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how do you dispose of semi-fluid food waste?

(114 Posts)
Fennel Mon 04-Apr-22 20:30:55

I. mean things like stew, mince, even some soups. Which contain some sold pieces of meat and veg.
I don't like to waste food but after reheating leftovers once or twice I don't trust it's safe to eat.
Personally I put it down the toilet - any other solutions?
I asked this question a few years ago and some Grans were horrified, I never worked out why. Except it could block the toilet.

LullyDully Tue 05-Apr-22 08:13:10

I think food down the loo encourages rats. I would drain off the fluid and put the solid bits in the bin, maybe wrapped up. They do say not to put anything down the toilet that isn't human waste.

M0nica Tue 05-Apr-22 09:04:30

Into the food waste bin it goes. I put it in a compostable bag and if too liquid spoon the solid waste in and let the gravy go down the sink.

I would never put anything down the loo, other than what is expected to go down it.

I have a small pottery container on the draining board, to put food waste into during the week and decant it into a compostable bag at the end of the week. Except the occasional fish skin, put in it early in the week, I have never had a smell problem.

We have a number of magazines coming into the house that are now packed in compostable bags rather than the old clear plastic. I carefully cut one end off these and then use them for food waste. This means they are both re-used and composted - or like in most cases of food waste - anereobically digested.

Georgesgran Tue 05-Apr-22 09:09:13

Mine goes in the waste disposal. Northumbria Water remind us up here in the NE that ‘only pee and poo goes down the loo’

merlotgran Tue 05-Apr-22 09:19:02

Why not cut down on the amount you cook in the first place?

25Avalon Tue 05-Apr-22 09:19:49

Instead of re-cooking too much, then ditching it by whatever means, adding to the huge quantities of wasted food, why not portion it in the first place and freeze it? You then just take out and use each portion as and when required. No waste. Important for the planet and your purse with inflation soaring.

JaneJudge Tue 05-Apr-22 09:20:13

Iam64

I put it in the biodegradable bags our council provides for food waste. Into the green bin it goes

same here

lixy Tue 05-Apr-22 09:26:03

No food recycling here sadly so freeze and then bin for us.
If there is enough for another meal then I'll freeze it for use in a week or so.

Chestnut Tue 05-Apr-22 09:30:17

Your toilet is not a waste disposal unit. They have made it very clear that only poo, pee and toilet paper should be flushed, that's it!

I put the semi-liquid mixture in a sieve over the sink, the liquid part drains away, the solid lumps go in a compostable bag in the food caddy with all the other food.

maytime2 Tue 05-Apr-22 09:49:02

I sieve the food and put the solids into a green compostable bag which is provided free of charge by the Council.
Any fat that is left after frying bacon etc. I wait for the fat to congeal and pick it out with a fish slice and put it in kitchen towelling and bin it. I then boil water and detergent in the frying pan before washing up. The residue of that goes down the sink, but it is only liquid. I do not have a dish washer.

MaizieD Tue 05-Apr-22 10:05:01

Casdon

Might it worsen the rat situation in the sewers if meat was available? Sorry, it doesn’t bear thinking about I know.

Putting it in the dustbin just transfers the 'rat problem' to the waste landfill sites....

Small amounts of waste food won't block the toilet, nor will it encourage rats to invade it. Don't people understand how the sewage system works?

As has been said before, we put large amounts of digested food waste down the toilet. I can't see much difference. And what about the bits which inevitably get flushed down the sink waste pipe? It all ends up in the same sewers.

PamelaJ1 Tue 05-Apr-22 10:14:44

My dad was a water engineer. He would have had a spasm to hear of people putting food products down the toilet.?
We don’t have a food waste system here so mine goes in the general waste bin. We don’t tend to have much because after 50 years together we are pretty good at portion size and I make soup. Sorry about the rats but we’re never far away from one. Our neighbour has chickens and they attract rats so feeding chickens is no way to avoid that hazard here!

