Architect plan calls out a space in the kitchen for a trash compactor.
Client’s never had one before, and thinks it is a bad idea. Smells, leaks, etc.
We don’t have pick-up here, and the deal out at the transfer station is now to charge for volume, not weight. Thus, if compacting the garbage was a workable deal, there would be some payback.
Does anyone use these things?
Replies
I have, and the new ones are much nicer than the ones from 10 or 20 years ago (which is not terribly surprising, to think of it that way).
They are particularly nice for people who want a "neat" kitchen, one without a visible trashcan.
I think it makes a nice "frame" for the sink to have a TC on one side and the DW on the other--in kitchens with only the one sink, that is. That way, you can peel the onions, shallots, garlic, what have you, and pitch the peel into the trash before you rinse off in the sink.
That "reserved" space is not a bad one for a cabinet with a trashcan slider (like the amerock models) in lieu of the appliance, though, come to cases.
I don't like them either. I have friends that have them and I think they are a bad idea, waste of useful space. What does it save, instead of three bags of trash, you'll have 2. I wouldn't take one for free.
Waste management is going towards recycling. If you have "single stream" recycling where all the garbage gets picked up and sorted, a compactor may be okay. If you have to sort it, then spec a "recylce center"- a cab. w/ pullout shelves and bins for glass, plastic etc.
If you don't recycle you should soon. I believe it is irresponsible to generate enough waste for a trash compactor personally. By careful shopping and recycling, we have our waste down to about a grocery bag a week or less.
We recycle and try to be responsible consumers. That said, our waste certainly exceeds one grocery bag per week. (It's just my lady and myself.) What considerations do you think were most important when you reduced your waste to such a small amount?
Hey, thanks for asking.
It just began by trying to be aware of what we were buying, then it became a sort of game and now it is so habitual it is almost effortless.
The biggest difference comes in what we purchase and include the waste factor in all decisions. If something comes with too much packaging we pass it by. We had to say goodbye to some favorites and often we have to pay more for something else. At the store the first thing I look for is the Pete 1 number at the bottom. Recyclable containers cost more, so a lot of manfs. don't use it to cut costs. So we don't always buy what we want, but it still feels right at the end of the day.
That said, recyclables are really a poor second to not buying packaging in the first place so we try to get bulk as much as possible and get our produce at a farmers market. Needless to say, all this adds up to going to small stores and paying a heftier price for our food budget. We also try to buy organic, not for our health's sake, but to support sustainable agriculture and what it stands for. So the biggest choice comes from our pocketbooks.
We get so used to conveniences in this country that we don't notice them anymore. So by being aware I have cut out on a lot of crappy habits, like buying a bottle of gatorade or candy bar on impulse. I think of the waste, think twice and go without (most of the time). That has been good for me in a lot of ways.
I live in the S.F. Bay area so their are a lot of choices available. Our theory is that if we support them here, they may grow to other parts of the country. Hope that helps.
Compactors are still popular with some folks. Mostly marijuana shippers who see a major advantage to a compacted load. Been years since I have seen one installed in a house.
Mostly these units are a neat, but useless, idea out of the 70s.
I lived in a house with one once, and it was in a town that had a trash transfer station that charged by the bag. I found we could compress a LOT of trash into a single bag - so much so that I could barely lift it, and was almost embarassed dropping it off every week. But I probably saved $6-8 / week. On the other hand, it was leaky / smelly / messy - I hated it.
Our next house didn't have one, but it had an under counter cabinet with a sliding base for a trash can. The truth is, this was almost as messy - the 'kids' would toss trash into the cabinet, some of which would land in the trash can - if you didn't pull everything out every couple weeks, it got really rank. I finally took the slider out completely to make it easier to clean in there.
I think I'll just put a big round metal can right in the middle of the kitchen floor in the next house ....
Probably it's handier for recyclables than for regular garbage. Get two, one for cans and one for plastic bottles.
I can see that folks living in a high-rise or some such might like them -- a long way to the back of the garage. There is, however, the problems of smell and weight -- the bag can simply get too heavy.
"Client's never had one before, and thinks it is a bad idea."
