Food Waste Disposers

Until 1997, New York City prohibited the use of Food Waste Disposers (FWDs) in all parts of the City served by combined sewers which carry sanitary waste generated by homes and businesses and storm water entering the sewer system from the streets during wet weather. Most of the City is served by combined sewer systems. The intent of the ban on FWDs was twofold: 1) to limit the direct discharge of raw organic wastes into New York City’s rivers and harbors during wet weather, events known as “Combined Sewer Overflows”; and 2) to protect the City's surrounding waters from excessive amounts of nitrogen, which is a highly regulated component of sewer waste and the center of a major capital campaign to assure compliance with nitrogen standards and the stability of aquatic life in our region.

During the 1990s, advocates urged the City to reconsider whether FWDs in residential dwellings could be permitted without compromising the City’s ability to handle CSO events and meet nitrogen standards. Therefore, in the mid-1990s DEP conducted a comprehensive 21-month pilot program, in cooperation with plumbing industry representatives, FWD manufacturers, and the Department of Sanitation. The pilot study assessed the impact of FWDs on water bodies surrounding the City, sewers and wastewater treatment plants, water rates and consumption, and other environmental, public health and safety issues. The study showed that under conditions where limited numbers of homes installed FWDs, lifting the ban on residential dwellings only would have manageable impacts, and could help reduce the amount of solid waste handled by the Department of Sanitation. Consequently, the City Council voted to rescind the ban and the Mayor signed the measure into law effective October 11, 1997.

The use of FWDs in private residential dwellings has increased marginally since the ban was lifted. However DEP continues to monitor the impacts of FWDs closely and to ensure a quick response to adverse impacts where necessary, particularly in light of the current requirements to substantially reduce nitrogen discharges into Long Island Sound and Jamaica Bay over the next decade.

Executive Summary of "The Impact of Food Waste Disposers in Combined Sewer Areas Of New York City" (PDF)