Composting could be a massive and foul-smelling undertaking, however there is not any doubt it will be a lift to your backyard and decrease that pesky carbon footprint. Dividing natural meals waste and letting it course of into nutrient-rich fertilizer can develop into odorous each inside and outdoors your house. It is no marvel that solely 28% of People compost their meals waste. However 67% of those that do not compost say they might begin if it had been extra handy (learn: much less gross).

Enter Lomi, a $499 kitchen countertop composter from Pela. With Lomi, Pela hopes to make dividing and composting waste extra compact, mess and odor-free, and a speedier course of than earlier than. In as little as three hours, Lomi transforms natural waste into virtually odor-free filth. In 16 to twenty hours, it produces wealthy fertilizer that can be utilized for potting vegetation or nourishing a backyard.

After spending two weeks utilizing the Lomi, I can report that it does what it is alleged to, felt nice to chop down on my carbon footprint — and I had enjoyable with it, too. 

To see it in motion, take a look at my full video overview of the Lomi at-home composter above.

The advantages of composting

Composting reduces the quantity of methane fuel launched on the landfill. Whether or not you are utilizing Lomi’s soil in your backyard or throwing it away, the condensed scraps within the trash or a inexperienced bin can have a optimistic environmental impression. 

With legal guidelines requiring residents and companies to divide their waste for inexperienced bins or compost on their very own popping up, like this one in California, a countertop composter might be a good way to handle natural waste and smelly bins.

How does the Lomi composter work?

Over the 2 weeks I used Lomi, it took wherever from three to 6 days to fill the bucket with kitchen scraps. Lomi does an important job of containing odor; even when the bucket reeked of previous meals, there was no leakage so long as the lid was lined. That is additionally because of the activated carbon situated in its two filters. (These filters must be changed each three to 6 months, relying on use.)

Additionally included with Lomi is a bag of 45 LomiPods. These tablets are a proprietary mix of probiotics and are added to the waste to enhance the velocity of degradation, cut back odor and create the healthiest soil output so as to add to vegetation. The LomiPods are used throughout two of the three compost cycles.

The at-home composter matches your countertop

Lomi weighs 22 kilos and measures 16 inches extensive by 12 inches excessive, so you shouldn’t have any bother storing it on a countertop or in cupboards. It could compost over 30% of what you are already throwing away. Here is a full record of all the pieces that may (and can’t) go in Lomi. The machine can be energy-efficient: Every cycle makes use of simply 0.6 to 1 kWh of electrical energy, which might price the common US family about 14 cents per use. 

It has three compost modes 

Eco-express is the quickest approach to compost (three to 5 hours) and produces filth that ought to go instantly right into a inexperienced bin or trash. There’s additionally Lomi Accepted mode (5 to eight hours), which accepts Lomi permitted bioplastics and compostable client items along with meals waste. This filth must also go in a bin. Lastly, there’s Lomi Develop mode (16 to twenty hours), which turns Lomi’s waste into nutrient-rich soil for potted vegetation or gardens. 

How a lot does Lomi price, and the place can I get it?

Handy composting will not come low cost. Lomi prices $499, and Pela recommends its two-year membership for LomiPod and activated carbon refills ($39 each three months). 

Lomi is accessible on the model’s web site in addition to main on-line retailers together with Amazon and Wayfair.