We only use the disposal for small scraps. Plates get scrapped into the compost bin for curbside pickup. We've been lucky, knock on wood, that in ten years of living here we've never had an issue with the disposal.
We've used ours every day for the past 25 years without a problem, well, except for that marble one time.
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein