COUNTERTOP Composting

Turn Kitchen Food Scraps into Soil Nutrients in Hours

BY ANNETTE BROOKS

Composting is eco-friendly and better for the environment than dumping food scraps

and organic materials into a landfill that produces methane. Despite the benefits, not everyone can compost. Your HOA may not permit compost piles or bins, you may not have a good spot on your lot for composting, or perhaps you worry that compost might smell or attract unwelcome wild animals. While some towns have implemented municipal composting programs where food-based garbage is kept separate from regular garbage and recycling and taken to a composting center, the practice has yet to be widely adopted.

If you don’t have the ability or desire to compost another way, we now have easy, mess-free indoor solutions that help eliminate food waste from landfills. Smart electric composters are small enough to sit on most kitchen counters, and instead of taking months or years to produce compost or compost-like material, they only take a few hours. Several brands are currently available currently available and range from around $299 and up on Amazon. Four of the popular composters are highlighted below, but there are more you can review and compare on your own before investing in one.

LOMI

Unlike electric composters that merely dehydrate and crush food scraps, Lomi uses microorganisms, aeration, heat, and moisture to create “nutrient-rich dirt.” Its advanced sensors help microbes thrive and do their work by adjusting temperature, oxygen, and moisture levels. Lomi has three basic settings, including an express mode that takes about three to six hours.

VITAMIX FOODCYCLER

Vitamix’s FoodCyhcler FC-50 requires only one cubic foot of space and an outlet and includes a dishwasher-safe removable waste bucket you can store under the sink, in the kitchen, or by your trash can. The handy, removable bucket includes a carbon filter lid that reduces odors, so you don’t have to worry about smelly contents.

REENCLE

Positioning the Reencle Home Composter as the “quietest composter available,” Reencle also claims it creates actualcompost (versus dehydrated material). Using patented microbes, it can break down food scraps in as little as 24 hours. Plus, a three-layer filter system helps ensure odor-free composting.

GEME

With a large, upright bin, GEME sits on the floor and is about the size of a tall kitchen waste basket. Offering a larger capacity than typical countertop composters, it’s ideal for households that produce more food scraps and bio-waste. Despite its capacity, GEME promises six to eight-hour super-fast composting.