A:Answer There is a manual filter that you can easily access and empty. I especially wanted this, because I had to spend so much time and effort and would end up in pain with my old dishwasher.
You would think that an "automatic" food grinding system would be ideal, but on our old highly-rated when bought KitchenAid dishwasher, I had to get down on the floor and contort and strain myself to dismantle the thing to clean it out. It was very difficult and required a great deal of hand/arm strength to take apart to get to the food grinding mechanism. Every so often a piece of plastic or crab shell or pistachio nut shell would get lodged in the food grinding system and clog it so that no food bits would get disposed, resulting in crud all over the dishes. I don't know how common this is, but I much prefer a system that is manual and easy to use.
This machine has a 2-stage filter that just lifts out. I just cleaned it after 2 months of daily use and found a twister seal in the first compartment and food and debris in the second. Easily (and painlessly!) removed, rinsed with hot water, and replaced in two minutes.
