It is often tempting to rinse off your dishes and pans while allowing the food residue to run down into the drain or through the disposal. After all, those food scraps are just going into the waste line and then carried away to the sewer or septic, right? Well, not necessarily.
While you may assume that organic matter, such as vegetables, will eventually decompose and be returned to the earth, some vegan food items can seriously clog and damage your household plumbing. This can lead to costly plumbing repairs. Here are three top offenders that you should avoid washing down the drain or running through the garbage disposal.
1. Coffee Grounds
Whether you are vegan or a meat-eater, a fresh cup of brewed steaming coffee may be part of your morning ritual. Many of us prefer ground coffee beans to K-Cups and instant coffee. If you are in this group, you know how hard it is to discard those coffee grounds from your drip pot basket or the bottom of your French press.
Coffee grounds will settle into the curved trap area of the kitchen sink drainpipe and eventually build up into a solid mass that water alone can’t dislodge. You will do your plumbing and yourself a favor by placing coffee grounds in the trash. You can scrape them out with a spoon. This simple step will save you a visit from your plumber or the need to use plumbing tools that you might not have on hand.
2. Starches
Items like grains, pasta, potatoes, and beans absorb water and expand. As they expand, they become gummy and stick to your pipes like glue. A good rule of thumb is to avoid placing potato peels, leftover pasta, rice, and legumes down the drain. Instead, scrape all of these into a strainer or the garbage can before washing the dishes and pots.
3. High-Fiber Vegetables and Nuts
The vegan diet is veggie-centric for a good source of fiber and relies on nuts and seeds as a source of protein and healthy fat. Certain vegetables are high in soluble fiber. This type of fiber dissolves in the presence of water and transforms into a gel-like substance. People eat soluble fiber to slow digestion and prevent diarrhea. This same action occurs when you place highly soluble fiber vegetables in your household plumbing. Some of these foods include asparagus, brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, and edamame.
Nuts and seeds are also high in fiber, which is great for your anatomical plumbing but not so beneficial for your kitchen sink plumbing. Shells of nuts and seeds are particularly troublesome for drainpipes, as they tend to collect and don’t break down. Certain seeds, like chia and flax, become thick and pasty in the presence of water and can block the drain as they swell and congeal into a single mass.
If you are practicing a vegan lifestyle, you may think what you eat won’t clog or damage your kitchen plumbing like meat scraps, eggshells, and animal fat/grease will. In fact, fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and nuts are just as detrimental to your pipes. You are better off placing those organic scraps and leftovers in a compost bin or scraping them into the trash prior to washing your dishes, pots, and pans.
