*DISCLOSURE* Thank you to FoodCycler for providing product samples in order to facilitate this post. All thoughts are strictly my own.
For years now, I've been looking for a way to re-purpose food waste. We try our best to use leftovers in recipes like these, but we still seem to have plenty of food waste. Before Hurricane Harvey devastated our home in 2017, we had a large backyard and several raised beds that needed amended, so we tried the "dig a whole" method. The dogs really loved that method and so did several other critters. It was kind of a mess and after a few months, with very little to show for my efforts, I bought fertilizer from the feed store and started throwing out the food waste again. After the storm, we bounced around rentals so much (waiting for insurance to pay out for damages) that we never planted a garden. Tired of waiting for the insurance company and the lawyers to sort it all out, we finally bought another house last year (and we are glad we did since we are STILL in litigation with the insurance company!) This will be the first year that we will put in an actual garden (we did container veggies last year) and we are super excited to say that we have found a great way to re-purpose our food waste that will help our backyard crops grow all year long! Check out the FoodCycler, the no muss, no fuss answer to creating nutrient-dense small scale "foodilizer"
The FoodCycler is a countertop appliance that lets you turn your food waste into something super useful with just the touch of a button!
The unit is super sleek and looks great in any kitchen. It has only one button, so it's super easy to use. A few simple lights alert you to the stage your unit is in and also let you know when the filter needs changed.
The lid is easy to twist on and off and keeps all the smells inside the unit!
The bucket has a handle for easy removal and we find that it is large enough for about 2-3 days of normal fruit and veggie waste before we need to run it.
We'll also throw in egg shells, coffee grounds and tea leaves. We do use quite a bit of produce though, so you might find you can go longer between runs if you don't have as much waste.
The filters are easy to change and use activated charcoal to keep smelly food odors at bay.
Basically, the FoodCycler dries out the food waste and then grinds it. It does this several times per cycle to break down the food until it's the perfect size for adding to your soil. Here are pictures from our first run:
Before:
Avocado, garlic and onion skins, banana peels, potato "bad spots" and kiwi trimmings.
During:
One push start, easy peasy!
After:
Gorgeous foodilizer ready to be mixed with soil!
The process takes a few hours, but the unit is super quiet and uses less than 1 kWh of electricity during a single cycle.
Knowing that the average person produces 475 pounds of food waste per year makes us uber aware of our own family's contribution. The FoodCycler really helps us reduce the amount of waste we send to the landfill. This unit also creates 94% less greenhouse gas emissions, including methane gas, than your average landfill and creates 54% less CO2 than a regular backyard composter.
The FoodCycler is also waaaay easier and quicker than other composting options! Hot turn compost bins take up to 20 days, black soldier fly compost bins take 3 weeks, a worm compost bin takes between 1-3 months and a slow no turn compost bin takes between 3-12 months to provide you with usable soil amendment. Not to mention, it takes up way less space. The FoodCycler is perfect for those who have limited space or require smaller amounts of "foodilizer."
It's never been easier to create a safe and natural soil amendment at home! The FoodCycler is a simple solution to our family's food waste issue. We feel better about not sending as much to the landfill and we get some really awesome soil amendment to boot! It is already saving us so much time and money!
The FoodCycler is a wonderful way to get your home off to a healthy start in 2020! Check out this blog post for more reasons you need a FoodCycler in 2020!
Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
