The Under-the-Counter Composter

Looking for another way to green your kitchen? The Epi-Log recommends investing in the NatureMill Plus under-the-counter composter, which turns your food waste into plant fertilizer “without MOST of the odor” that’s associated with composting. Here’s how it works:

[P]ull out the composter, lift the lid with the hands-free foot lever and toss most food and paper waste into the upper chamber. ... The chamber mixes, heats and aerates your waste into decomposition. Some additional help of sawdust and baking soda…provided with the composter…may be needed to balance levels and eliminate odor. Smells are further reduced with the help of the charcoal filter. When ready the waste is transferred into the lower cure tray where it continues to compost. A red light indicates when the cycle is complete, about two weeks.

For me, this sounds like a better plan than starting a compost heap in my Brooklyn backyard—where the smell of rotting food would certainly attract all the neighborhood rats, feral cats, squirrels, and raccoons—but are there any drawbacks, besides the $299 price tag? A product reviewer on Green Home says the smell actually isn’t bad, considering what’s rotting in the thing:

Smells kind of like mud. Looks kind of like mud too. A little more chunky. More like coffee grounds, but kind of fruity. Definitely better than the fish heads I put in there to begin with. Strange how you can go from fish heads to fruity/muddy/coffee-like substance in just a couple weeks.