Garbage disposals are completely legal for use in NYC apartment buildings. However, some condos and co-ops do not allow them.
The use of garbage disposals in NYC was legalized in 1997 after previously having been prohibited since the 1970s.
Buildings which prohibit the installation of garbage disposals tend to be pre-war structures with older pipes. The concern for these buildings is that the additional waste produced by garbage disposals may exacerbate sludge, scaling and deterioration issues with building waste pipes and ultimately result in clogs, leaks, floods and overflows which may cause damage.
While these fears tend to be wildly overblown and quasi misinformation at this point, most of the buildings which don’t allow garbage disposals are set in their ways. We do not recommend installing a garbage disposal in your condo or co-op without receiving board approval, as you may be fined or saddled with the building’s repair bills if something happens to the pipes around your unit and they find out you had an unauthorized garbage disposal.
If your building doesn’t allow garbage disposals, consider petitioning your board and building management to join NYC’s curbside composing program.
The easiest way to find out whether your condo or co-op building permits garbage disposals is read through the house rules or alteration agreement. These documents will typically specify which things are explicitly prohibited in the building, such as washer/dryers or garbage disposals.
That being said, the fact that garbage disposals aren’t mentioned in these documents does not guarantee that you’re allowed to install one in your building. The next step is to ask building management.
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It might also be worth speaking with a few neighbors or board members to find out if there is any precedent for garbage disposals having been installed in other units in the past.
You may be subject to fines and required to remove your garbage disposal if your building does not allow them or if you installed one without submitting the requisite paperwork and receiving permission.
In addition, you may be held responsible for the costs of repairs if it’s determined that your garbage disposal caused damage to the building’s pipes or other apartments.
The kitchen or bathroom waste pipe in your unit might be connected to another ‘wet area’ (i.e. kitchen or bath) in an adjacent apartment. So if your garbage disposal causes a blockage, it could result in a back-up or overflow in your neighbor’s unit.
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The main problem with installing a garbage disposal without building approval is that you’ll automatically be blamed for any problems with the adjacent waste pipes (and associated property damage), even if there’s no way to definitely prove that the garbage disposal was the exclusive or primary cause.
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Did garbage disposals used to be illegal in NYC?
Yes. Residential garbage disposals were illegal in NYC until 1997. According to the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, “The intent of the ban was to limit the direct discharge of raw organic wastes into water bodies surrounding the City during wet weather and to prevent possible deterioration of the City’s sewer system.”
However, during the 70s, 80s and 90s many other cities across the country allowed garbage disposals without reporting any significant adverse effects. As a result, on September 22, 1995, Mayor Guiliani authorized a 21-month study to analyze the potential effects of legalizing garbage disposals in NYC.
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The city handed out roughly 200 garbage disposals to residents in Queens (Parkway Village), Brooklyn (Bay Ridge) and Manhattan (Upper East Side) as part of the study.
NYC’s Department of Environmental Protection ultimately concluded that “no potential significant adverse impacts on the City’s sewer system are expected if food waste disposers are permitted in combined sewer areas.”
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How much does a garbage disposal cost in NYC?
Garbage disposals are rather inexpensive and typically range from $100 to $300. In NYC, the cost of hiring a plumber to install the garbage disposal will likely exceed the price of the actual appliance.
That being said, the installation itself is extremely easy and can typically be completed within an hour or two. Figure under $1000 for the total cost of buying and installing a garbage disposal in NYC.
