Why Shouldn’t You Put Coffee Grounds in the Disposal?

There are countless myths surrounding coffee grounds and their aid in removing the foul odor of garbage disposals. Although it’s true and really effective in having an odor-free waste system, should you really put coffee grounds at your disposal? Well, the short answer is no — it can cause serious damages to your disposal system.

To know more about how we came up with this answer, read on to the following sections.

Causes Serious Disposal Clogs

Unlike other food types that melt when soaked in water over time, the coffee ground does the opposite. It builds up in clumps, hardens, and ultimately, water won’t be able to wash away its form. It’s either that or they will dry out within your garbage disposal system’s pipes.

Anyhow, the above scenarios will result in serious disposal clogs. Not only will it stay on your system, but it will also prevent other food and wastes from being disposed of effectively. In addition, if you don’t take immediate action, the machine will, at one point, go into overload.

Hence, you will have to call a plumber or any other related professional to do the job for you. Naturally, this means more expenses for you. Moreover, it will be a hassle since unclogging a garbage disposal system can take time.

Disrupts Garbage Disposal System

Apart from clog-related issues, putting coffee grounds in your garbage disposal system can disrupt its operations.

Even if the disposal has not been clogged yet, the said material’s remains can still stay on the pipes. Thus, the machine won’t be able to accept the same amount of waste load as it usually can. The processing time can also get delayed. You can expect issues to rise after another in this case.

Most of the time, coffee ground-infused garbage disposals can also lead to machine jams. This is when the machine may stop its operations abruptly. It’s either you will have to restart it, or in worse cases, you’ll also need a professional. Again, you’ll incur additional costs both for repair and maintenance.

Results to Long-Term Damages

Even if you get your garbage disposal unlogged or repair its whole system, the particles of coffee ground are almost impossible to be removed completely. This means that over time, it can still accumulate and harden. This will result in the same issues, same expenses, and same amount of hassle.

Repetitive issues can even lead to you needing a brand new garbage disposal system. It will be your choice to buy it or occasionally experience clogging and jamming issues. Either way, the results will still be bothersome and definitely not cost-efficient.

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Proper Ways of Disposing Coffee Grounds

If you’re looking into proper ways of disposing of your used coffee grounds, here are the two main things that you should consider:

Use coffee grounds as a fertilizer.

If you’re taking care of some plants, you can reuse your coffee grounds as a fertilizer instead of completely disposing of them. This is actually one of the best composts that you can use. In this way, you can assure both an issue-free and environment-friendly disposal.

Put them in the garbage bin.

If you don’t have a garden, or you just don’t feel like using coffee grounds for compost, then you can just throw them in the garbage bin. Note that you still have to put them in a sealed plastic container before doing so. This will prevent them from causing issues in another place.

Apart from garbage disposals, you should also avoid putting coffee grounds in the sink, or basically, any place with a possibility of clogging.

Conclusion

As you can see, it’s really not advised to put coffee grounds at the disposal, no matter if you mean to throw it out, or you just want to get rid of your disposal’s order. It’s a serious clogging issue waiting to happen. Even if you reason out that you’re going this for years, it’s a matter of time until you need a plumber’s help to fix your drains.

For the proper way of disposing of coffee grounds, you can either consider using them as a fertilizer or seal them inside a plastic container and throwing them in the garbage bin.

Overall, it’s best if you totally avoid putting coffee grounds at the disposal. However, if you accidentally do so, contact a professional to get it checked up. It will help you solve issues before they even happen. This will also save you a lot of time and money.