This chapter explores the historical shift in perceptions of garbage disposals, from promises of public health benefits to convenience-driven marketing strategies. It also discusses the contemporary push for garbage disposers as sustainable solutions, contrasting it with the EPA's concerns over energy waste, methane emissions, and sewer blockages.
In the middle of the 20th century, the small town of Jasper, Indiana did something that no other city had done before: they made garbage illegal. The city would still collect some things, like soup cans and plastics, but yucky junk, like food waste, wouldn't get picked up.
This change was made possible by a new appliance: the garbage disposer – that little grinding machine at the bottom of a lot of kitchen sinks.
The Monster Under the Sink