Garbage disposals are great kitchen appliances. They have one purpose – to grind up food waste before it goes down the drain, preventing your pipes from getting clogged. Of course, this also prevents food waste from going into the trash, and then a landfill, as well. The main issue that many people with garbage disposals is their size. Many of them are fairly large, which means that they either won’t fit under a number of different sinks or if they do fit, they drastically limit the number of things that you can store in that same spot. Thankfully, there are few small garbage disposals on the market. When looking for the smallest garbage disposal, you need to look at the measurements, not the overall power of the device.
Table of Contents
What To Look For Before Purchase
There are several factors to consider before you decide which garbage disposal to choose, factors like size, weight, horsepower, warranty, noise, installation type and budget. I’ve taken the liberty to write a bit more about each of these factors in our other guide for quiet garbage disposals. Feel free to check it out and if you have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to send me an email.
Comparison Table
Best, Yet Smallest on the Market
We’ve gone over many of the compact garbage disposals on the market in order to come up with this list of the best eight. Read on to learn more about them!
1) Waste King L-1001 ½ HP
Quite possibly the smallest garbage disposal on the market as of now.
Features
Waste King L-1001 prides itself with ½ HP motor running at 2600 RPM. It measures 5.25 x 5.25 x 12.8 inches, which effectively makes it the smallest garbage disposal on the market. It competes directly with Waste Maid 58 Economy, which is just a bit higher. L-1001 also weighs only 7.5 pounds, making it also the most lightweight disposal on our list.
Pros and Cons
Let’s see what pros and cons experienced verified purchasers of L-1001.
- Smallest garbage disposal currently on the market
- Extremely lightweight
- Dishwasher compatible
- Affordable
- Disposal housing and flange are made of plastic
Our rating: 
4.7 / 5
2) InSinkErator Evolution Compact
The InSinkErator Evolution Compact lives up to its name, which is why it’s the first small garbage disposal on this list by the InSinkErator brand.
Features
The InSinkErator Evolution Compact measures a mere 8 inches by 8 inches by 12 inches. It’s one of the best short garbage disposals out there. This appliance is fairly heavy, coming in at slightly more than 19 pounds, although it’s short stature and overall power (thanks to the ¾ horsepower motor) make up for that fact.
Pros and Cons
As with the other candidates for garbage disposal on this list, the InSinkErator Evolution Compact has a few pros and cons. They are:
- One of the smallest garbage disposals available
- Has a very powerful motor
- Built with sound dampening technology
- Fairly heavy despite its size
- It’s a little tricky to install
Our rating: 
4.6 / 5
3) InSinkErator Badger 5
Currently the shortest garbage disposal on the market.
Features
Total dimensions are 6.31 x 6.31 x 11.5 inches with the weight of mere 5 pounds, which also makes it one of the most lightweight units. The Badger 5 comes with ½ horsepower motor and 3-year in-home service warranty. It uses galvanized steel grind components and is also quite affordable.
Pros and Cons
InSinkErator comes with a lot of models, let’s check pros and cons of this particular one.
- Shortest garbage disposal on the market (11.5 inches)
- Lightweight
- Affordable
- Easy to install
- Instruction manual could be better
- While not particularly loud, there are quieter models on the market
Our rating: 4.6 / 5
4) Waste Maid 58 Economy
When it comes to overall width and length, the Waste Maid 58 Economy Garbage Disposal is one of the smallest ones. It’s also fairly affordable, making it a great option for many different people.
Features
The Waste Maid 58 Economy Garbage Disposal is one of the most compact garbage disposals available. It is fairly tall, coming in at over 14 inches, but it’s width and length are only 5.2 inches each. On top of this, the Waste Maid only weighs a little over 8 lbs, making it very lightweight as well. It has a ½ horsepower motor and grinds food waste at 2600 RPM.
Pros and Cons
As with the other garbage disposals on this list, the Waste Maid 58 Economy Garbage Disposal has a few pros and cons. Here they are:
- Quite lightweight and compact in size
- The grinding chamber has anti-microbial protection
- Fairly quiet when it’s running
- Only has a ½ horsepower motor
- Made mostly of plastic
Our rating: 
4.5 / 5
5) Moen GT75C GT Series
The Moen GT75C GT Series Disposal is another candidate for our list. It’s a bit longer than most on the list, but it more than makes up for it with its reliable engineering and lightweight.
Features
The Moen GT75C GT Series Garbage Disposal is a very compact garbage disposal. Its measurements are 6.5 inches wide by 6.5 inches long by 14.4 inches high. It’s also fairly lightweight, coming it a little over 10 pounds. This garbage disposal is made by one of the most well-known home fixture companies. Yes, Moen might be best known for their faucets and other fixtures, but they certainly know how to make a garbage disposal as well. This particular model includes a ¾ horsepower motor that runs on permanent magnet technology, as well as four-year manufacturer warranty.
