Wasted Gifts
December 27th, 2007 by Jonathan
Happy in-between-Christmas-and-New Year’s! I hope you’re enjoying the piles of leftovers and recycling the piles of cardboard.
It’s never too early to start next year’s Christmas list. I can’t believe I didn’t find out about this NatureMill indoor composting unit until now. But since it sells for $300 ($400 if you want it to compost pet poop along with food waste), at least we all have a year to start saving…
Also noteworthy for next year’s list is the Frisper Freshkeeper, which keeps meat, seafood, etc. fresh by sealing them in a bag and sucking out the air. The Frisper folks were nice enough to send me a unit, and I’ll post a report on the vacuum sealer as soon as I fully test it (I’ve just done veggies so far).
Stumble it! | Posted in Household, Waste Stream, Composting |
What exactly is the benefit of buying an indoor composter compared to building your own outdoor unit? I suppose it saves the inconvenience of having to go outside and do some work (oh, the horror!), but it seems a bit of a waste of money to me. Granted, I could see it finding some good use in a highly urban area where there’s no room for an outdoor unit, so maybe that’s what it’s intended for.
I’m with you on this one, but many people just won’t deal with the “ick” factor of composting. The compost container gets smelly, and the process does take some effort. Having a unit under your sink would make composting easier, and, thus, more widespread. Plus, there’s the city/apartment issue that you mentioned.
I agree that outdoor/old-school composting is probably better (it doesn’t use electricity!), but the NatureMill would seem to fill a need for eco-conscious folks happy to spend a bit. I’ve never used a NatureMill, so I can’t say for sure. I’m hoping to get one to test and will be sure to post the results if I do.
You raise some interesting points. I look forward to hearing the results if you can get a product to test. I wonder how well the NatureMill contains the smell…
As an apartment dweller with absolutely no outside space to my name, I’m the prime candidate for the NatureMill. VERY interested to hear how effective it is.
I’ve considered the composting with worms — but with a nosy cat, I think it would spell disaster.
Cool, Sandy. I’ve contacted NatureMill and am hoping they’ll send me one.
Impatience got the better of me and my husband has ordered one for me as a birthday present. In the ordering process we gave your blog credit for referring us, so hopefully they’ll hook you up!
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Thanks, Sandy. I guess we’ve switched roles–I’m now waiting on your NatureMill report.
Happy Birthday!
Jonathan,
I promised you an update:
So, it took 5 weeks for the composter to get delivered. I’ve had it in action for almost 2. So far, I’m disappointed but am holding out some hope that it will get better.
To start, it’s pretty loud. I don’t mind the constant hum — that you can get use do to. It’s the periodic clanking during the mixing cycle (which happens every few hours) that’s more of a problem. Even though it’s on the other side of the apartment, it’s been waking me up at night.
But that’s not the worst of it — huge drama with the smell. I’ve tried adding baking soda and sawdust pellets per the instructions and increase the “brown/dry” stuff we put in … but it’s still pretty bad.
I think this tool is best for people who have garages or can keep it outside. (And if I had that option, I wouldn’t need an electric composter)
Bummer.
Sandy