Food waste is one of the many environmental problems we face. In the US alone, nearly 40% of all food is wasted. It starts with farmers and manufacturers, continues with retailers and restaurants, and then with us in our homes. Food that is thrown out ends up in landfills where it rots, releasing the potent greenhouse gas methane.
It is imperative that we combat food waste, and you can do so in your own home. One way we can do that is by composting!
Composting is the recycling of certain foods and other organic materials into a soil amendment for your garden that is rich in nutrients and has various environmental benefits. If you live in a small space or apartment indoor electric composters can be a great option for reducing your food waste!
I used an indoor compost machine for a few years while we were apartment living!
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Quick List of High Quality Electric Compost Machines for Indoors
Here’s a quick list of some of the best electric composting machines for indoors! Read on to learn about my personal experience using a composting machine, the environmental benefits of composting, and learn more in depth about why we recommend these.
I personally used the FoodCycler for two years when we were living in a smaller space and didn't have access to composting. It was great!
In about four hours this electric composter turns your food scraps into odorless powder.
This electric composter is popular on social media! LOMI is the perfect addition to any kitchen, allowing consumers to reduce your waste & feed the garden.
LOMI Bloom is an electric composter that has an app allowing conscious consumers the ability to track their environmental impact.
This trash can sized composter uses microbiota to breakdown food waste quickly.
This electric composter features a 3-layer filter system for odor free composting and low maintenance ReencleMicrobe.™
How Do Electric Composting Machines Work?
These machines are freestanding appliances (sometimes called food recyclers) that come in various sizes – anything from countertop size to trash can proportions that sit on the floor.
They heat and grind up food scraps in just a few hours, making it a lot faster than a traditional bin. The composter produces a dehydrated food waste byproduct that is more mulch than compost, but which you can still place on top of your houseplants and potted herbs.
Do Electric Composting Machines Use a Lot of Electricity?
An energy-efficient electric composting machine won’t use a lot of electricity (about 1.5kWh per cycle), but the ideal situation is still setting up a traditional compost bin that does not use electricity at all and does not involve the kind of materials and manufacturing required to make appliances.
But if you don’t have the space (or any garden at all) – or live in very cold climates that make winter composting difficult – using an electric composting machine may be an alternative.
6 Best Indoor Electric Composting Machines
Here’s a list of some of the best electric composting machines for indoor use!
FoodCycler – My Top Pick
FoodCycler is the first indoor composting machine I ever had! I used FoodCycler’s electric compost machine for two years while we lived in a small space apartment. It was quiet and odorless!
FoodCycler is all about electric composters. They focus solely on composters, offering the Eco 5 composter and the slightly more compact FC-50.
Their cycles are of similar durations (4 to 9 hours for the Eco 5 and 4 to 8 hours for the FC-50), although the latter can have a shorter cycle of about 5 hours. The Eco 5 uses 1.5kWh per cycle and the FC-50 uses 0.8kWh per cycle; which one you choose mostly depends on how much waste you create.
It can process fruit, vegetable, and meat scraps, along with chicken and fish bones. You can also chuck in cake, sauces, jams, and jellies, as long as they are small quantities.
Lomi’s Popular Electric Composters
Also specializing in electric composters, Lomi offers the Lomi Bloom and the Lomi Classic. Both use less than 1kWh, have a 3-liter capacity, and can compost the same types of food waste. The Bloom is easier to clean and has a see-through lid.
Other than that the only difference between the two, is that the Bloom can be paired to your mobile device and track your impact; so if you’re on a budget, the Classic is just as good.
Airthereal’s Revive Electric Kitchen Composter
Airthereal’s Revive Electric Kitchen Composter uses 1.60kWh for a two-liter disposal. It runs for about 4 hours to produce a fine, dry, brown, odorless powder. You can use this to top dress plants as a fertilizer, meaning you can wave goodbye to the synthetic kinds.
If you want a more traditional compost, you can add a liquid starter. The composter has cast aluminum blades resistant to corrosion, snapping, and chipping.
You can use the composter to process all the usual food waste like vegetable scraps, eggshells, and coffee grounds, and you can even chuck in small meat scraps, as well as soft, cooked chicken or fish bones. The filters in the machine help reduce odors and are biodegradable.
GEME’s Large Electric Composters
GEME levels up the electric composting game, because they also supply industrial-sized versions for schools, hospitals, shopping centers, restaurants, and hotels. But if you just need something for your home, they have that too.
However, it is the size of a large trash can, so not the kind of composter you’d place on the counter. A cycle lasts 6 to 8 hours, it has no filters, and you don’t need to press a button to start it.
Plus, it’s silent and odorless. Its average daily power consumption is 1kWh. Adding their high-temperature resistant microbiota known as GEME-Kobold helps convert your organic waste into compost.
Reencle’s Quiet Composter
The Home Composter from Reencle is quiet and odorless, with an energy consumption of 0.052kWh. It comes with two free filters, a shovel, and a compost starter.
It can be placed on a countertop, but it will make for a rather hefty addition, so make sure you have enough space. If you can’t invest in a composter, you can opt for a monthly subscription that also comes with filters, a shovel, and a compost starter.
Hopefully this guide helped you understand how electric composters work and find one that is a good fit for your sustainable lifestyle!