Wet Garbage Disposer

I am proposing a wet garbage disposer (150 kg/hr capacity) which can grind the wet garbage to a paste and with continuous water supply, dilute it so that it flows easily to the sewerage pipe network.

As far as STP design is concerned I am sure this type of flow of diluted ground wet garbage will be taken care of. I am also sure the pipe flow design will not be affected, but I want some experts advice on this.

Taxonomy

• Solid Waste Treatment
• Sewage Treatment
• Sewage
• Integrated Infrastructure
• Utility Pipe Network
• Waste Disposal
• Waste Management
• Waste disposal
• Sewage & Allied Waste
• Pipes and Pipelines

13 Answers

1. Am sorry ,Mr. D'Souza but the idea has problem on two fronts.

   A. I dont think this is sustainable for a long time.

   B. We are already fighting against high Carbon emission and this shall contribute to removing carbon from earth and putting it in water so there is a deficiency created on earth initially.

   Instead what if we generate or convert this into food that can support many lives with the help of bacteria.I have one that can convert cellulose into a carbohydrate in a day alone and that carbohydrate is not glucose and can be easily converted into food for others.

2. Garbage is best removed at the point of generation, i.e. homes, businesses, etc.  Even with the best engineering and optimum conditions to prevent and blockages in the sewer pipes, any garbage grinding device that discharges into a sewer would only move the garbage from the generator to the sewage treatment facility - which is designed to biologically treat WASTEWATER, not garbage.  Most treatment plants are designed with preliminary treatment such as screening and grit removal, which serves to protect the downstream treatment processes and equipment.  The preliminary treatment equipment is designed to remove a "normal" amount of inorganic and non-treatable material, and the device you are proposing would potentially overload the equipment and cause MAJOR problems for the plant operators and staff.  Consider this:  Would you rather pick up garbage off the floor or ground at your office, or would you rather clean up a garbage mess after it has been mixed with domestic and/or industrial sewage?  I would recommend that you visit SEVERAL treatment plants to tour the facilities to gain a better perspective than what I am able to convey with words.  Maybe even try to pitch your idea to the operators or maintenance staff.

3. Not a good idea. In cities with industry the garbage would simply add to the volume of sludge and if this has any heavy metals in it would have to be incinerated.

4. In Connecticut the Dept of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is pushing away from this sort of technology because it contributes to water quality problems.   They have essentially shut down large scale versions of this where I used to work, Yale University, and discourage its use elsewhere.  Instead, we encourage people to keep wet food waste separate for composting or sending to anaerobic digestion facilities such as Quantum BioPower in Southington, CT

   1 Comment

   1. Thank you but it is being used for years in restaurants. I have visited at least one. This is for a city Mumbai. May be that will give you all more idea as composting is good but due to lack of space in already congested housing complexes its not feasible. In new housing complexes provisions are made. Hence we thought of garbage disposer. As for the permits we will find the solutions.

5. For a small STP, normally install a grind pump to make sure that do not block the pump and pipe.  Why do you design another one?

   1 Comment

   1. Thank you but it is being used for years in restaurants. I have visited at least one. This is for a city Mumbai. May be that will give you all more idea as composting is good but due to lack of space in already congested housing complexes its not feasible. In new housing complexes provisions are made. Hence we thought of garbage disposer. As for the permits we will find the solutions.

6. Sir.....wet garbage can be used to generate methane that can then be used as a fuel to generate electricity of as a gas for cooking and heating.  A good bio digester is the answer. this will also enable you to recycle the water and produce a digestate that can be used as a fertilizer.

    

   Stay safe,

   Hugh.

   1 Comment

   1. Thank you but it is being used for years in restaurants. I have visited at least one. This is for a city Mumbai. May be that will give you all more idea as composting is good but due to lack of space in already congested housing complexes its not feasible. In new housing complexes provisions are made. Hence we thought of garbage disposer. As for the permits we will find the solutions.

7. A better idea would be to arrange for the garbage to go to a composting facility.  Anything that won't decompose (i.e. metals, glass, plastics, etc. can be separated out and recycled.

   1 Comment

   1. Thank you but it is being used for years in restaurants. I have visited at least one. This is for a city Mumbai. May be that will give you all more idea as composting is good but due to lack of space in already congested housing complexes its not feasible. In new housing complexes provisions are made. Hence we thought of garbage disposer. As for the permits we will find the solutions.

