Dishroom Waste Management Options

Option 1: Scrap Troughs & Built-In Scraping Stations

Best for: Restaurants, schools, hospitals, tray-return operations

Scrap troughs allow staff to:

• Scrape plates directly into a waste chute
• Flush food waste with running water
• Keep solids out of sinks and dish machines

Benefits

• Faster scraping
• Cleaner sinks
• Fewer drain clogs
• Better staff compliance

Considerations

• Must be tied into proper waste plumbing
• May require grease interceptor coordination
• Water usage must be controlled

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Option 2: Solid Waste Bins (Trash & Compost)

Best for: Smaller kitchens, cafés, low-volume operations

Food waste is scraped into:

• Trash bins
• Compost containers (if allowed by local code)

Best Practices

• Covered containers
• Foot-pedal operation
• Frequent emptying
• Located at scrape station—not across the room

Common Failures

• Overflowing bins
• Open containers
• Trash stored on the floor
• Food drips across clean traffic lanes

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Option 3: Pulpers & Dehydrators

Best for: Schools, hospitals, large institutions

These systems:

• Grind or dehydrate food waste
• Reduce volume and odor
• Lower dumpster loads

Benefits

• Less trash output
• Reduced pest attraction
• Lower hauling frequency

Code Considerations

• Plumbing approvals required
• Electrical upgrades may be needed
• Some jurisdictions restrict pulpers entirely

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Option 4: Grease Interceptors (Automatic or Passive)

Required in most commercial kitchens.

Grease interceptors capture:

• Fats
• Oils
• Grease (FOG)

Before they reach:

• Sewer lines
• Municipal systems
• Dishwasher drain lines

Types:

• Passive (under-sink)
• Automatic grease removal units (AGRUs)
• Large in-ground interceptors

Dishwashers and dishroom floor sinks are often required to tie into grease systems, depending on local code.

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Option 5: Floor Sinks, Floor Troughs & Indirect Waste

Dish machines and sinks must discharge through:

• Indirect drains
• Air gaps
• Floor sinks or trench drains

These prevent:

• Sewer backflow
• Cross-contamination
• Direct waste connections (illegal in most areas)

Hard-piping dish machines directly into the sewer is one of the most common inspection failures.

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Option 6: Water Separators & Strainers

Installed at:

• Floor sinks
• Dish machine drains
• Pre-rinse stations

They capture:

• Food solids
• Labels
• Bones
• Starchy debris

These protect:

• Plumbing systems
• Grease interceptors
• Booster heaters
• Wash arms

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How Waste Handling Affects Workflow & Sanitation

Proper waste systems:

• Speed up scraping
• Reduce staff fatigue
• Prevent cross-contamination
• Keep wash tanks clean
• Improve air quality
• Reduce pest risk

Poor waste systems cause:

• Staff skipping scraping
• Grease going into the dishwasher
• Cloudy water
• Frequent clogs
• Odors near clean areas

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Common Waste-Related Inspection Failures

• Food waste dumped into hand sinks
• No grease interceptor
• Floor sink overflowing
• Wastewater pooling under dish machine
• Open trash bins at scrape stations
• Compost leaking onto the floor
• Direct sewer connections with no air gap

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Aldevra Dishroom Waste Best Practice

The best dishwasher in the world cannot overcome a bad waste system. Waste handling must be engineered as part of the dishroom—not treated as an afterthought.

Aldevra helps facilities:

• Select the right waste handling method by volume
• Coordinate grease interceptor sizing
• Design scrape-to-drain workflows
• Verify indirect waste and air gaps
• Reduce future plumbing failures
• Pass plumbing and health inspections the first time

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Quick Waste Planning Checklist

☐ Where will solid food waste be scraped?
☐ Is compost required or allowed?
☐ Is a grease interceptor required by local code?
☐ Are dishwasher drains indirect with air gaps?
☐ Are strainers installed at floor sinks?
☐ Is waste traffic separated from clean dish traffic?
☐ Are trash and compost bins covered and off the floor?