Can You Put Cooked Meat in a Garbage Disposal

Garbage Disposals are Made for Food

There is an idea floating around that you can put just about anything into your garbage disposal, and it will be gone in seconds. That would be a very bad idea to follow.

Garbage disposals are made to chop up food only. Cardboard, egg cartons, cigarette butts, paper towels, plastic wrappers, and so on should never be sent through your disposal.

But what about cooked meat? Is that okay to chop up and send down the drain through the disposal? Keep reading to find out the answer.

Can You Send Cooked Meat Through Your Disposal

There is some good news after all. Cooked meat is okay to send through your disposal. But there is a catch to doing this. You should cut it up into smaller pieces before sending them through those blades.

Too much of a good thing can still cause you disposal issues and you want to avoid those at all costs. Also, make sure the bones are removed from that cooked meat as bones are tough for your disposal to chop up.

The grease is mostly gone from cooked meat, so that food item should not be much of a problem. However, small amounts of grease can still build up on the blades and in the drain. So it is best to separate the cooked meat from any grease on the plate.

Different Types of Disposals

One thing you should be aware of is that there are different types of disposals. There are under powered models that only put out 1/2 HP and some very powerful ones that use 1 HP to clean up your leftovers.

The power does make the difference in what you can put down the drain and chop up in the disposal. The more powerful the disposal, the more food items that can be disposed of by the appliance.

Also, the types of drainpipe you have will play a role in what you can send down the sink. Older pipes have a lower tolerance level for different food items than newer ones do. Check to see what kind of pipe you have before sending food items through it to the sewer.

Some Final Words

It may pay off to make a mental or physical checklist of what can or cannot be put down the disposal. That list will save you some headaches as well as repair bills. While the disposal is convenient and easy to use, you still have to make smart decisions when using it.