The NatureMill PRO is an indoor composter that turns your food scraps into rich, healthy compost in just a couple of weeks. You can convert up to 120 pounds of food waste a month into compost producing only a mild smell “similar to sourdough, mushrooms, or damp straw.” I’d presume that’s mostly when the food bin is open, since a carbon filter cleans the air vented by the built-in fan. You could also use the unit outdoors.
Three models are available: the NatureMill plus for $300; the NatureMill PRO with a foot pedal bin lever and steel chassis for $400; and the “Pet-friendly” NatureMill which can accept pet waste in addition to food waste.
Of course you could ditch the electricity use entirely to build an at-home worm composting box. And a starter batch of worms costs just $10.
Product Page [NatureMill.com via Oh Gizmo]
This is like a hybrid SUV, I’ll explain why. If you care about the environment the best thing you could do (assuming you must drive a car) is to buy a small car with a small engine, something like a Toyota corolla. A hybrid SUV lets people think that they can keep on doing what they have been doing and do not have to make major changes in order to stop the earth from changing into a big garbage dump. This composter gives me the same feeling. I understand that is some circumstances this product might have benefits, but just like a hydrid SUV, it is a step in the wrong direction.
Also, with the $300-$400 dollars that this thing costs, much larger environmental benefits could be realized than the few gallons of trash-truck gas that it will save over its lifetime.
So that’s a logical argument for you, but really it’s just stupid.
Again, you’re presupposing a lot of things. Not everyone uses their SUV as simple transportation. A Toyota Corolla can’t go places that my old Blazer could go. You’ve presented a false dichotomy: “drive a car” or “don’t drive a car.” The world is way more complex than that. What if you need to tow a trailer for your job? What if you need to transport 8 people on a regular basis? What if you live in the mountains of Colorado and need to be able to get around in winter?
Let’s examine your other point. “A hybrid SUV lets people think that they can keep on doing what they have been doing and do not have to make major changes.” That’s circular logic. First, assuming people will buy SUVs (for a number of reasons, including those mentions above), I really fail to see how having the hybrid option is “a step in the wrong direction.” Isn’t it better for the environment? If people have circumstances for which an SUV is the best vehicle, the other choice is to buy a more-polluting, non-hybrid, and you seem to be advocating that.
How does it make people think they can keep on doing what they are doing? Let me put it this way – if the hybrid is a bad choice because it lets people “keep doing what they are doing”, how is it any worse than NOT having a hybrid, which also lets people “keep doing what are they doing”, only without a choice to make a change?
What is wrong with making minor changes? Do you expect there to be a shift in how we power our vehicles overnight? Sorry, but there’s a whole multi-billion dollar infrastructure in place that needs to be changed. The only way to change it is incrementally. If you fight incremental changes, you’re doing no good to anybody. The strongest way to vote in this country is with your dollar; if hybrids don’t sell, why would a company make electric cars?
What would you suggest doing with the $300-$400 this thing costs? What about the fact that someone using this wouldn’t be driving to store to buy plastic bags that someone had to deliver to the store from the factory that made the plastic bags? Same thing for top soil at the garden center.
I understand your perspective and agree that we need to make changes, but sounding a clarion call for change and then decrying innovation when it comes doesn’t help anyone.
A composter that plugs in defeats the purpose. The reason to compost is to save energy use and expense which occurs from collecting organic trash.
A composter that plugs in defeats the purpose. The reason to compost is to save energy use and expense which occurs from collecting organic trash.
what if the composter uses far less energy than it would take to otherwise dispose of the waste, like this one does? not to mention the fact that you are left with something usable?
Sure it’s not perfect, but any net reduction in waste output is good.
But it’s $300 for something you could build yourself for less than $50…
I also have the same problem with the compost transferring. I have replaced numerous retention clips on the second unit which has not corrected the problem. The first unit ripped off one of the Styrofoam blocks for the retention clips. Naturemill replaced the unit but the replacement does not work either. Naturemill’s only solution is to send more clips. I’ve disputed the charges with my credit card.   BEWARE!!!
NatureMill is a very good machine. Yes, it uses energy. Yes, it does jam occasionally. Yes, you have to read the instructions. But if you can overcome all of these minor inconveniences, then this is a really good option for people who can’t otherwise compost. I have not had any mechanical problems with my composter (I got the PRO version which is a little more heavy duty). The low end version is not as solidly built and if you overload it you will probably have problems.
I have owned the NatureMill Pro model for about 8 months. It does make compost pretty effectively, but I could not consider it a device for indoor as there is considerable odor even when pH is properly balanced. Additionally, I would not consider it completely hands off when it comes to mixing. I use a hand trowel to assist in the mixing as there are areas in the mixing chamber are not captured by the mixing arm. My biggest complaint is mostly with NatureMill itself. Since I have owned the composter, it has never successfully transferred compost from the upper mixing chamber to the lower chamber. I ordered the retention clips that was a retro fit that was supposed to fix the issue, but alas it did not work. I contacted NatureMill who informed me that the company is now including a new mixing bar with this retrofit to help correct this issue. I inquired with the company representative about the 3 year warranty and asked if the mixing bar did not correct the issue, would I be able to get a replacement unit. He responded by saying that they would continue to work with me to try and fix the issue, but did not think the company would ever actually replace a defective unit.
