But the leftovers don't go home in doggy bags. The university granted his wish two years ago, when it renovated the cafeteria kitchen and dining area. Four employees can work at each one simultaneously, pulling used food trays from a conveyor belt and scraping leftover food into the troughs. The equipment operates much like a typical home garbage disposal. After the food waste enters the disposer housing, a motor-powered, spinning rotor throws it against a serrated ring outside the waste chamber, shattering the debris.
Water then enters the waste chamber, flushing the resulting product down the waste line.
For large operations where numerous employees must be able to work concurrently, trough installations like Northeastern's are common. In selecting food-waste disposers, installation format is just one consideration. First, operators should consider both the type and volume of food the equipment must handle. Based on these factors, they can select the amount of horsepower needed and the proper rotor size. The larger the rotor diameter, the faster the disposer.