Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Raleigh, N.C., banned garbage-disposal installation in 2008

Raleigh, N.C., Bans New Garbage Disposals



Cooking grease accumulates at the bottom of a manhole in Raleigh, N.C.i
Cooking grease accumulates at the bottom of a manhole in Raleigh, N.C. Grease can clog sewer lines and obstruct the flow of wastewater.
Adam Hochberg, NPR
Raleigh public works employees use a specially equipped truck to clean grease out of a sewer line.i
Raleigh public works employees use a specially equipped truck to clean grease out of a sewer line. Crews drop video cameras down manholes to find grease clogs, then flush the sewer lines with chemicals and water.
Adam Hochberg, NPR
Starting Monday, new garbage disposals are banned in Raleigh, N.C. Officials say the appliances allow grease to accumulate in sewers, leading to sewage spills. But a lot of homeowners, and a company that makes the kitchen appliances, consider the ban invasive and misdirected.
To try to prevent environmentally damaging sewage spills, city crews use a special truck to flush away grease with water and chemicals. They do it on every sewer line in Raleigh — repeating the process about twice a year.
Mayor Charles Meeker says the annual cost runs into the millions of dollars, and he blames much of the problem on garbage disposals, which he says encourage bad kitchen habits.
"You certainly can put grease down a sink without a disposal, but when you have a disposal in a house, you're more likely to grind up things like chicken bones," Meeker says. "And the amount of grease that comes out of each house is increased by about 20 percent, which across the city is thousands and thousands of gallons."
So now, new garbage disposals are outlawed in Raleigh. While people who already have them can keep using them, no new ones can be installed. Meeker hopes residents will start composting their food scraps.
But it's clear that many aren't ready to give up their disposals. City Councilman Rodger Koopman says he has heard so much outrage about the ban that he's reconsidering his support for it.
And David MacNair, a vice president of InSinkErator, the world's largest maker of what it calls "household food waste disposers," says his company's appliances are good for the environment because they reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. He says disposals shouldn't be singled out as the only source of sewer grease.
InSinkErator and other industry groups successfully lobbied New York City to repeal a similar ban on garbage disposals 11 years ago. Now, MacNair says they'll try to do the same thing in Raleigh. On Tuesday, they'll argue before the City Council that their ubiquitous kitchen appliance has been unfairly demonized.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Re-use, recycle, compost to protect watershed and city budget. See NWA Times story below to understand the need to outlaw garbage disposals and educate the public, restaurant owners and others

Feed food leftovers to pets, wildlife or compost at home to protect the watershed and life in our streams and lakes. See NWA Times story, where explanation points to this suggestion:http://fayettevillecitygovernment.blogspot.com/2014/02/would-outlawing-garbage-disposals-in.html
Like ·  ·  · 13 minutes ago · 
  • Aubrey James Shepherd People taking their trays to turn in after lunch at the Fayetteville Senior Center often comment on the incredible amount of food dumped into the sink to be ground up by the garbage disposal and sent to water-trreatment plant in the photo above.
  • Aubrey James Shepherd Taking leftovers home to pets or to compost naturally in own yard would be better. The senior center should have its own composting site and the adjacent community garden could use the fertilizer!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

City Council meeting canceled: Fayetteville, Arkansas, snowed in again

Public Meetings Calendar

Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Canceled Due to Inclement Weather City Council Meeting
City Clerk
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Room 219