Broken glass in garbage disposal can harm the cleaning workers who sort the recyclables. This may not danger to your septic system because the glass shards are small and will go to the bottom of the tank.
However, glass in the garbage disposal can get lodged in your plumbing flow and cause a clog. In the short term, the tiny glass may not be harmful, but when you leave it, it can also ruin the parts of your disposal, particularly the blades, and damage your garbage disposal.
Is Glass in Garbage Disposal Bad? It is Bad News!
Yes, putting glass in a garbage disposal is a bad idea and can lead to serious problems. Garbage disposals are designed to handle organic waste and small food particles, not hard or non-food items such as glass, metal, plastic, or large bones.
The worst thing is the broken glass may turn into flying shrapnel that can cause a scratch on your skin. Look at how you can safely remove the broken glass from the garbage disposal.
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In addition to the disposal blades, the motor and other components of the garbage disposal are not designed to handle hard materials. Putting glass in the disposal can lead to damage and decrease the appliance’s lifespan.
Turn Off the Power
Before doing anything, make sure the power supply to your garbage disposal is turned off. You can choose to switch off the power for the disposal only, but for the sake of your safety, turn off the breaker at your panel too.
Read also: How to Fix Garbage Disposal Won’t Turn Off
Get the Glass with a Tool
Do not ever put your hand into the garbage disposal. Use kitchen tools like kitchen tongs or needle-nose pliers. You can choose other similar tools if you do not own one of them.
Get the large piece of glass out first because the larger ones will live at the top of your drain’s opening. After that, begin “fishing” the remaining pieces.
Suck Them with a Vacuum
After putting maximum power on the needle nose pliers, bring a wet or dry shop vacuum to start sucking the glass that is really shattered into small pieces.
If you have the vacuum’s narrow accessory, try to reach the bottom of your disposal as low as possible.
Do not worry if you do not have one. Get a skinny attachment like a thin PEX tubing and tape it to the nozzle of your vacuum. You may need to suck out the pieces out if the nozzle is not wide enough.
Move the Blades
Do this manually and uncover the glass that has fallen deeply into the canister, which the vacuum cannot suck without moving the blades.
Use a hex key or broomstick through the drain to tackle this. Then, suck the tiny shreds of glass with your vacuum again.
Test the Disposal
After you are sure the broken glass has been removed from your garbage disposal, have cold water run down your disposal. Then, it is time to rest it by turning on the power supply.
Keep your face away or run to avoid fatal accidents (in case the glass flies out). You are successful if the garbage disposal does not make a loud noise.
The five steps above have covered how to remove objects stuck in garbage disposal, especially broken glass.
Read also: How Long Does Garbage Disposals Last?
It’s crucial only to use waste disposals for their original purpose to prevent these problems. Put glass and other non-food items in the proper recycling or trash containers for disposal.
Turn the disposal off immediately if you unintentionally drop a glass or another hard object in there; do not try to remove it by hand. Instead, safely remove the thing using tongs or another instrument.
Your garbage disposal can operate effectively and safely if it receives regular maintenance, is used correctly, and is used in accordance with manufacturer instructions. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions or seek advice from a qualified plumber if you have any questions about using or maintaining your garbage disposal properly.
If you have gone through all the steps but nothing changes, contact a professional plumber to handle it.
