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We may not realize it, but around 30% of our household waste consists of food waste and other compostable materials. Instead of chucking these into your garbage bags where they would most likely end up in landfills, you can instead use something like a countertop electric composter to turn them into “black gold”—compost that can be used to fertilize your garden.
In this article, we’ll break down what an electric composter is, how to use it, and showcase the best electric kitchen composter in the market today!
What is a Kitchen Composter?
A ‘kitchen composter’ or sometimes referred to as ‘food recyclers’ or ‘food digesters’ are appliances that help speed up the process of the decomposition of food scraps into usable compost.
Popular ones are usually countertop food digesters that are roughly the size of an airfryer or microwave. These can easily fit in any kitchen countertops. Some food recyclers also come in whole trash bin sizes with multiple compartments that can process different batches of food scraps.
Why Get a Kitchen Composter?
Instead of throwing out food scraps and letting them go to problematic landfills and contribute to methane emissions, you can easily put your scraps in electric kitchen composters and basically recycle them into compost. You can then use the nutrient-rich compost to fertilize your herb or vegetable garden.
Not only are you reducing waste that ends up in landfills, you’re also joining in the effort to be more sustainable by making your own fertilizer!
How Does a Smart Kitchen Composter Work?
A kitchen composter basically mimics and hastens the decomposition process of composting. Unlike a compost bin that could take at least a week to process a batch of organic scraps, an electric kitchen composter can do that job in at least a few hours.
An electric composter can speed up decomposition by automatically doing this cycle: drying-mixing-cooling. This process creates the ideal conditions by which food scraps turn into compost.
The composter or digester uses electricity to generate enough heat to “cook” the scraps, reducing the moisture content and volume of the compostable matter, allowing microbes to thrive and kill harmful food pathogens that may still be present in the scraps.
Instead of manually turning and agitating the scraps in aiding aerobic composting, a food recycler can then easily mix the biodegradable material and aid in helping oxygen get into the mix. The mixing also further breaks down the organic matter, further reducing the volume of the scraps.
Finally, the composter aerates the mix and allows it to cool down to make it ready for using for your garden or farming needs!
Best Electric Kitchen Composter
- Straightforward use – All it takes is to ‘feed’ the Lomi Smart Waste Kitchen Composter with food scraps like coffee grounds, vegetable peels, leftovers and other organic waste, and when it’s full, simply push the button and it will do the literal dirty deed for you.
- Fits in most kitchen countertops – At around 16” x 13” x 12”, the Lomi Smart Waste Kitchen Composter can easily fit in most kitchen countertops.
- No mess bucket and no odors – The Lomi Kitchen Composter comes with a 2 liter bucket that’s easy to pull out and clean. The bucket can also snugly get in the unit and with the help of activated charcoal filters, you’d never even know there’s something decomposing in your own kitchen.
- Only takes 4 hours to break down food scraps – The Lomi promises to turn biodegradable scraps into usable compost in at least 4 hours.
- Can even break down bioplastics – The Lomi comes with a “Lomi Approved” mode that can break down and turn bioplastics into fertilizer.
Electric Kitchen Composter Alternatives
There are also other great electric composters out there like the Vitamix 068051 FoodCycler FC-50 and the Food Cycler Platinum Indoor Food Recycler and Kitchen Compost Container
The Vitamix 068051 FoodCycler FC-50 has been getting rave reviews for being compact, convenient, easy to use, and easy to clean. Much like our top pick, it only takes to fill it with organic waste, push a button, and wait for it to do its magic.
The Food Cycler Platinum Indoor Food Recycler and Kitchen Compost Container is another solid contender that guarantees to turn food scraps into compost in three hours! There’s no need to use any extra chemicals or powders or aids; just dump waste in and push a button!
Final Thoughts
There’s a few valid concerns over whether it’s worth it and if it’s really sustainable to be investing in another piece of electrical appliance to upcycle food scraps into usable fertilizer. But at this point, it’s up to you whether you believe in the power of these products if you’ll get them or not.
Bottomline is, there are products like these that at least tries to mitigate and aid in avoiding biodegradable waste to end up in landfills which can be more problematic in the long run. Besides, you end up with compost or fertilizer which can help your herb or vegetable garden thrive, so if you’re into that, we recommend trying a kitchen composter out.
As a dedicated mother and passionate software developer, she weaves her diverse experiences into captivating stories that inspire and engage readers. Emma's love for sustainable living and environmental consciousness permeates both her personal and professional life. When she's not immersed in the world of coding and software development, Emma can be found nurturing her family and tending to her thriving organic garden. Her commitment to sustainable practices extends to every aspect of her life, from repurposing household items to embracing eco-friendly technologies.
