Garbage Disposals
The best garbage disposals for apartments
An apartment kitchen imposes four constraints a house does not, and none of them is horsepower. Height is usually the one that decides it.
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How we assessed these: we compared published manufacturer specifications for the named model numbers, read from each maker's own product page or specification sheet and linked at every figure. We have not tested these disposals and we do not own them. No manufacturer publishes a comparable decibel rating for a domestic disposal and no independent laboratory measures them, so no noise figure appears anywhere on this page.
Short answer
The InSinkErator Badger 5 is the disposal to fit in most apartments, for one reason that outranks every spec sheet argument: at 11-1/2 inches overall it is the shortest unit here, and an apartment base cabinet with a high trap arm is where taller disposals simply do not go. It is half a horsepower with one grind stage, which is honestly enough for one or two people scraping plates, and it is short enough to clear the plumbing you were given.
Apartment kitchens impose four constraints a house does not. The cabinet is shallow and the trap arm often sits high. The walls are shared, so noise is somebody else's problem as well as yours. There is frequently no switch on the wall for a disposal, because there was never a disposal. And you may not own the place, which makes the first question a lease question rather than a product one.
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. There are no scores here because we run no test lab — how picks are chosen is published in full on our methodology page.
| # | Product | Best for | Our read | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  InSinkErator Badger 5 Best overall | One or two people, tight cabinets | The shortest unit here at 11-1/2 inches overall | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 2 |  Waste King Legend L-8000 Lightest to fit | Value 1 HP with a cord fitted | Under 12 lb with the power cord already attached | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 3 |  InSinkErator Evolution .75HP Best for a shared wall | Households of three to five | SoundSeal and three-stage grinding, only 12.25 inches tall | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 4 |  InSinkErator SinkTop Switch (dual outlet) Best if there is no wall switch | Kitchens with no wall switch | An air button that moves no electricity at the counter | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
Settle the lease question first
If you rent, fitting a disposal is an alteration to the plumbing in someone else's property, and it needs written permission before you buy anything. Some buildings prohibit them outright — older stacks, shared drains and some municipal sewer rules all produce blanket bans, and a building that bans them usually says so in the lease. Ask the landlord or the management company in writing, keep the reply, and ask specifically whether they want it fitted by their own contractor.
The second thing to check is whether the property is on a septic system rather than a municipal sewer, which is unusual for an apartment but common in a converted house. Garbage disposals and septic systems covers what that changes, and do you need a garbage disposal is the honest version of the whole question if you are not sure you want one.
Height is the specification that decides it
Measure from the underside of the sink bowl down to the top of the trap arm — the horizontal pipe heading for the wall. That distance is everything. A disposal hangs from the sink flange, and its body plus the discharge elbow has to sit above that pipe. In an apartment cabinet, there is frequently four inches less room than in a house.
| Specification | InSinkErator Badger 5 | Waste King L-8000 | InSinkErator Evolution .75HP | InSinkErator SinkTop Switch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall height | 11-1/2" | Not published on the spec sheet | 12.25" | Not applicable |
| Weight | Not published | 11.94 lb | Not published | Not applicable |
| Motor | 1/2 HP, 1725 rpm | 1 HP permanent magnet, 2800 rpm | 3/4 HP Dura-Drive induction | Not applicable |
| Grind stages | One | Single stage | Three-stage MultiGrind | Not applicable |
| Grind components | Galvanized steel with stainless swivel lugs | Stainless steel with stainless swivel impellers | Stainless steel | Not applicable |
| Noise control | None published | None published | SoundSeal | Not applicable |
| Power | 120 V, 60 Hz | 115 V, 60 Hz, 7 A, cord pre-attached | 120 V; EZ Connect cord and hardwire adapter included | Needs a live outlet below the sink |
| Warranty | 5-year in-home | 20-year limited | 9-year in-home | 1 year |
Every figure comes from the manufacturer's own product page or specification sheet for that model number, listed in the sources below. Cells reading "not published" mean we did not find the figure stated for that model and will not infer it. No maker publishes a decibel rating, so the noise row describes a named feature rather than a measurement.
Note the spread: the Badger 5 is 11-1/2 inches and the Evolution .75HP is 12.25, which is three-quarters of an inch apart and therefore almost always both or neither. The 1 HP Evolution Excel is 13 inches and the batch-feed Cover Control is 14.95, and those are the ones that foul an apartment cabinet. Garbage disposal sizing and fit has the full measuring procedure, including the discharge elbow nobody accounts for.
Noise, when the wall is shared
This is the apartment-specific argument for spending more. A disposal is the loudest appliance in a small kitchen, and in a building it is also the loudest appliance in your neighbor's. InSinkErator publishes SoundSeal insulation on the Evolution .75HP and describes it as quieter than a standard disposal — a comparison rather than a measurement, because nobody publishes a decibel figure anyone could check.
What else genuinely reduces perceived noise: a baffle-type splash guard rather than a removable one, a sink with damping pads rather than a thin bare one, and running cold water while it works. The sink matters more than people expect — a disposal bolted to an undamped 18-gauge bowl turns the whole sink into a speaker. Quietest garbage disposals ranks the field on what makers actually publish.
