The Wonderful Garbage Disposal
Oscar the Grouch may love trash (anything ragged or rotten or rusty, even an old smelly fish), but I do not. I especially hate the smelly kind that stinks up my kitchen, and attracts bugs.
Before I had garbage disposal I was constantly struggling with what to do with the smelly trash. Even in the cold or the rain, I would be double bagging the dinner scraps and taking them to the outside trash cans. The problem with that is, especially where we live, the raccoons would then be attracted to the feast. Leaving the smelly trash in the indoor trash can until trash day was unacceptable as well, especially in summer, when the kitchen was hot and odors would linger.
When I finally moved into a house with a garbage disposal, I was thrilled. It took me a while to get used to using it (lesson learned - do not put a peach pit in the disposal), but then I loved it. All of the smelly trash that can, now goes into the garbage disposal. Some things cannot go in there, such as chicken bones and the aforementioned peach pits. But everything else goes in there, from pasta to tuna to eggs to garlic bread. My kitchen smells much better, and pests are kept to a minimum.
Here are some tips I've learned about using and caring for a garbage disposal. Run the cold water while feeding the disposal a little bit at a time. Always be sure to keep utensils, and especially your hands, away from the drain. When you hear that the food has cleared, turn off the disposal and then wait a few seconds before turning off the water. You can occasionally throw some citrus peels, or even wedges of lemon or orange, into the disposal to keep it smelling fresh. One item I read suggests grinding ice cubes in the disposal occasionally to degrease the gears.