Another thing you can't put into the disposal

Rice. Who knew?

I am in awe at the number of things you can't put into the disposal. Rice! Every time I see my son-in-law he comes up with something else you aren't supposed to put in there. The list so far:

meat
bones
celery
asparagus
banana peels
rice
oatmeal

That's all I need is a finicky, temperamental household appliance. Does the vacuum refuse to pick up cat hair? Does the washer put the kibosh on washing socks? Will the printer decline to print on blue paper? Nosiree, these household helpers valiantly do their jobs without complaint. After much head-scratching, I consulted the manual for my new disposal to see what this dainty object will accept. Here's what the manual advises:

You can put bones in the thing, but only if you first break them up into teeny, tiny bits (not bloody likely in my case). You can also put pits in, but nothing larger than cherry pits, so if you think you can get rid of peach pits, you're crazy. In fact, it likes pits, they scrub the interior of the unit. But only little ones. It also likes to be fed an orange once in a while. The disposal goddess who lives in there really enjoys an occasional orange, and will reward you by smelling nice.

So now you have two garbage systems: 1) the disposal, a nearly useless object; 2) the actual garbage. Add to that recycling glass, paper, aluminum, and cardboard. All separately. Then there's the hazardous stuff. Don't you dare throw away printer cartridges, household paint, batteries, or computers. They must be delivered personally to some remote location only known to the elect.

In addition, we are not allowed to send our yard waste--leaves, grass clippings-- to the local landfill. The powers that be suggested that they be used for compost.

Could garden waste be placed in the disposal? Just asking.