NatureMill PRO Indoor Composter
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]
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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.
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.
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.
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.
@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.
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)
This is like a hybrid SUV. Good, but only when view from up real close. The further you step back, the dumber it seems.
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 2x4'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 ).
@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, 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.
But it's $300 for something you could build yourself for less than $50...
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.
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?
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.
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.
please let me know if anyone has purchased the Pet friendly model and how it works