Nature Mill Indoor Composter

[K.J]

I thought some of you here might find this unit interesting:

Nature Mill Indoor Composter - Pro Edition
Reviewed by Steven Leckart • April 10, 2009
Kitchen Composter Has Mulch Ado About Nothing
Photo by Nature Mill
$400 • naturemill.com
7 out of 10



Kitchen Composter Has Mulch Ado About Nothing

We've seen various incarnations of the "indoor" composter. Some seem promising, but most conceal some inconvenient truths: The units are often huge, exceptionally expensive, or made from low-quality plastic that's guaranteed to failThe best solution we've found so far seem to be Bokashi-style fermentation bins, which require no electricity (that's good), but necessitate getting your hands dirty (that's bad) by draining the Bokashi "juice" (that's just gross).

That's why NatureMill's Pro edition is an indoor composter we can pretty much dig. Using minimal electricity, a small motor turns a heavy-duty mixing bar, heats the mixing chamber (no sunlight needed) and powers an air pump that works with a carbon air filter to help reduce smell (each filter lasts 4 to 5 years).

Using the NatureMill is unbelievably simple and hassle-free, from set-up to clean-up to soil-ready. Just add starter dirt and sawdust pellets (combats odors), and dump your food scraps in. NatureMill recommends that you cut organic material into four-inch bits before plopping it in. We didn't, but aside from the motor making some gnarly noises, it didn't seem to affect compost production. NatureMill's Pro version also features some automatic activation. We were able to leave ours sitting for weeks without pushing the button even once; it mixed and heated itself just fine. Only thing it didn't do? Tell us what to plant with our brimming tray of moist, nutrient-rich soil. Amorphophallus, anyone?

WIRED Stainless steel mixing bar made short work of uncut banana peels. Relatively small and exceptionally lightweight = easy to stash and transport. Foot pedal eliminates lid touching. Mighty Morphin Power Saver: only draws 5 kwh a month (roughly $0.50 on an average electric bill). Not as much of an eyesore as it could be: available in a range of colors (including, you guess it, green).

TIRED Little to no stench — until top opens (that's hard to remedy, we know, but burger/fish/salad remnants smell worse than a dead wildebeest doused in Eau D'Bile). Polypropylene housing is light, but may not last forever. Disposable carbon filters reduce smell, but also cut down on the "green" factor. Regular maintenance (scraping the mix chamber walls) isn't fun.

* Manufacturer: Nature Mill
* Price: $400
Release Date: April 10, 2009

 

[overmyhead]

I posted about this in another thread about waste disposal. I'd love to know if anyone's usinge them to get rid of clippings etc - what better way to top off your plants!

 

[grobart]

I have one outside my balcony in SF. I use it for everything "green" i.e., no animal waste, no eggs, cheese, meat, etc. I blew up the first one by not putting in enough sawdust - I bought a bunch of wood fuel pellets from some spa guy in Marin and, after replacing and upgrading the entire electronic system, motor, etc., under warranty (1 year out of a 3 year) she rocks. It is pretty stinky when you open it, and it clicks when it's mixing (once every few hours), but otherwise it makes great compost. I just emptied the bottom curing bin into my flower cabinet with my newly made soil mix. Further, I just grabbed some of the churning compost out of the top bin for the Compost tea, as well as adding other things - guano, molasses, etc.

Overall, works well, good company and gobbles green waste. Due to MJ being so fibrous, I have taken to cutting the trim all very small. This is only for veg waste though as the flower waste has Trichs on it for hash with ISO extraction.

We've nicknamed it Chompy...

 

[grobart]

oh yeah, here is a picture of Chompy. It looks all fucked up, but it actually produces pretty good active shit.



Bart