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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Composting and Other Ways to Avoid Food Waste in Your Drainpipes



What’s the biggest cause of clogged drains? It isn’t foreign objects, toilet paper, or even hair; it’s food waste. Wilmington area homeowners dump thousands of pounds of food down the drain every year. The result is a thick mess that increases the burden on municipal water treatment facilities and causes drains to back up.

As any homeowner knows, however, keeping food out of your drains isn’t always easy. Read on to learn a few tricks to keep your drains flowing free from food blockages.

Tip #1: Clear Your Plate
Sure, you’ve heard it many times before—eat your peas, don’t waste food, etc.—yet many people still inadvertently overfill their plates and end up washing the remnants down the drain.
The best strategy here is to underfill your plate, going back for seconds if you’re still hungry. That will lower your food waste and help keep your drains clean—and it’s a good dieting strategy to boot.

Tip #2: Ditch the Garbage Disposal
Garbage disposals certainly speed up the everyday chore of cleaning the dishes, but they’re simply shifting the problem from your hands to your drains. Even food chopped into fine bits can become stuck and lodged in greasy drainpipes. Avoid using your garbage disposal by clearing food waste into the trash—or better yet, composting (see below). If you’re attached to your garbage disposal, use it only for foods that can be chopped easily, avoiding stringy, hard, or greasy waste.

Tip #3: Keep Grease Out
Grease, fats, and oils are the binding element from which drain clogs are made. Keep them out of your drainpipes at all costs. If you’re washing up after dinner, wipe greasy pots and pans out with a towel before scrubbing them in the sink. If your dishwashing demands are particularly heavy, installing a home grease trap is not unheard of. Choose a larger model that you won’t need to clean out frequently.

Tip #4: Compost Your Food Waste
Composting is the most eco- and drain-friendly way to clear away food waste—and it’s relatively easy to do. Keep a compost pail handy in your kitchen, offloading food waste into it as needed. To keep fruit flies and other pests at pay, you’ll want to put alternating layers of humus or compost in the pail with your food waste. When your pail is full, load its contents into your compost bin and enjoy the many benefits for your backyard garden.

No matter how drain-friendly you are, sometimes you need a plumber to clear out particularly nasty clogs. Visit our website to learn more the advantages of calling a Wilmington NC plumber. For an eco-friendly drain-cleaning product that won’t damage your drainpipes, learn more about BioChoiseES.

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