Currently, the use of garbage grinders in commercial establishments is illegal.  However, allowing the installation of these disposers would drastically reduce the garbage disposal costs for small businesses all across the city.  Not only does the legalization make sense for independent merchants, but the subsequent reduction of organic waste would help lessen the rat population, diminish the need for additional transfer stations and garbage trucks, and, overall, decrease New York City's garbage costs.  Even though the Department of Environmental Protection is worried about the impact of grinders on the sewage system, we believe (as, ironically, does the DEP in a 1996 study) that the City's infrastructure can handle this burden.  And for those arguing that disposers would harm the environment, the simple response is that the environmental benefits of grinders far outweigh their relatively negligible costs.

Click here for articles on the the benefits of disposers and the fight to legalize them for commercial use in New York City.

We have listed our press releases dealing with  the issues surrounding the legalization of food waste disposers (Intro 220).  View and print these positions papers here.

The Neighborhood Retail Alliance has crafted a number of memoranda dealing with the all the issues surrounding the legalization of food waste disposers (Intro 220).  View and print these positions papers here.