It’s important to avoid putting certain items down the drain to keep your garbage disposal running smoothly and avoid clogs. Expandable foods like pasta, rice, oatmeal, and bread can swell and cause blockages. Coffee grounds, grease, fats, and oils can accumulate and create clogs. Hard items such as meat bones, nuts, and fruit pits can damage the disposal blades. Eggshells, potato peels, and fibrous vegetables such as celery, pumpkin, corn husks, artichokes, onion skins, and asparagus can wrap around the blades or obstruct the pipes.