Pros and Cons
The Moen GT75C GT Series Garbage Disposal is a candidate for our list. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s free of pros and cons. Instead, this unit has a few of each:
- Easy to install thanks to the included power cord
- Comes with a four-year limited warranty from the manufacturer
- Small and lightweight
- Not the least expensive model on the market
- Fairly loud motor, despite the sound dampening technology
Our rating: 4.5 / 5
6) Waste King L-3200
The Waste King L-3200 Garbage Disposal made it to our list because of the combination of size and features. However, this device is more than just a garbage disposal – it’s also quite powerful.
Features
The Waste King L-3200 Garbage Disposal measures 7.75 inches by 7.75 inches by 13.75 inches. It weighs a mere eight pounds as well. It’s extremely compact, yet it has a ¾ horsepower motor that runs at 2700 RPM (rotations per minute.) This appliance comes with an 8-year limited manufacturer warranty. On top of that, the disposal is easy to install, thanks to the included power cord and it’s incredibly durable due to the stainless steel grinding components. If you want a compact garbage disposal that’s also mighty, then this is a great option.
Pros and Cons
Even though the Waste King L-3200 Garbage Disposal is a great short garbage disposal, it does have a few pros and cons, such as:
- One of the smallest garbage disposals on the market
- Powerful ¾ horsepower motor
- Comes with an installed power cord
- Has a manufacturer’s warranty
- Fairly loud when it’s running at full power
- Some people have reported having issues with the included sink flange
Our rating: 4.5 / 5
7) InSinkErator Evolution Essential XTR with Air Switch
The InSinkErator Garbage Disposal with Air Switch is small, quiet, and powerful, which is why it’s on our list. In fact, you’ll find that this disposal really has it all.
Features
If you’re looking for a small, yet extremely powerful garbage disposal, then look no further than the InSinkErator Garbage Disposal with Air Switch. This is one of the smallest garbage disposal out there, and it even comes with a ¾ horsepower motor and an air switch that makes it very easy to operate. Overall, the unit measures 8.75 inches by 8.75 inches by 12.25 inches, and it weighs 19 pounds.
Pros and Cons
The InSinkErator Garbage Disposal with Air Switch is one of the most compact garbage disposals on the list. With that said, it does have a few pros and cons, including:
- Very small in overall size
- Powerful motor grinds up food waste with little problems
- Only runs on 34 volts of electricity
- Can be a bit tough to install
- Not the lightest garbage disposal on this list
Our rating: 
4.4 / 5
8) KUPPET ½ Horsepower
The KUPPET ½ Horsepower Garbage Disposal is in the running in our list, due to its short stature. This device also is designed to work with a dishwasher, unlike other garbage disposals.
Features
The KUPPET ½ Horsepower Garbage Disposal is one of the smallest disposals on this list, thanks to its overall measurements of 7.1 inches by 7.1 inches by 12.6 inches. It also weighs a mere 16 pounds, which is more than most disposals on our list, but it’s still quite lightweight in general. This disposal has a ½ horsepower motor that runs at 1700 RPM and is made of stainless steel.
Pros and Cons
Like the other compact garbage disposals on the list, the KUPPET ½ has a few pros and cons, including the following:
- Uses two-stage grinding technology
- Built with sound dampening measures
- Very lightweight
- Only has a ½ horsepower motor
- Doesn’t come with a power cord
Our rating: 
4.2 / 5
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
1) What is the smallest garbage disposal?
As we have mentioned earlier, Waste King L-1001 is currently the smallest garbage disposal on the market, measuring 5.25 x 5.25 x 12.75 inches, weighing 7.5 pounds and is equipped with a ½ horsepower motor (continuous feed).
Note: The model L-111 uses the same design (same size and weight), but comes with only 1/3 horsepower and its also slightly cheaper.
2) Are there shorter garbage disposals?
The shortest garbage disposal currently on the market is InSinkErator Badger 5 with the height of 11.5 inches (total dimensions are 6.31 x 6.31 x 11.5 inches and the weight is 5 pounds).
Another close and more powerful racer is InSinkErator Evolution Compact 3/4 HP, with the height of 12.13 inches.
3) Are all garbage disposals the same size?
As you have probably guessed, garbage disposals come in different sizes, profiles and design. In this guide you will discover the smallest unit, the shortest unit and other alternatives.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are several small garbage disposals on the market. All have a number of good things about them besides their size. Many of them are quite powerful, despite being among the smallest garbage disposals available to homeowners. In order to find the best one for your needs, take a look at the measurements to see how much additional space you’ll end up with under your sink (or to see if it will fit altogether if you have a very small kitchen. Overall, these short garbage disposals are quite compact and extremely useful. They get the job done, and are just the right size. You can’t ask for much more than that!
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