As I mentioned before the city's were having more of a problem. Problems within your city property were your cost, problems just outside your property were city costs.
Just looked it up, they are banned in Canada, Europe and New York (although later re-instated???). (Edit: many states and towns have their own laws concerning them.)
and as per one web site:
Garbage disposals put a lot of strain on the septic tanks as the discharges from garbage disposals are specifically more greasy and solid.
And for these reasons, the septic tank needs to be pumped more than it would otherwise require. This additional stress on septic tanks reduces their lifespan as well.
casey, were any of these homes you lived in built before 1960?