The fuse keeps popping that runs the garbage disposal in a rental I own. This has not happened in the past. Is it possible that the electrical outlet has gone bad and needs to be replaced?

The disposal could be bad.
Could be the internal disposal breaker on bottom not tripping. DOES DISPOSAL spin free(important)?
A loose wire on the breaker or breaker to buss connection can generate enough heat to cause a breaker to trip at a lower amps.

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes the disposal spins freely. After replacing the fuse it worked fine but 5 hours later the tenant called to say the fuse was blown again. That's why I suspect the electrical outlet.

The outlet is only a small part of the entire circuit. The cause may be the loose connection Strat mentions, but a disposal runs so infrequently and for such a short duration, this may not be the problem.

The breaker may be defective, the motor may be defective, there may be a short in the wiring between the breaker and motor, the possibilities are numerous.

Hands on troubleshooting is the only method to find the cause, such as measuring the amp draw, checking all connections, continuity checks of the wiring, etc. otherwise there will only be guessing and parts changing until the defect is eliminated.

Anything else on the circuit with the disposal?

Thanks for asking... the problem has been resolved.

You were asking, we were answering, what was the problem? Thanks

I'm guessing it was a bad disposal. Since I'm electrically challenged, I just replaced the unit and everything is running fine now. Thanks again to all who helped.