What's more eco-friendly, a garbage disposal or a compost bin?

Question

I just moved into a new townhouse and I am doing everything I can to live in a way that's less harmful to the environment, I have an unfinished basement that can possibly be used to store a compost bin, but no place to plant a garden, so I would'nt know what to do with the soil. A friend suggested I forego the compost bin and just get a garbage disposal to deal with kitchen scraps. Please help!

Answer 1

A garbage diposal is not eco-friendly. A compost bin can be eco friendly if you use the compost in the garden. It then helps plants, of all kinds to flourish.

The ground up garbage goes into the water supply and needs to be further treated. In addition you are using electricity to run the disposal motor. You a;sp have used resources for the manufacture of the disposer motor and for the piping.

Answer 2

a garbage disposal is not eco-friendly at all. I keep thinking that they should make a garbage disposal unit where you could collect t he ground up stuff and then compost it. It would speed up the compost process .  But the garbage disposal still uses too much water and electricity.

A compost bin in the house tho is not really a feasable idea unless you went into vermicomposting which is easy and actually fun and creates amazing compost.

You still have to figure out what to do with the finished product. Do you know people with gardens you could give/sell it to.

not easy decisions.

good luck

Answer 3

A compost bin would be much more eco-friendly, because it doesn't use any electricity, where a garbage disposal uses electricity and energy.

Answer 4

The compost bin every time. Even if you can not use all you produce you could easily give the remainder away. Or if you struggle to produce enough allow a neighbour with an interest in gardening to contribute too. Why encourage manufacturers to make more when 2 can share? A positive environmental double whammy.

Answer 5

compost bin

Answer 6

compost bin but ask yourself can you live with the smell.

Answer 7

compost bin and sell the compost so u can make some $$$$$$$

Answer 8

Compost bin! This way you can have more control over what is going in your compost bin and stuff. You just keep a bucket next to your sink to put your composting stuff in, and then bring it out to the bin every night.

And since you don't have a garden, you can donate it to a local store for their gardens around their store. And if you have enough free time, you could even start offering to fix up their garden beds! You could charge for that if you wanted. Or to a local gardening center, I'm sure either would love it.

If all else fails, try to sell it. Try out a place like craigs list or ebay, or to your local freecycle group.

Good luck!

Answer 9

A compost bin - but you need at least a bit of living soil and a container of fishing worms to get things started. If it is stirred and moistened routinely it should not smell other than a damp dirt smell.  It should never stink or smell like garbage.

Only vegetable, fruit and grain should go in it, never put dairy, oils, fats, or meats in small compost bin.

Use the finished "dirt" for flower pots or give it away.

Answer 10

Garbage disposal! If you live in town it may be against city regulations to have a compost because they do smell. Also if you live over a basement with a compost in it you will get the smell first. Garbage disposals grind food and flush it down the sewer. There it goes into a treatment plant where it is separated with all other solids and dried and sold as fertilizer to farms and individuals. People who live in the country should have a compost bin.

Answer 11

Compost bin. You can use it for your flower pots round the house and by the door.

Normally you need to do compost bin in the garden, I'm not sure it's OK at the basement.

Answer 12

SELL IT! I'm sure people will want to buy the nice soil you'll get because its the best kind you can use. In your condos do people have outside areas at all? if not just put an ad in the paper and rates you'll probably have people wanting to buy it soon!