This attitude from a customer service representative was a bit disconcerting and makes me question the sincerity of the company’s 3 year warranty.
Do not, under any circumstances, buy the Nature Mill Indoor Composter!!!! I talked two friends into buying units with me to get the discount, and none of our units work properly. They’re flimsily made, and do not perform the way they’re supposed to. My unit broke after two weeks–it stopped mixing. My friend’s unit stopped emptying. My other friends unit stopped emptying. We contacted the company (email is your only option here–no phone help available). We waited over a month for replacement parts. Imagine cleaning compost slime and gook off of many parts in order to take everything apart and replace parts. Two weeks after I got my unit up and running again, it stopped emptying. The unit looks like a phase one prototype. Piece are flimsy and break easily. I ended up rigging up my own solutions (driving nails into the styrofoam backing to keep the motor and motor shaft from coming out) to problems that should have been remedied before they put this on the market. It is the worst purchasing mistake I’ve ever made. Run, don’t walk, from this composter!!!!!
Composting is about doing things simply, naturally, and as has been done prior to the technological and industrial revolution in society. There is nothing simple or natural about a $400 electric composter. This is a dumb idea.
please let me know if anyone has purchased the Pet friendly model and how it works
I’m not entirely convinced. There’s too much ‘cool factor’. This is a box for rotting organic matter – it just seems wrong for such a thing to be cool.
On the other hand, the pet waste thing is very cool. Yes I realize how inconsistent I am. Right now, cat litter and poop is probably 80 or 90% of what we throw out. We don’t buy a lot of packaged stuff, we live in a city with a good recycling program, and we compost kitchen waste (in a compost bin that’s the exact opposite of this one – it’s made of a shipping pallet from an abandoned shop down the alley. It looks like the one your dad probably made). Getting cat litter out of that waste stream would probably get us down to a small bag of garbage a week, or less.
From a purely environmental point of view, composting in an outdoor bin and using a purely manual process is probably preferable.
And from a purely economic point of view, constructing a cheap bin at home is better than paying $300 bucks.
But I think it is self-righteous to say that this is a “bad” tool just because it is not as “good” as some other options. It seems like a lot of technology and energy devoted to something that is basically a natural process that will occur on it’s own, so I was sort of sceptical too when I first saw it, but now I’m really intersted in getting one of these things for the convenience and for the fact that it will accept a lot of material you can’t compost at home otherwise.
I’ve got an outdoor bin that I will continue to use for yard waste. But I decided a while ago that I don’t like putting the kitchen scraps out there because of rodents. Also, it isn’t always convenient to have to dig around in the bin every time I need to get the food scraps out of the kitchen.
I’ve got a worm bin, but it doesn’t process nearly the amount of kitchen waste I generate, and it doesn’t accept certain ingredients. I’ve also had a problem with fruit flies.
It looks like this thing will process much more than the worm bin, and it will accept anything I used to put in the worm bin plus meat, cheese and cooked foods. I think I’ll be able to divert a lot more waste from the landfill.
I guess I feel the same way about this as I did when I traded in my charcoal Weber Kettle for a gas grill. I gave up some of the “purity” for convenience. One thing I discovered with the gas grill was the my wife would actually use it, when she always left it to me when we had the old charcoal kettle. I’m guessing it will be that same with this. If she doesn’t have to sort through the kithcen scraps, or dig a hole in the outdoor bin, or deal with flies or worms, maybe she’ll take on some of the composting duties that are left to me now.
If this is a kind of composting that will be used by people who would not otherwise compost, then I think it is great.
I understand all the concerns raised, but we can’t compost outside due to a problem with bears. Does anyone know if this smells more or less than an indoor worm composting box?
Pretty cool. I’ve been putting a bit of money away here and there to get a composter, specifically one that can take care of dog waste, and this one is definitely in the running now.
Sure you can build one for $50, sure it uses electricity (I run off of solar and wind), sure it’s very expensive, but some of you are missing the big advantages of the NatureMill system. Especially if you have not tried it.
I live in Colorado and can’t compost year-round, just too cold for the materials to break down. And, as it takes 30 – 100 days for an average compost bin to break down materials it’s quite difficult to continuously add materials hoping to have something for your garden before fall sets in.
The NatureMill composter does a very good job of creating rich compost in just a couple of weeks. Also, it allows you to compost items that you generally cannot compost in an outdoor bin due to pests. It’s perfect for my small yard and patio garden. And it’s an easy to use system.
I am in favor of anything that gets people moving in the right direction. Just like with hybrid (I own a Toyota Prius). Sure you can say just walk and do without a car (obviously no cars would be great), but unfortunately in the United States the public transportation in many areas just isn’t there and we have to drive to many places. So, a hybrid is better than a gas guzzler. It’s a step in the right direction.
My 2 cents.
