Can You Flush Food Down The Toilet?

If you don’t have a garbage disposal in your home, you might be tempted to flush your food scraps down the toilet. People who do have a garbage disposal and still flush food  typically do this because they don’t want food scraps to sit in their trash can and have the chance to start rotting, lingering a terrible odor.

Even if you do have a garbage disposal in your home, it’s important to note that not all food is supposed to go down the drain. You have to be mindful of what you’re putting down there or it could cause serious problems in the future. 

So, the short answer to the proposed question is no, you should not be flushing any food down the toilet. 

Why Can’t You Flush Food Down the Toilet?

You can’t flush food down the toilet because the line that is connected to the toilet is really narrow. Flushing too much food or continuously doing this can clog your line up. This can also clog your sewer line which can back up raw sewage into your home. 

We see this often when things are being flushed down the toilet that aren’t supposed to be. For example, if your toilet is clogged and you see that sewage is backing up into your bathtub, you know that you have a bigger issue on your hands that most likely includes a clogged sewer line. Don’t take a clogged sewer line lightly either. Raw sewage can pose a serious health risk to your and your family. 

All in all, your toilet isn’t made to handle food or any type or scraps from your meal for that matter. 

Foods You Should Never Flush Down the Toilet

There are a few types of foods that you should never flush down the toilet. These foods include: 

Oils and Fats 

Oils and fats are terrible for any drain, so you should definitely not be flushing them. These will harden up in your pipes and cause you a major blockage. Although the first time you do it may not be what causes your line to start backing up, we can guarantee that after a few times it will. The more you do it, the more it constricts the sewage flow to the point where it will eventually stop it entirely. 

Believe it or not, oils and fats can even constrict an entire city’s sewer line. This is due to the build up that people have caused over a long period of time by letting oils and fats go down their drains. 

Hard Food Scraps That Break Down Slowly

Believe it or not, there are quite a few types of foods that take a longer amount of time to break down than others. Some examples of hard food scraps include things like apple cores, corn cobs, and animal bones. These should always be thrown in the trash instead of flushing them.

Starchy Foods 

Think about what a big glob of mashed potatoes can do to your drain. The consistency of them is enough to slow down your sewer line completely and block the flow trying to come through.

Grains 

Things like rice, oats, and other grains will swell up when they are in water. This is why you should never flush any grains down your drain. Once they hit the water and get flushed, they continuously absorb water and swell up, allowing them to clog your line. 

Final Thoughts 

Overall, you should not be flushing food down your toilet. If anything, dispose of it in your trash can or in a separate bag that you can take out of your house that night to prevent odors. Flushing food down your toilet will leave you with major issues later on that will be a pain to deal with. 

Only use your toilet for the right things. The only thing that you should be flushing is toilet paper and human waste. That’s it! 

Call 1-Tom-Plumber 

Don’t hesitate to contact us here or call us at 1-Tom-Plumber (1-866-758-6237) if you need any help with issues regarding your toilet or sewer line. 1-Tom-Plumber’s certified team of plumbers and drain technicians respond immediately to any emergency plumbing, drain cleaning, or water damage problem. 

We also handle the excavation of underground water lines and sewer main lines. Our immediate-response team is available every day and night of the year, even on holidays.