Plumbing News

There are a minimum number of points that come from what are termed “seven guiding principles” that used to measure adherence to green, environmentally friendly building and construction. This standard defines which green practices should be incorporated into initial development and construction.  Moreover, the onus is going to be placed on homeowners to understand, maintain, and operate green homes.

According to David MacNair, the VP of Marketing at InSinkErator, the decision to assign one certification point to builders who install garbage disposals that re environmentally responsible. So how does a garbage disposal become environmentally responsible?  It comes down to the fact that nearly 70% of food waste is water- that is by grinding it up in a disposal system and sending it down a drain an on to a processing facility, many of these treatment plants end up capturing a byproduct, methane. So the point is why not convert that into an energy generating resource?

Wastewater treatment facilities can also recycle these bio-solids, turning them into fertilizers. So a device that has been around for many years should now be viewed as instrumental in keeping bio-solids out of landfills. And strangely enough, independent studies have confirmed that the simple taken-for-granted garbage disposal can play an essential role in meeting a part of the waste management challenge.  Add in the fact that garbage disposals have a nominal carbon footprint since it uses only 1% of a household’s water and costs roughly 50 cents a year to operate, the conclusion is simple. Then when the disposal is at the end of its life, and since composed largely of metal components, those too are recyclable.