pasta in a commercial garbage disposal, then it can get mixed in with residual water and it can cause it to swell beyond imagination. Then, this can cause major clogs in the drain as well, which is nothing less than a nightmare for a restaurant kitchen itself.

Flour

Flour, similar to pasta, can also expand and puff up when it is mixed with water. So, even though it may look very fine and you can justify disposing it down the garbage disposal, it will be anything but pleasant.

So, whether you have leftover flour from kneading dough or pastry, make sure you put it anywhere besides the garbage disposal. It will be for your restaurant and its drain’s sake.

Eggshell

This is a common myth that a lot of people believe in. It’s that eggshells can sharpen the blades or impellers of the garbage disposal, making them a perfect thing to shove down the drain. Well, it’s not and this myth has been busted right before your eyes. Eggshells don’t break down and they damage the impellers more than sharpening them. So, don’t believe everything you hear, and be mindful of the things you’re putting in your garbage disposal.

Eggshells belong in the trash can and that’s exactly where they will go, so make sure you keep note of that when you’re bustling around in the restaurant kitchen, getting things done.

Nuts

This one goes without saying. Your commercial garbage disposal is not a grinder that can pulverize anything and everything. So, nuts are also on the off-limits list when it comes to a garbage disposal for your restaurant kitchen.

Even though nuts are seldom wasted because they’re expensive and you want to make sure that you use every last bit of it, sometimes things can go down the drain in a busy restaurant kitchen, and those can include nuts as well. You’ll only be damaging the impellers by disposing of nuts in the garbage disposal, so don’t do that.

Coffee

Coffee is one of those very seemingly harmless things that you think won’t cause any damage but when it does, there’s no stopping its brewing wrath. Coffee grounds are used in a lot of desserts and even as fuel for chefs to keep going, but what to do with the leftover scraps?

Well, you can do anything with them – use them as manure, put them in the trash can, or even just discard them, but whatever you do, don’t put them in the garbage disposal. They will expand more and more and they will stick to the narrow walls of the garbage disposal leading the trash to the landfill.

Meat

Believe it or not, meat is also wasted a lot in restaurant kitchens. Whether it be testing recipes, things getting burned or just recipes going wrong, you want to ensure that you’re not discarding the meat properly, and no – that doesn’t mean that you can put it in the garbage disposal.

Meat will get stuck and if it’s fatty then it will lead to a whole set of problems in the garbage disposal. It will get clogged and you won’t have any other choice but to wedge it out to get the disposal to work again.

Fiber Rich Foods

Aside from regular food items, you also shouldn’t put non-food items in the garbage disposal either. Things like plastic utensils, chemicals, solid things that you know can’t be pulverized in the disposal, etc. These are things that will go into the garbage disposal and wreak havoc.

So, it’s better that you sort out the things before you send them away to the garbage disposal. This is the best way for you to ensure that your garbage disposal works for longer.

Potato Peels

Potato peels may feel thin and harmless but they have starch in them. The starch can make the peels gummy which can then clog the garbage disposal. So, avoid putting potato peels in the garbage disposal. Usually, potato peels go in the trash can and not the garbage disposal.

Onion Skins

The inner part of the onion skin is has a thin membrane that can cause many problems. It can clog the garbage disposal and trap other food items in the drain creating a big mess that would need garbage disposal and drain cleaning.

Pits

Pits of fruits like mangoes, apricots, dates, avocados, plums, and others are rock solid. They are much like bones. Therefore, you should never put them in the garbage disposal thinking that they would be crushed. They could only damage the impellers or blades of the garbage disposal.

Conclusion

Commercial garbage disposals are amazing and make food waste management in restaurants and cafes easy. However, for them to work smoothly, you need to know about things that are off-limits to put into them. Moreover, if there is any issue with them, look for commercial garbage disposal repair Northern VA technicians who can fix and maintain your equipment.