The only application where I could see this being usefull is if you live in an appartment building or you don’t have access/aren’t allowed to build your own compost heap in the back yard.
My family built their own open compost heap and have been using it for years. It doesn’t consit of much more then a few 2×4′s and some chicken wire and it works quite well. The smell of our own home-made version sounds any worse then what this $300 model is advertising even though our model is freely exposed to the air.
The only reason I would advise against putting cat litter in a compost heap is that cat litter contains a lot of clay. The clay wont break down too much in the composter ( and my gut tells me it would just fossilise the cat crap ) and I don’t think you want all this extra clay in your garden ( if that’s what you use your compose for ).
@5 – Oh yes, you’ve convinced me now, what with it not being “simple” and “natural,” even though you don’t say why. Of course, it does use god-defying science such as cultures and mystical voodoo like “heat” and “moisture”. Can’t you admit that this thing would do some good? Isn’t it better than not having it? Go do some yoga and think about it for a moment.
We recently purchased a NatureMill Pro and LOVE IT! We have a worm composter bin outside that we have had for several years. I cook a lot and make most things from scrath. Before we purchased the NatureMill Pro, we had to keep the scraps in one of those crocks designed for scraps and then haul all the scraps outside to the worm bin. The NatureMill pro holds a lot of scraps and even though it is electric, it breaks down the scraps and makes wonderful compost quickly. Very little smell, and VERY EASY to use. I highly recommend it. We have three cats and are going to order the Pet Friendly composter now that we know the NatureMill Pro works so efficiently.
Hi All:
I bought a Naturemill composter in April 2009 and LOVE it! I did need to work through the brown/green ratio and use of dry matter or baking soda when I’d added too much juicy waste to it but have controlled the odor and moisture really well. If you follow the instructions, you’ll do fine!
I do have a problem with the latches so I emailed the company on a Sunday evening and on Monday morning had a return email. I had asked for the latch repair kit but they are sending me a UPS label to return the unit and it will be repaired and/or replaced within a week. You do need to have the serial numder when you communicate with them which is easily visible on the back of the unit.
Seems that on several posts, folks have had a problem with customer service but my experience has been great.
I am curious as to why some people assume that everyone can build/ have a backyard home made compost bin. Many people can’t… they live in apartments, condos and/ or move around. My husband is in the military. We move every 2 years and are in a townhome with a tiny yard and restrictions on outdoor composting. Until I found the Naturemill, we had to throw away food scraps. I recycle everything I can and we don’t buy much packaged foods. Still, I hate throwing perfectly compostable matter. I would love to have no trash to speak of and right now, until we return to civilian live, settle down and have our own property where we can build a backyard composter, the Naturemill offers a great opportunity to further reduce our waste.
Before you discredit the usefulness of a new tool (Hybrid SUV, indoor composter) consider the fact that not all people are able to live the lifestyle that you live and that they can be very useful purpose to those people, even if they are relatively useless to you.
Seems pretty neat, I’d still keep it in the garage; but since we/I live in a desert state and only have a square yard of dirt (rest is gravel or pressed concrete) I don’t think the extra fetilizer is going to do all that good for the xeriscaping.
p.s. heavy metal switch grass is awesome, grows in a gunmetal gray and it’s helpful to set it on fire (seeds sprout and roots burrow)
DO NOT BUY THIS ITEM!!!
Every negative post (over many websites, here, amazon …) I have read is exactly what has happened to ours. Further there is no such thing as accountability nor customer service with these people. I am convinced that anyone telling you that it works or to read the directions works for nature mill. Before disregarding this comment take a look at their rating with the better business bureau, I’ll make it easy; http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/garbage-disposal-equipment-industrial-and-commercial/nature-mill-incorporated-in-san-francisco-ca-77307 This is a product of poor design and awful quality .They will take zero responsibility for it not working and keep throwing parts in the mail telling us this will fix the problem (different part each of the 3 x’s,Yes,THREE TIMES!!!) Each time it has been serviced (by us) it has jammed within 10 min of plugging it in. And last but not least the smell is awful!!! The 1st 2 times it was ok, this third time is smells like a Styrofoam cooler (which this product actually is made of, Styrofoam) that has rotten veggies in it baking in the sun, why you might ask? Because that is what this product is, a $300 Styrofoam cooler with a heater in it and pieces of tin nailed to it,yes actually nailed with a wood nail to Styrofoam.
@9 this is nothing like a hybrid SUV, and you’re presupposing a lot of things about hybrid SUVs anyway. Repeating something doesn’t make it true; stop simply calling this thing dumb and explain why you think it’s dumb. You haven’t given a solid reason yet. “It’s like an SUV.” “It’s not natural.” How about some real criticism instead of smarminess grounded in idealism?
This is like a hybrid SUV. Good, but only when view from up real close. The further you step back, the dumber it seems.
I too have a NatureMill. Unlike some of the other people above, I actually read the instructions. It really helps. I mean especially the part about not overloading it or adding bones or other hard items which do not decompose. Ours hasn’t jammed once and the transfer mechanism seems to work fine.