Here is one instance where we’re compelled to recommend that you throw something away. In fact, if composting is not an option, you should scrape as much food waste as possible into the trash can.

The process of running your garbage disposal to force potato peelings, apple cores, and chunky pieces of uneaten food down the drain consumes large amounts of water, can clog pipes, and contributes to what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called "excessive organic loadings" in wastewater.

For properties with septic systems, frequent garbage-disposal use can result in pollutant-loading increases of 150 percent for fats and greases and 90 percent for suspended solids, as well as a 65 percent increase in the system's biological oxygen demand (BOD)—a measure of how fast the organisms in it will use up the oxygen in it. This accelerated accumulation of scum and sludge can increase the need for pumping and reduce overall system performance.

If they find their way to a sewage-treatment plant, these high organic loads not only add to the volume of solid wastes and sludge that eventually must be transported to a landfill but also increase the BOD of the plant's wastewater.

Here's why that's a problem: Treatment plants utilize aerobic bacteria to break down the nutrients within organic matter (primarily carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus), which is a process that requires oxygen and produces carbon dioxide—a greenhouse gas. These facilities consume large amounts of energy to actively aerate wastewater, and operators continuously monitor the level of oxygen to determine whether more should be added. If initial organic nutrient loadings are high, the BOD can remain elevated even after the wastewater is discharged back into the environment. When treated water with high BOD flows into a lake, wetland, or estuary, dissolved oxygen levels may dip so low that these bodies become unable to support fish and other aquatic life. Indeed, excessive nutrient loadings within discharged treatment water are a major cause of dead zones in coastal ecosystems.

Although landfilling your food waste is not an ideal solution, the overall environmental impact is far less than when you use a garbage disposal. And while it is true that food wastes comprise about 12 percent of total waste, most of this comes from commercial food establishments, not residential trash. Finally, there should be little concern that sending organic materials to a landfill will result in their rapid greenhouse gas-forming decomposition. The oxygen-deprived conditions created by burial will significantly impede the decay process for your carrot shavings, broccoli stems, and watermelon rinds.