Pretty much answers it there!
jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
I agree that the new ones are much better than the old.
Personally, I wouldn't have one. Seems like just something else to break down, for little or no gain.
Friend has one and swears by it. Doesn't have a funky smell in her kitchen... but she is an absolute neat freak, so I would imagine she takes great pains to wash out the cans, etc before putting it in the compactor.
If they are a family of 6... I guess I could make a good argument for one. Maybe even a family of 4, if the lifestyle were correct. Otherwise... seems like a waste (pun intended).
If they do get one... I would suggest they speak with someone who has one and has no issues by using it. They could probably provide some insights into how to use one without the nasty side effects they are concerned about. I know my friend has a separate trash receptical for bio-funky materials for her compost pile (such as coffee grounds, egg shells, certain food waste, etc).
Have 25 year old compactor for which I was able to justify purchase in that we would have more compact garbage to dispose of/cleaner/neater, etc. And as we lacked city services in this area & had to pay; could off-set purchase price by disposing of garbage in a county roadside dumpster as we traveled to parents homes. I failed to include the cost of the bags...too costly! Do price the bags & multiply by # of weeks you anticipate over a year. Bags are too heavy for me to easily lift; had to wait for husband to do for me & am not that type of person. Plus, have you ever opened a garbage can the morning after & got a hint of an old beer can, onions, etc?
Ultimately, I would love to have that space for cabinet use now; instead I now utilize for storing plastic bags to be used for kitchen garbage, newpapers, etc. Makes recycling easy or just plain getting rid of garbage as the bag gets dropped into the garbage can in the garage! Planning new kitchen now & will definitely exclude compactor!
May work for some but see these as just another "sales gimmick"!
Composting. Always good. What remains, what little remains after recycling and composting, is junk mail, wrappers and packaging. Essentially nothing that can rot, turn foul or create odors. I was issued a 50 gallon waste receptacle for trash pickup. Nothing to brag about I guess but I have gone something like seven months without filling this container with loose materials.I guess if I used a compactor I could go for several years without putting my container out on the curb. Other than bragging rights why would I want to do that?
Gene
I was considering getting one for myslf in the kitchen here I'm doing.
After a bit of research I saw a trash compacter that was free standing....that you can wheel around....put in your garage or where ever you want.
Much cheaper too than cab installed plus you can take it with you when you move if you care to.
Just a thought.
Be well
a...
The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
Andy, Jeff Buck has me convinced. He observed my statement that the customer doesn't want it, and I have decided to go with the flow.
What they will add, now that the 15 inch space is going to be cab, will be a carcase with a door and drawer, right on the left side of the 48 inch sink cab.
They have, in the adjacent center island, four pullout waste bin cabs, each for a 30 qt. trash bin. Our local transfer station and recycling center has separate bins for glass, plastic, tin cans, and paper. I might suggest to them that they put a fifth pullout bin in the vacancy next to the sink, for the one that will receive only "garbage" . . . nothing recyclable.
I had thought that someone might step up to the plate here in this thread, to say how wonderful the new compactors are, how far they have advanced, yadda yadda yadda. If so, I might have suggested some specs to the clients. But it seems they are pretty much a worthless gimmick.
Gene
Am I changing the subject????
When I was a kid growing up in the projects here in NYC we had a garbage room.
Open up the shoot door and drop your junk in outta paper supermarket bags.
The super would set it all on fire down the basement and pollute the atmosphere but hey....that was in the 50's.....who knew?
Fifty billion garbage cans out front of our buildings with burned trash for the garbage men to pick up.....Trash compactors???????
Just reminiscing....sorry
Be well
a...The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..
I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides,
I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace.
I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you
and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
I didn't dream up the terms "recycling," "transfer station," or the need for a "compactor." Or "waste management" either.
I guess they are all indicators of where we have come to, in our advanced state of enlightenment.
Up here in the country, we used to just burn it, bury it, or throw the cans in the private dump in the woods.
We have a compactor in a house we are renting while building. It has a tow-kick release and slides angled out so gravity opens it. The compactor part is of little use, but we use the hands-free opening all the time. What is needed is a recycling center with two or three stainless bins and a similar release.