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 actual compost (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.
The Dirty Details
- Compost is produced when microbes feed on and break down organic material.
- Composting helps reduce the volume of materials that might otherwise be disposed of in landfills or trash incinerators.
- Only around 5% of the food waste generated annually in the U.S. is composted.
- In 2023, only 12% of households had access to a municipally supported food waste program.
- Approximately 28% of waste deposited in landfills can be composted.
Read more about composting HERE on LivingMagazine.net
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