Can you put coffee grounds in the garbage disposal?

Although garbage disposals are designed to shred food waste to a consistency that easily passes through a kitchen's plumbing system, there are some food items that cause clogging and potential damage, including coffee grounds. Damage from ground coffee beans occurs when they get stuck in the disposal's trap.

The main risk associated with putting coffee beans in a garbage disposal is waste line damage, which typically happens in the trap on the waste discharge side of the disposal. Other items that similarly clog a waste line are egg shells, potato peels, banana peels and expandable foods such as pasta and rice.