The 12 Best Garbage Disposals of 2024

InSinkErator’s Evolution Excel offers all of the best features of every other disposal we’ve reviewed in one package.

The only garbage disposal on this list with a three-stage grinding system, this unit passes food waste through three different grinding discs before allowing the final particles to make their way into your drain. This makes blockages in your pipes much less likely.

Oversized Grind Chamber

An oversized 40-ounce grind chamber allows you to push extra waste inside for those heavy-duty jobs. The 1 horsepower motor is capable of handling this challenge, making it a good fit for large families and enthusiastic cooks.

The most obvious indication of the quality of the Waste King L-8000 is its motor’s rating. One horsepower is at the top end of the scale when it comes to motor power for domestic garbage disposals.

A motor this strong is able to withstand the worst kind of treatment. Whether you need to run it often, use it for long periods, or expect it to break down difficult foods, this machine should easily stand up to the challenge.

The glass-filled polyester grind chamber can also take a beating and has been deemed completely corrosion-proof.

The more you hurry through your food preparation and washing up, the more likely you are to overload your system and clog it up with too many scraps too quickly. The Waste King L-1001 is designed to deal with both of those issues.

For this, the split-phase motor built into this machine will make the disc spin in a different direction each time the unit is powered on. The swivel impellers (the spiky parts that help shred your food) will rotate automatically.

So if you do end up with a jammed disposal, all you should need to do to remove the clog is turn the unit off and on once or twice.

A number of other products on this list claim to be compatible with septic systems, but this one more or less specializes in that.

The most obvious way this garbage disposal excels when feeding into a septic system is its Bio-Charge Injection system. This basically releases enzymes into the water as food waste is processed so they can break down much more quickly on their way to your septic system and inside it.

The dual-grind shredding system does its part too. This system will grind food scraps through two different grinding discs, one after the other, to ensure that your food particles are small enough to flush and break down easily

In the world of garbage disposals, a 1/2 horsepower motor is considered a little on the small side. Still, it provides enough strength and longevity for a small household that will use it with care.

One thing that makes it better than basic, though, is its size. Measuring only 11.38 inches tall, this is the most compact disposal on our list. If you’ve despaired of getting a garbage disposal installed in a tight space, this model is certainly worth looking at.

Swivel Impellers

However, what really sets this unit apart from the crowd is its swivel impellers. Since these impellers are capable of rotating to face a different direction when the rotation of the grind discs changes, this system is usually able to unjam itself. Simply turn the machine off and back on to get things moving once more.

As with all things in life, you sometimes have to give something in order to get something, and this is certainly true when you want a powerful garbage disposal at a good price.

This InSinkErator waste disposer features a 3/4 horsepower motor, which is near the top-end power rating of typical disposals.

On the flip side, you don’t get long-lasting grind components. This unit has been stripped down to the basics with galvanized steel in order to offer you a 3/4 hp motor at an easily affordable price.

The dual-stage system of the InSinkErator Evolution Compact incorporates two separate grinding discs.

The first disc has large shredding components to break the food into smallish chunks. The second stage breaks food down even further into small particles which can be easily be carried away by water. This makes drain blockages much less likely than with single-stage disposals.

The 3/4 horsepower motor delivers more than enough power to the entire shredding system. Stainless steel grinding will handle food waste without bending, warping, or snapping, and are very rust-resistant.

The best way we can think of to describe the Waste King L-3200 is to call it “upgraded average”.

3/4 HP Garbage Disposal

Generally speaking, the normal motor for a household garbage disposal runs to about 1/2 horsepower and is of the universal permanent magnet type. Though this unit uses the same motor technology, it puts out 3/4 hp instead of 1/2 hp.

Though the shredding system itself is nothing special, the disc certainly is. Most shredding discs are made from galvanized steel. The discs in this unit use stainless steel instead, which is more durable and will keep your machine humming along for much longer.

At 1/2 horsepower, the middle-of-the-road motor of this garbage disposal can only handle basic tasks. For most people, however, that’s enough.

It’s a continuous feed model, runs on a universal permanent magnet motor, and is stuffed with sound insulation to keep noise levels to a minimum.

It may not the best option for tough scraps, but what does make it stand out (just a little bit) is its stainless steel grinding components. This feature is important enough to merit a mention but is, likely, also what pushed the price toward the upper end of the range.

If you are looking for a very affordable garbage disposal and don’t expect the world from your machine, this one is right up your alley. At half the price of some of the higher-end models, it’s about 5 times cheaper than our most expensive option.

For this basic price, you should expect basic functionality. Its grinding components are forged of galvanized steel and it does not include any special bells and whistles (with the exception of a dishwasher hookup).

All things considered, though, this garbage disposal is sufficient for handling most regular household needs.

At 1/2 horsepower, the permanent magnet motor in this garbage disposal can run for a moderate length of time. It will see your disposal through most normal, basic household requirements without offering any serious performance.

Most people, however, only have normal household needs and can be served by cheaper household disposals. Like this one from General Electric.

A Small Garbage Disposal

Measuring a mere 12.69 inches tall, this is one of the smallest options on our entire list. It also has one of the smallest grind chambers. At only 27 ounces, this tiny capacity illustrates that this machine is meant only for small amounts of waste at a time.

This garbage disposal is clearly designed for the light user. A 1/3 hp motor is not capable of withstanding substantial loads nor running for extended periods of time.

That isn’t bad news, though, for people who only require basic waste disposal. In fact, there is a pretty significant bright side: this machine is quite inexpensive.

Why would you pay double, triple, or even quintuple the price of this garbage disposer if you don’t need to?

If you’re only interested in flushing away vegetable peelings occasionally, this is a perfectly adequate machine.