Waste You Should NEVER Throw Down The Sink

Waste disposal is an important issue which we need to be aware of as homeowners, if not we may run the risk of damaging our sinks, drains, pipes and waste disposal systems. The waste flushed through our sinks quickly disappears from our view, but can end up clogging the pipes and drainage systems. The resulting fatberg’s can destroy drainage pipes and cause health risks. To avoid these issues, we can follow a couple of simple, yet effective tips about the waste you should never throw down the sink.

1. Fibrous Vegetables & Grains

Most of these vegetable remnants will block waste disposal flow. The strings of vegetables like celery and asparagus can get stuck and stick there. Corn husks should also never go through the sink because they also have some small pieces of threads that hang off them. Watermelon rinds and potato peels will cause problems in the waste disposal unit. According to some plumbers, seeds and grains should also never be disposed of through the sink because they are too solid to grind up even by a waste disposal unit.

2. Oils, Grease & Waste Particles

Oil is one of the main culprits here; it is notorious for causing drain blockages. Oil flows nicely down the drainage, but quickly solidifies and creates blockages in the pipe or the waste disposal unit. Even if oil gets through to the sewer, it will still end up solidifying there and form a fatberg which could grow extremely large. Oil and grease should be restricted from passing down the sink. Waste particles, such as Coffee grounds may look tiny but when they get down the sink, they can wreak unimaginable havoc on the drainage. Shards of broken eggshells also have the same effect. They hardly break down and can clog pipes when they build up in large amounts.

3. Pasta & Rice

It can be recommended to avoid disposing of starchy foods such as rice down your kitchen sink. Most of these foods will ultimately build up in the drainage if passed in large quantities. They continue to expand as they get into contact with water even after cooking and cannot flow easily. Even if they do not block your sink, they will still end up in the drainage system and sewers, which can cause problems there.

4. Bones

Disposing bones through the sink is never a wise idea. Bones can just spin around with the blades in a waste disposal unit and will not go anywhere. Even if they find their way out, they will still get stuck in the drainage pipes and cause blockages and other forms of damage in the drainage system.

5. Inorganic Wastes

It’s not common for plastics and metallic objects to find their way through the sink, but carelessness or a mistake could lead to such a situation. You have to careful not to ever let any metallic or plastic objects fall down the sink. You should also not get rid of any items you use in the bathroom through the waste disposal. Papers, swabs and cotton balls will definitely block the drainage system.

The items mentioned here are things we use almost on a daily basis and have higher chances of causing trouble down our drainages. However, exercising caution is simple and a better way of ensuring that we keep our drainage clear and avoid drainage related problems.