5 Smart Things to Do With an Old Garbage Disposal

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Garbage disposals are reliable, long-lasting kitchen appliances, but just like anything, they have a certain life expectancy.

Has your garbage disposal reached its life expectancy and is no longer working effectively? Are you wondering what to do with old garbage disposals? This article is for you!

What to Do With Old Garbage Disposals

Here are five things you can do with your old garbage disposal:

1 – Donations

A great way to get rid of your garbage disposal is to donate it to organizations like the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

These organizations help others who are looking for used appliances at a cheap price, so you’d be helping others who are in need.

Note that in order to donate your garbage disposal to such organizations, you must make sure it is still usable and doesn’t have an unfixable flaw.

Other than making sure it’s working, you should also make sure it’s clean.

How to Clean Garbage Disposals

Here are the steps you need to follow to clean your garbage disposal before giving it away:

1. Begin by emptying your waste disposal of visible food particles.
2. Allow two ice cubes to flow through your garbage disposal to dislodge any food particles stuck on the grinders or blades.
3. Fill your garbage disposal with a half cup of baking soda.
4. Pour a cup of white vinegar into the machine. As the combination inside your garbage disposal grows, it will dissolve and bubble.
5. Allow up to 10 minutes for the mixture to rest.
6. Fill a large pot halfway with water and boil it.
7. Pour hot water into your garbage disposal and run it for a few minutes to get rid of the loose debris.
8. Remove the splash guard and wash it thoroughly. Then, scrub the bottom with an old or used toothbrush.
9. If you’re having trouble removing the splash guard, try raising each flap and brushing the bottom with the toothbrush. You can quickly get rid of the dirt buildup and the foul odor this way.
10. Reinstall the splash guard in its original location and poof! You have a clean garbage disposal.

2 – Selling

Since I mentioned that some people do need used garbage disposals, you can always try to sell them on your own without reaching out to an organization to help with that.

You can put it out for sale on digital marketplaces like Facebook, or you can put it out for sale in a garage sale.

Another option is to check your circle to see if one of your friends or family may be interested in buying it.

3 – Recycling

If your garbage disposal can’t be donated or sold, then you should consider recycling. Recycling is the friendliest option for the environment when you’re trying to get rid of almost anything.

Considering that garbage disposals contain metal and plastic, the safest way to recycle them is to separate plastic from metal.

Put the plastic in your recycling bin for it to be used later, and the metal in your trash so it ends up in the landfill

You can also try to sell the metal to your local scrap metal dealer to make some money instead of sending it to the landfill. All the same, make sure it is clean before trying to sell it there.

How to Get Your Garbage Disposal Ready for Recycling

Here are the steps you need to follow to get your garbage disposal ready for recycling:

1. Using pliers, disconnect the power cord from your garbage disposal.
2. Gain access to the garbage disposal’s motor. You can then inspect the motor’s windings to see what they’re constructed of.
3. If the windings are copper, scrape the motor. If they’re made of aluminum, don’t scrape it.
4. Disassemble the garbage disposal. This will be the most difficult phase because garbage disposal screws are really tight.
5. Finally, remove the metal and plastic from the garbage disposal and give it a thorough cleaning. Now it’s time to recycle your waste disposal and everything is perfectly ready.

4 – Shredding

One of the most creative ways to reuse your garbage disposal is to use it as a shredder for food wastes, leaves, and other soft items. This can come in handy when shredding compost.

All you need to do is connect a large pipe to the mouth of the garbage disposal. Afterward, the garbage disposal’s dishwasher input is used to run water while leaves are shown down its mouth.

Because garbage disposals are readily blocked if the wrong type of food waste is thrown into them, and leaves are not on that list of disposal-friendly items, it’s necessary to run plenty of water when doing this.

The garbage disposal outlet is connected to a tank that will hold the compost. It’s also crucial that this tank has a lot of holes to drain the water that comes with the shredded leaves.

5 – Fruit Grinding

Yes, you read it correctly; you can use your old garage disposal as a fruit grinder.

If your old garbage disposal still works, you can clean it up thoroughly and use it to grind fruit for pressing, smoothies, and other healthy recipes.

Old garbage disposals are perfect for grinding apples or pears before pressing them into cider. Even if you don’t have a fruit tree or cider press, you can advertise it in a marketplace for that purpose.

To use it in this manner, simply place it in the sink and place a huge bucket beneath it to catch the fruit. That way, you can reuse it while also gaining additional benefits.

How to Avoid Clogging Your Garbage Disposal

Aside from trying to get rid of it, we should pay attention to how we treat our garbage disposals. Usually, a garbage disposal’s lifespan varies between 10 to 15 years.

In order to get your new garbage disposal to stay efficient for that long, you need to make sure that you’re maintaining it correctly.

Here are a few tips and tricks to make sure you’re maintaining it correctly:

1. Only put biodegradable materials in your garbage disposal. Clogging in your machine can be caused by fibrous or starchy foods, rice, pasta, and coffee grinds.
2. Allow your waste disposal to run for longer periods of time after each usage.
3. Grease should not be allowed to accumulate in your drain.
4. Before putting large slices of vegetables or fruits through your waste disposal, cut them into small pieces.
5. To avoid clogging your line, be sure to run water, turn on the disposal, then place the scrapings in the disposal in that exact order.
6. Citrus can be used as a refresher. To keep the disposal smelling fresh, crush up citrus peels from lemons, limes, oranges, and other citrus fruits.

Final Thoughts

Now we know that if your garbage disposal is older than 15 years, you can either donate it, sell it, recycle it, or you can simply recycle it for your own benefit in the form of a shredder or a fruit grinder.

No matter how you choose to get rid of your garbage disposal, just make sure you keep it clean and avoid trying anything that may harm the environment.

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