8. This appears to be a monumentally bad idea. Firstly there is the use of water to dilute which will represent a significant waste of water resources. Then there is the additional load on the sewage works which will lead to increased energy consumption and poor performance. There is also the well publicised issue of fatbergs in the sewer network as fats and greases solidify and congeal with solids such as sanitary items.
   Whilst such a system may be attractive to sociopaths who are solely interested in having their waste taken away with the minimum of effort on their part it should be banned by sewerage undertakers and water companies.  

   1 Comment

   1. Thank you but it is being used for years in restaurants. I have visited at least one. This is for a city Mumbai. May be that will give you all more idea as composting is good but due to lack of space in already congested housing complexes its not feasible. In new housing complexes provisions are made. Hence we thought of garbage disposer. As for the permits we will find the solutions.

      1 Comment reply

      1. It may have been used for years in restaurants and not caused any difficulties to the restaurants. However for the water and waste utilities there are a lot of problems. There is the very well documented one in UK of waste oils etc going down the drain and causing fatbergs that block sewers. Mumbai is likely to have even worse problems. I expect that obtaining the permit may involve a plain brown envelope,.

9. From my experience working in collection systems for more than 15 years, this seems like a very bad idea.   Several other respondents mentioned blockage and I will toss this into the ring as well.  Secondly, generally land fills are able to produce methane from organic material without having to "dry" your pasted materials.  

   It is not impossible, but probably not the best solution for the community as a whole.

   1 Comment

   1. Thank you but it is being used for years in restaurants. I have visited at least one. This is for a city Mumbai. May be that will give you all more idea as composting is good but due to lack of space in already congested housing complexes its not feasible. In new housing complexes provisions are made. Hence we thought of garbage disposer. As for the permits we will find the solutions.

10. If you can ensure it is truly a paste with no pieces that would get caught on the inside of the sewers and if it is diluted to say 5% dry solids and no more then you could assume you will need to maintain a flow of 1m/s to ensure no deposition and blockage formation. If there are "sticky" components to the garbage you need to ensure these are dealt with by perhaps adding detergent. Advice from others is also good and close liaison with the STP in terms of the impact would be good. They may welcome the materials especially if they go to anaerobic digestion. 

    1 Comment

    1. Thank you but it is being used for years in restaurants. I have visited at least one. This is for a city Mumbai. May be that will give you all more idea as composting is good but due to lack of space in already congested housing complexes its not feasible. In new housing complexes provisions are made. Hence we thought of garbage disposer. As for the permits we will find the solutions.

11. Emerson Electric's InSinkerator Foodservice disposer line of equipment has addressed this issue with municipalities and in many US locations has gained positive acceptance. So you might check out its program and technical information.

12. Although macerators provide an easy and convenient means of disposing of food or sanitary waste into drains and sewers, water companies advise that this increases the risk of sewer blockages, sewer flooding, environmental pollution, odours and rodent infestations.  Therefore, I would make sure you have thought this through carefully from a full systems perspective before going down this route.

    2 Comments

    1. Yes, we have a similar system of waste disposal at my University but it is clear that this has been a very unwise move in many ways (generates secondary problems, both social, environmental and economic).  Before investing in solutions, I would advise that you look at other options that might be more sustainable in the long term.  Otherwise you will be investing in a waste management system that may have to be removed from domestic properties when tighter regulations come in (which they invariably will) .  Often simple solutions, including better waste separation, and partnerships with other waste management companies, will be better in the long term whilst ensuring compliance, and the knowledge and peace of mind to know that you are not contributing to the water quality and waste problems that Mumbai faces, as well as their indirect environment and health effects.  

    2. Thank you but it is being used for years in restaurants. I have visited at least one. This is for a city Mumbai. May be that will give you all more idea as composting is good but due to lack of space in already congested housing complexes its not feasible. In new housing complexes provisions are made. Hence we thought of garbage disposer. As for the permits we will find the solutions.

13. It is hard to accept you are sure the STP will accept this and that no pipe flow problems will result. You should identify the STP's capacity and willingness to accept your ground-up garbage. It is likely they will want you to separate solids before grinding and dispose of them separately. The sewer needs to be evaluated to ensure there is no blockage created. Talk to (1) STP owner, (2) sewer owner, and (3) grinder manufacturer. You will need data on the raw (in-ground) garbage such as contents of recyclables, etc.  A fair amount of effort to make this work, even though the quantity seems small.