When I was growing up, these seemed to be ubiquitous and I never liked them. They seemed overcomplicated for the purpose, and created a gross and smelly area under the sink that needed more cleaning.
I haven’t had one in years, as a simple sink mesh does the same job. But I don’t really know how other people are. Are under sink garbage disposals still common, and commonly actually used by people here?
If your pipes are getting gummed up from it then you aren’t using it often enough or using enough water when you do use it. I do all my own plumbing and I’ve used mine for 6 years now without any issue. Hell, I think that sink is the only sink in my house that has never clogged.