Starting March 17, any new home or business tying into the Raleigh sewer system will be forbidden from installing the device, part of an effort to keep sewer pipes clear. Violators could be fined $25,000 a day and have the water turned off. The city is also taking aim at existing garbage disposals, advising residents to avoid the temptation to grind scraps and stray rinds.

"They should place their garbage in the garbage can, not in the sanitary sewer system," said Dale Crisp, the city's public utilities director.

Defenders of the rights of disposal owners reacted angrily Wednesday, saying the ban was governmental overreaction.

Cal Mason, a senior remodeling specialist with Raleigh-based Distinctive Remodeling, said high-end clients expect the luxury of in-sink vegetable waste destruction.

"Are the garbage disposal police going to be checking on us?" Mason asked. "It gets to the point where it's all a little ridiculous."

Raleigh is the only utility in North Carolina to adopt such a ban, though Wake County no longer allows disposals to be connected to septic tanks. New York City lifted a similar ban in 1997 after two decades of prohibition, while cities such as Denver and Indianapolis actually require disposals in new homes.

Dispose while you can

Almost half the homes in America have such devices, according to Consumer Reports. Garbage disposals typically last 10 to 12 years, according to InSinkErator, a leading manufacturer. After Raleigh's wear out, the disposals will go the way of the dodo.

Raleigh's ordinance was quietly placed on the City Council's agenda Tuesday and passed unanimously with little discussion. The ordinance, to be enforced by building inspectors, will apply to all of Raleigh's water customers, including those in Garner, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon.

"I think there are moments when you see how much authority government can have and what can happen if they take that authority to a new level," said Tim Minton, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Raleigh and Wake County.

9-year quest for a ban

Crisp's department has been lobbying for a ban for years, ever since home builders and the garbage-disposal industry helped torpedo a similar ordinance back in 1999. "We were never really willing to give up on this item," Crisp said.

Crisp and City Manager Russell Allen say the ordinance is an important step toward keeping the sewers running, the environment clean and state regulators out of Raleigh's pockets.

"Garbage disposals are a big source of grease," Crisp said.

Those who pour, pour

That argument makes little sense to garbage disposal aficionados such as Sharon Cummings. She has come to enjoy the freedom of not having to rely on a sink drain catcher.

"If you're going to put grease down the sink you're going to pour it whether you have a disposal or not," said Cummings, 45, who lives in west Raleigh. "It doesn't really seem like it would solve the problem."

The disposal issue took on new urgency for the city last summer after the state Division of Water Quality announced it would step up enforcement against systems that experience sewer overflows. The state can fine offenders as much as $25,000 for such spills, and Raleigh has about 50 overflows annually.

Susan Massengale, a spokeswoman for the Division of Water Quality, said the division is considering taking action against Raleigh for five spills involving grease that occurred in December.

Raleigh has 180,000 sewer connections, and 60 percent are residential dwellings likely to have disposals. Disposal owners don't have to remove their existing devices, but they can't turn to a plumber to fix or replace it.

Ricky Dodson, whose company makes 250 plumbing service calls a week, says he and other plumbers will be busy despite the ban.

"If we can't repair it, we're going to have to charge you to take it out," said Dodson, of Mebane-based Carolina Plumbing.

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