The Clean, Green, Commercial Disposal Alternative

Commercial garbage disposals can cause big problems for restaurants and communities, including higher water consumption, higher electric bills, and a higher risk of sewer overflow. State and local governments across the US have banned commercial garbage disposals, creating the need for a commercial disposal alternative.

The Drain Strainer XL is a cleaner, greener alternative to the traditional garbage disposal for commercial kitchens. When installed under a pre-rinse sink, it filters out food particles and prevents them from entering a kitchen’s wastewater. Here are several reasons why The Drain Strainer is better for the environment:

It lessens the risk of sewer overflow

A major cause of sewer overflow is the solidification of fat, oil, and grease (FOG) in pipes. Solidified FOG creates a blockage in the pipes that prevents wastewater from flowing to a treatment plant, instead causing the wastewater to overflow. Sewer overflows are unsanitary and costly to correct, and one of their main causes is overuse of garbage disposals.

Although most commercial sinks include a grease interceptor, ground food particles from commercial disposals can put excess pressure on the grease interceptor, causing it to malfunction. When this happens, FOG from ground food enters the sewer system.

Many state and local governments recommend minimizing garbage disposal use for this reason. Other governments have outlawed the use of commercial disposals altogether. Regardless of the law in your area, using The Drain Strainer XL as a commercial disposal alternative will greatly reduce the risk of overflow by removing food particles before they enter the sewers.

It conserves precious resources

Water is one of our most important natural resources. Flushing food waste through your pipes uses a lot of water, and conveying that water to a treatment plant also uses natural gas and electricity. According to Treehugger writer Pablo Paster, California uses up to 32% of its natural gas, and 19% of its electricity, on transporting water and wastewater.

Installing The Drain Strainer will reduce the amount of water used in commercial kitchens, and in turn it will save natural resources used to transport and treat wastewater. Because The Drain Strainer catches food particles before they are flushed down the drain, it only uses the water required for pre-rinsing. No extra water is required to flush ground-up food particles, as is the case with commercial disposals.

Furthermore, The Drain Strainer cuts down on electricity costs. It requires no electricity to work, and it has no moving parts to maintain. Unlike commercial disposals, The Drain Strainer XL is simple and low-maintenance, which saves restaurant owners money.

It makes green waste disposal easier

Overall, The Drain Strainer XL is one of the greenest commercial disposal alternatives available for commercial kitchens. Traditional disposals work on an “out of sight, out of mind” basis—they flush ground up food into the water supply, and where the food goes from there is not of much concern to most people. While it may seem that food waste simply disappears, that is not really the case. Garbage disposals use valuable resources, and they can cause clogs and overflows in the sewer system.

The Drain Strainer, on the other hand, makes being environmentally conscious easy. Jacob Leibenluft, writer for Slate’s Green Lantern column, recommends composting whenever possible as an alternative to using garbage disposals. The Drain Strainer separates food waste from wastewater, making it simple to compost leftover food particles.