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InSinkErator celebrates 70 years in business

Not many 70 year olds can claim they have been environmentally friendly since birth. However, InSinkErator – the company founded in 1938 to sell food waste disposers – is the exception to the rule. To celebrate becoming a septuagenarian, and in recognition of the growing popularity of food waste disposers in the UK, InSinkErator has come up with ten rubbish facts that every plumber should know about food waste!

InSinkErator was first started in 1938 by John Hammes, a Wisconsin architect, who invented the food waste disposer in 1927 to help him clean up after meals and eliminate flies and odours from his bins. During the 1940s post World War II housing boom, the idea quickly took off with American consumers, and seventy years on InSinkErator continues to lead the global market.

In its home territory, the USA, about half of all households now have a food waste disposer and elsewhere, the appliance is also proving popular in countries like Australia, Japan, Sweden and the UK – where it was introduced almost twenty years ago.

Commenting on the evolution of disposers and their relevance to the British market, Joe Ferrara, managing director – Europe, at InSinkErator said: “Although InSinkErator disposers have been around in other countries for many decades, it’s only in the last few years that we’ve seen them start to have a real resonance with British consumers.”

“Many householders in this country now recognise the role they can play when it comes to disposing of household waste – particularly in light of controversial fortnightly collection schemes.”

Continuing he said: Almost every day we hear about Councils implementing new waste management strategies and fining local residents because a bin isn’t shut properly or has the wrong sort of rubbish in it. With local government struggling to comply with stringent landfill targets, and with site methane emissions increasing, local authorities need to educate consumers about all of the responsible methods of food waste disposal that are available. Some forward thinking Councils are already taking this on board and rather than penalising local residents, are offering them a cash back incentive when they purchase a food waste disposer. As more local authorities adopt this positive approach and consumers recognise the environmental benefits of this household appliance, it will be good news for the product category, the food waste market and the environment as a whole.”

In the first six months of its anniversary year, InSinkErator achieved impressive sales figures demonstrating the growth in popularity of these products and cementing the company’s position as the clear leader in the food waste disposer market.