Photograph shows the product category, not this specific unit. We do not republish manufacturer product photography.
1. Best overall
InSinkErator Badger 5
InSinkErator · Best for one or two people, tight cabinets
The baseline every other disposal is measured against, and an honest buy for a small household as long as you know what you are getting: half a horsepower, one grind stage, and galvanized steel grind components rather than stainless. It is short at 11-1/2", which is often the deciding factor in a shallow cabinet.
Published specifications
What works
- Shortest unit here at 11-1/2" — it fits cabinets a 1 HP unit cannot
- Cheapest route to a working disposal from the brand with the best parts availability
- Genuinely adequate for soft scraps: peelings, plate scrapings, coffee grounds
- In-home warranty service rather than ship-it-back
What does not
- Galvanized grind components, not stainless — this is the real difference between Badger and Evolution
- One grind stage, so fibrous waste like celery and corn husks is where it stalls
- No sound insulation of any kind, and the product page makes no noise claim
Skip it if
Skip it if you cook for four or more, or if anything fibrous goes down the drain. Buy 3/4 HP with three stages instead.
#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: InSinkErator’s own page for the InSinkErator Badger 5.
Photograph shows the product category, not this specific unit. We do not republish manufacturer product photography.
2. Lightest to fit
Waste King Legend L-8000
Waste King · Best for value 1 hp with a cord fitted
A different engineering answer to the same problem: a 2800 rpm permanent-magnet motor instead of a slower induction motor with more grind stages. High speed rather than high torque, in a lighter and narrower body, with a 20-year warranty and a factory-fitted power cord. This is the value 1 HP unit.
Published specifications
What works
- 2800 rpm is the highest motor speed here; speed does the work that extra grind stages do on an InSinkErator
- Under 12 lb, which makes a one-person overhead installation genuinely possible
- Power cord pre-attached — no separate cord kit, no wiring
- A 20-year limited warranty at this price is unusual
What does not
- High-speed permanent-magnet motors are louder in character than slow induction motors, and no party publishes a comparable decibel figure
- Single-stage grinding, so output fineness is not comparable to a three-stage MultiGrind
- Waste King's parts network is smaller than InSinkErator's
Skip it if
Skip it if grind fineness matters — on a septic system, for instance, where finer output is the whole point. Three stages beat high rpm there.
#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: Waste King’s own page for the Waste King Legend L-8000.
Photograph shows the product category, not this specific unit. We do not republish manufacturer product photography.
3. Best for a shared wall
InSinkErator Evolution .75HP
InSinkErator · Best for households of three to five
The disposal we would fit in most houses. Three-quarters of a horsepower with three-stage grinding and stainless grind components is the point on the range where fibrous waste stops being a gamble, and SoundSeal makes it noticeably quieter than a Badger. The nine-year in-home warranty is the longest of any InSinkErator continuous-feed unit we checked.
Published specifications
- Motor
- 3/4 HP Dura-Drive induction source
- Grind stages
- Three-stage MultiGrind source
- Grind components
- Stainless steel source
- Overall height
- 12.25" source
- Sound
- SoundSeal — quieter than a standard disposal source
- Septic
- Safe for properly maintained septic tanks source
- Warranty
- 9-year We Come to You limited service warranty source
What works
- Three grind stages and stainless components — the two specs that decide whether fibrous scraps jam
- Only three-quarters of an inch taller than a Badger 5, so it fits most cabinets that took one
- Nine-year in-home warranty, which is a real statement about expected service life
- EZ Connect cord and hardwire adapter in the box, so it suits either wiring situation
What does not
- InSinkErator publishes no decibel figure, and neither do we — SoundSeal is a comparison, not a measurement
- 3/4 HP still stalls on bones and fruit pits; no domestic disposal is a bone grinder
- Chamber capacity is not published for this model
Skip it if
Skip it if you are one or two people who scrape plates and little else — you would be paying for capability you will not use.
#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: InSinkErator’s own page for the InSinkErator Evolution .75HP.
Photograph shows the product category, not this specific unit. We do not republish manufacturer product photography.
4. Best if there is no wall switch
InSinkErator SinkTop Switch (dual outlet)
InSinkErator · Best for kitchens with no wall switch
The right way to add disposal control to a kitchen with no wall switch, because it moves no electricity: the button pushes air down a tube to a relay module under the sink. That is why it can sit in a wet countertop. It needs a 1-1/4" hole and a live outlet below, and it will not create power that is not there.
Published specifications
What works
- No mains voltage at the button, which is precisely why it belongs near a sink
- Works with any disposal, not only InSinkErator units
- Dual outlet means it can also feed an instant-hot tank later
- Installs in an existing soap-dispenser or sprayer hole on many sinks
What does not
- Needs a 1-1/4" hole — in granite or quartz that is a diamond bit and a careful hand, or a trade call
- Still needs a live outlet under the sink; it is a switch, not a power source
- One-year warranty, the shortest of anything in this registry
Skip it if
Skip it if you already have a working wall switch. It solves a missing-switch problem, not a convenience one.
