InSinkErator this year celebrates its 70th birthday, having been founded in 1938 to sell food waste disposers and being environmentally friendly ever since.The company was started by John Hammes, a Wisconsin architect who invented the waste disposer in 1927 to clean up after meals and eliminate flies and odours from bins.InSinkErator says around half of all US households have a food waste disposer and the appliances are proving popular around the world.Company spokesperson Joe Ferrera says in the last few years the product has started to have a real resonance with British consumers.Many householders in this country now recognise the role they can play when it comes to disposing of household waste particularly in light of controversial fortnightly collection schemes, he adds.Mr Ferrera believes local authorities need to educate consumers about all of the responsible methods of food waste disposal that are available.According to the company, each UK household throws away 1.2 tonnes of rubbish a year, around a quarter of which is food waste.Food waste disposers are mounted underneath the sink and dispose of most food waste, including small bones.The resulting tiny particles are flushed down the drain where they can be recycled by waste water treatment plants.