Fennel Tue 05-Apr-22 11:55:47

Thanks fpr the replies. Our council doesn't supply food waste bins. I never put any grease or oil down the sink.Or wetwipes etc in the toilet.
My thinking on the subject is like yours GrannyLaine. ie what are toilets designed to deal with?
And I've never blocked the toilet with food waste.

M0nica Tue 05-Apr-22 11:56:22

I have never hadany problems with smells or rats and we live in a rural area. Yes, I have very occasionally seen a rat in the back garden ( 3 times in 25 years) but as the bins are at the front of the house, it is not that they are going for.

If I see a rat I put rat poison in the garden shed, which has gaps below the doors, too small for other animals and that deals with the problem.

greenlady102 Tue 05-Apr-22 11:58:54

tanith

I strain the liqued down the sink with hot water and washing up liqued and put the solids in food waste bin.

this. But also I freeze it in portions. no double reheating, no waste and something lovely to eat when I CBA to cook

Chestnut Tue 05-Apr-22 12:11:34

Small amounts of waste food won't block the toilet, nor will it encourage rats to invade it. Don't people understand how the sewage system works?
I repeat that the water companies have always made it very clear that only human waste and toilet paper to go in the toilet. Nothing else! Anything else can cause fatbergs to form, as the 'other items' join and lump up together.

Fennel Tue 05-Apr-22 12:11:45

ps I would think it's more likely to block the sink than the toilet.
waste pipes for toilet are minimum 3,5 inches. Sink waste pipes much narrower.
Agreed that fat is another matter.but I remove all fat before cooking.

greenlady102 Tue 05-Apr-22 12:12:39

MaizieD

Casdon

Might it worsen the rat situation in the sewers if meat was available? Sorry, it doesn’t bear thinking about I know.

Putting it in the dustbin just transfers the 'rat problem' to the waste landfill sites....

Small amounts of waste food won't block the toilet, nor will it encourage rats to invade it. Don't people understand how the sewage system works?

As has been said before, we put large amounts of digested food waste down the toilet. I can't see much difference. And what about the bits which inevitably get flushed down the sink waste pipe? It all ends up in the same sewers.

most waste doesn't go to landfill now. Where I live all non recyclable waste is burned in a closed system incineration plant. The heat is used to generate electricity which is sold to the national grid...and the difference is that it is digested. Most of normal faecal matter can be put into suspension in water (try it if you don't believe me). Mince or liquidised food might be ok but chunks will be a problem.

HowVeryDareYou Tue 05-Apr-22 12:57:45

We've got a waste disposal system in the kitchen (I believe it's called an Insinkerator)

Caleo Tue 05-Apr-22 13:22:28

I flush it down the toilet and try to like the rats having some extra nutrition.

Caleo Tue 05-Apr-22 13:25:49

Monica, other animals such as mice, frogs, cats, bees can get under your garden shed. Rat poison is cruel.

Chestnut Tue 05-Apr-22 13:56:11

Caleo

Monica, other animals such as mice, frogs, cats, bees can get under your garden shed. Rat poison is cruel.

And hedgehogs! Poison should never be used as it can kill some already endangered species, some of which are essential to the balance of the eco-system.

Baggs Tue 05-Apr-22 16:11:35

If you have a food caddy recycling system in place in your local authority, add some kitchen paper or old cotton fabric to your caddy bag and pour the stuff in. If the 'waste' is made into compost, it's not wasted.

Baggs Tue 05-Apr-22 16:13:12

Or you could have a green cone food digester in your garden, perhaps.

M0nica Tue 05-Apr-22 16:20:40

No, very few animals other than rats get under the shed. The poison is left on a shelf three of four feet above the floor
I have yet to see a hedgehog climb that high and cats can not get in through a 2 inch gap. Can a hedgehog?

The bees nest in the other shed and in a hot sunny stone wall 50 feet away. In 25 years I have yet to see a frog.

I have used rat poison about three times in 25 years. I do not make a habit of it.

Baggs Tue 05-Apr-22 16:24:23

Hedgehogs climb onto our drystone garden wall, M. We know because they leave evidence.

Just saying ??