#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: InSinkErator’s own page for the InSinkErator SinkTop Switch (dual outlet).
The switch problem
An apartment that never had a disposal usually has no switch for one, and running a new switched circuit in a rental is not a small job — it is wall work in someone else's property. The standard answer is an air switch: a button in the countertop or an unused sink hole that pushes air down a tube to a relay module under the sink. No mains voltage reaches the button, which is why it can sit in a wet countertop.
InSinkErator's SinkTop Switch needs a 1-1/4-inch hole and a live outlet below the sink, and it works with any disposal rather than only InSinkErator units. The hole is the catch: in granite or quartz that is a diamond bit and a careful hand, and in a rental it is an alteration. If the sink has an unused sprayer or soap-dispenser hole, use that. Air switches explained covers the whole mechanism, and note the switch is not a power source — the outlet has to already exist.
The Waste King L-8000 is worth knowing about here for a different reason: it ships with the power cord already fitted, so it plugs into an existing under-sink outlet with no wiring at all. At 11.94 lb it is also the lightest unit on this page, which matters a great deal when you are holding it over your head in a cabinet with one hand on the mounting ring.
Why half a horsepower is usually right here
Horsepower sells disposals and capacity does not, but in an apartment the number of people putting scraps down the drain is the governing variable. One or two people scraping plates — peelings, coffee grounds, plate scrapings — is comfortably within half a horsepower and one grind stage. Three to five people cooking properly is where three stages and stainless grind components start to earn their place.
The honest limitation of the Badger 5 is its grind components: galvanized steel with stainless swivel lugs, against stainless on the Evolution units. That is the real difference between the two ranges, more than the horsepower figure. Garbage disposal horsepower guide sets out what each tier actually copes with, and badger 5 vs evolution is the head-to-head.
Before you buy, in order
- Get written permission from the landlord, and ask whether the building bans disposals outright.
- Measure from the underside of the sink bowl to the top of the trap arm, and allow for the discharge elbow.
- Check the sink's drain opening — a disposal flange wants a 3-1/2-inch opening, and some sinks need an adapter.
- Find out whether there is a live outlet under the sink, and whether anything switches it.
- Count the people in the household honestly, then buy the horsepower that matches, not the one on the end cap.
- If there is no wall switch and you cannot drill the counter, plan on a cord-fitted unit and a switched outlet instead.
If the sink itself is also being replaced, check the drain opening and the cabinet together — can you install a garbage disposal in any sink covers which sinks take one without an adapter, and how to install a garbage disposal is the procedure once everything fits.
What to take away
- Ask the landlord in writing first. Some buildings ban disposals outright and the lease usually says so.
- Height decides it: measure from the sink bowl to the trap arm, and allow for the discharge elbow.
- The Badger 5 is 11-1/2 inches and the Evolution .75HP is 12.25 — the 1 HP and batch-feed units are much taller.
- In a building, noise is your neighbor's problem too. SoundSeal is a named feature, not a published decibel figure.
- No wall switch is normal in an apartment. An air switch solves it, but it needs a 1-1/4-inch hole and a live outlet.
- Half a horsepower is genuinely enough for one or two people; the grind components matter more than the number.
How we sourced this page
Every figure on this page came from one of the following. Where a manufacturer or an independent lab does not publish a number, we say so rather than estimate it.
Common questions
- Can you install a garbage disposal in an apartment?
- Usually, with the landlord's written permission, but some buildings ban them outright because of shared drain stacks or local sewer rules. Ask before you buy anything, and ask specifically whether they require their own contractor to do the work. In a rental it is an alteration to their plumbing, not a appliance swap.
- What size garbage disposal is best for an apartment?
- Half a horsepower for one or two people, three-quarters if the household is larger or cooks seriously. The more important number is height: an apartment cabinet often has a high trap arm, and a 13-inch 1 HP unit will not fit where an 11-1/2-inch half-horsepower one does.
- Are garbage disposals loud in an apartment?
- They are the loudest thing in a small kitchen, and in a building your neighbors hear it too. Insulated models help — InSinkErator publishes SoundSeal on the Evolution range — but nobody publishes a decibel figure you could compare. A damped sink and a baffle splash guard do as much for perceived noise as the unit does.
- How do you use a garbage disposal with no wall switch?
- An air switch. A button in the counter or an unused sink hole pushes air down a tube to a relay under the sink, so no mains voltage reaches the button. It needs a 1-1/4-inch hole and a live outlet below — it is a switch, not a power source — and in a rental the hole is itself an alteration.
- Is a batch feed disposal better for a small kitchen?
- Safer, but larger. A batch-feed unit only runs with its cover in place, which removes the main safety risk and the need for a wall switch, but the registry's batch-feed model is 14.95 inches tall — the tallest here, and the least likely to fit an apartment cabinet. Measure before you choose it for that reason.
More in Garbage Disposals
Horsepower is the number on the box and it is not the number that decides whether your disposal jams. Grind stages and component material do. Here is how the three fit together.
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Found something out of date, or a figure you can source better than we did? Tell us — corrections get read first. Our methodology explains how picks are made, and contact is one click away.