Is it more eco-friendly to put garbage in the trash or use a disposal?

Of course composting is best. If you can’t do that then putting it in a garbage can is best.

The in-sink garbage disposal uses water. It then sends the sludge into more water which eventually ends up at a sewage treatment plant that has to expend energy and resources to clean it up again.

If throw food waste out in solid form, it eventually gets buried and in 20–30 years turns into landfill gas that will be collected and used by your children.

(I give as much food waste as possible to the birds and other critters in my area. The rest I discard.)

I throw my excess food in the back yard.

In-sink-garbage disposers are actually banned in many countries, eg The Netherlands, because of their negative effect on the environment and water quality specifically.

@whitenoise I did not know that. I’ve always thought they were a good thing…. :(

Years ago when I was raising chickens I got neighbors to save their food scraps and dump them in the chicken yard when they passed by. They enjoyed the option (it’s fun to see the chickens enjoying your potato peels) and I enjoyed the savings on my feed bill. I don’t know if anyone near you has any animals that might enjoy some scraps, but it’s worth considering.

I do as @worriedguy does.

I live on a 10 acre property total with about 1.5 acres devoted to my house and immediate yard.

I throw all leftover foods and veggies and fruits etc. into the woods for the wildlife.

I feed old bread and greens to my geese. My only real trash consists of primarily paper products, cans, etc.

Tossed a roast chicken carcass off my deck the other night, within minutes a coyote came by and ran off with it’s prize. lol

I have some well fed critters on my hill.

I think the most eco friendly would be to use a composting system. But I guess short of that it would depend on what your area has a harder time breaking down between the sewage and the trash.

I have a compost pile. I throw as much as possible in it.

It produces some mighty fine soil.

If you put it down the disposal, it goes the same place that shit goes. What is the difference at that point? I have a compost pile, but I do not put excrement in it.

I used to compst but now days I don’t grow huge gardens anymore.

I do recycle the ‘green waste’ from the goose pools and use that green water on my plants and tomatos….the best organic fertilizer ever!