Because some municipalities have regulations regarding the use of disposers or prohibit their use altogether, foodservice operators should first check with local zoning or municipal boards to ensure they can use these units in their businesses. Some local requirements may impact the units an operator can specify including ordinances that dictate the use of grease traps or interceptors.

As most operations become more dependent on these systems than they originally anticipated, consider specifying a system with greater horsepower to handle larger amounts of waste as the use increases.

Operators should weigh several considerations when choosing the appropriate disposer for an application. Size is the main factor, with larger models handling a higher volume of food waste. When determining the disposer size, the food waste’s density is a prime consideration. While under-sizing can cause issues like jams and slow throughput, those choosing an oversized system sacrifice cost and energy savings.

To ensure efficient operation and help circumvent sink backups, ensure the drain line size is adequate to meet the needs of the foodservice operation. Some disposer manufacturers will verify that the disposer’s drain line can handle the foodservice operation’s waste with a free site survey.

When specifying, determine the disposer’s location and mounting. One mounting type includes welding a prefabricated bowl into a stainless-steel countertop or a sink collar adapter to install into a sink drain. This is frequently used in the pot/dish area when a multipurpose sink is not necessary. The second type utilizes sink collar adapters for when a sink is going to be used in conjunction with the disposer for more than just food disposal (such as with food preparation, rinsing out coffee equipment or just general-purpose use).

When a scrap sink is incorporated for breaking down dishes and silverware at a dishwasher, a disposer is used with a rack guide for scrapping/loading of dish racks into the dish machine.

Over the years, there have been a few disposer enhancements in terms of water conservation. With one system, an enhanced control panel regulates the amount of fresh water being used in the grinding process. Some models use a semi-closed system that recirculates the water being used to grind, only adding fresh water when necessary.

Other disposer options include auto-reversing motors that help prevent jamming, perforated silver savers that prevent metal silverware from getting into the grinding chamber, and throat guards and offset chutes that prevent access to the cutting chamber inside of the disposer.