FoodCycler Eco 5 – aparat electric pentru reciclarea resturilor alimentare, 5 L, Gri

WOW... just WOW

I really didn't know, or understand the functionality of this product other than resulting in a greatly reduced amount of waste, which is what I was looking for. We both love to cook and with that comes a lot of food waste, trimmings, shells, peels, etc. This machine is a game changer. At first, a bit skeptical due to the price point, but now that we have it, OH SO WORTH IT. We use it everyday and it's become part of our kitchen clean up routine. Thank you FoodCycler Eco 5 !!

Xmas gift

We have owned a Food Cycler for 3 years and are very happy with it. The Eco5 was purchased as a Xmas gift for my daughter and her family. What better endorsement is there then that!

Impressive

Generally does a good job once you understand how it works .. I would be interested to know how it is being used in specific municipalities (vs brown bin pickup programs) .. do you have specific figures and examples of cost and carbon footprint savings for municipalities which have adopted it? (For example, a case study) .. I would like to contact municipal officials here in La Pêche, Qc to see if it would make sense. Thank you, Patrik

User friendly

This is the 4th unit I buy, not because the first 3 broke down, but because they are just perfect as a gift and for our suffocating environment

Perfect for Our Clinic Lunchroom

We use the FoodCycler Eco 5 in our dental clinic lunchroom, and it works great! It keeps the space clean and odor-free while making food waste disposal so easy.

Extremely simple process and very sturdy

Have put this item to use just about every day. I am the main cook in our home and use fresh vegetables in every meal, so I create enough waste to utilize the foodcycler just about daily. Does a great job.

easy use

I absolutely love this composter. it is so quiet you don't even know it's running. highly recommend.

Amazing! Easy set up easy to use and no smell

I have been running mine about twice a week. I am no longer dealing with smelling food. This is definitely a more hygienic and environmentally friendly way to dispose of food waste! You should consider giving coupons out to encourage more residents to buy and use one. Great for the flower beds and lawns and less encouragement for skunks and raccoons. Best invention ever!

Easy to use

Worked exactly as expected

Awesome machine

We have been composting for over 30 years. Now our living arrangements make composting impossible, and the food cycler is the perfect answer to getting rid of compostibles.

Fun to actually get something out of compost

We have been composting for about 40 years and quite honestly we’ve never gotten so much as a cup of earth out of the compost. In the last few years, we have simply been throwing all of our scraps into a pile on the ground. Now we are using the Eco five and we have received a fair amount of earth from it. It’s surprisingly quiet and it’s surprisingly long to run a cycle We have not used the Earth yet, but are pouring it all into our old compost bucket to save it. We will fill that bucket and then use it with some seedlings to see how they root in it. We are very pleased that there is no odour emitted.

Easy to use

I’ve been using this FoodCycler for about 3 weeks. Very quiet and easy to use. The only problem I've had is when I put peach peeling in. I put too many at once and it created a hard “plug” that stopped the machine. It was easy to remove and I’ve learned a lesson!

Planet Saver

More room in landfill and my plants love it.

Easy to use

Have only used it twice since I got it because there are only two of us in the house and it does take us a bit of time to get it full to run it , but it works great. I have used a different one prior to getting this unit and this one is much quieter than the other one, but the other one was over 2 yrs old and we did use it a lot,. It finally gave up on me, so I decided to try this one. Being made by VitaMix was also a plus. Hubby and I purchased a mixer many years ago and it still works great. As far as I can remember we have never had an issue with the mixer, so I am hoping that holds true to this new food cycler that we have purchased.

Very simple to use

My plants are doing so well. I don't think I'll need to buy fertilizer again. I love my ECO 5

Amazing

I always felt guilty about throwing away my food scraps, that's no longer a problem. I'm impressed with how efficient and quiet this machine is. I'm really enjoying using my foodcycler.

So far, so good!

I spent a year trying to make compost in a bin and only kept getting slime and grubs. I finally bought the Foodcycler and it has been a game-changer with composting!!! The machine is quiet and efficient.

Easier than the traditional composter

We use this almost daily since we eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.

Simple and Quiet

We bought this food cycler as a compliment to our pre-existing natural composting. We live in Western Canada, where we need to have another alternative during winter months. We have been surprised by how efficient this food cycler is with degrading food items that are hard to compost such as watermelon rinds, cantaloupe, melon, banana, peels, etc. essentially all of the things that had a really hard time degrading in our normal compost. We do chop up these larger items, do not just toss them in whole, and mix them with things like coffee, grinds and other harder discard such as beet peelings. The food cycler is quiet, relatively odourless, and efficient; we have been very happy. We do keep the compost waiting for cycle in the fridge in a metal bowl to reduce the amount of pre-rot before the cycle, which helps with odour, but this is also because we don’t run more than two cycles weekly due to a secondary natural composting system that we use. The larger size is also really nice for our family of five, including three super snacking teenagers, and we were delighted to find a Canadian based company with a high quality product. Purchased on sale, worth the value.

No shut off,,

I’m new to this did lots of reviews read the instructions and I am not sure if I am doing something incorrect but there is no shut off! I start it at bedtime and when I wake up it’s still running

Wow!

When I visited my daughter in Field BC she had just purchased a Foodcycler to test as a possible solution for the town's composting project. Sharing a Park with Bears does not leave many composting options. I live in an Apartment in Toronto have a garden plot and have been composting for years so was very interested in this appliance. I have now used it twice and am amazed at the results. First of all, no odour in the canister second the process is so quiet and quick [ overnight] and third and most importantly, the finished product is truly remarkable. so fine, dry and no odour there either. This appliance will save me having to collect my compost over weeks then take it to my compost pile and work it there until it can be used,. It is almost like magic. Well worth it.

Facile d’utilisation et pratique!

Très facile à utiliser, sans odeur, pas bruyant et, chaque matin ou presque, j’ai de l’engrais à mettre dans mon jardin ou au pied de mon arbre fruitier. Ça réduit grandement mes déchets et plus facile pour moi que de composter avec la ville. En prime, sans les mauvaises odeurs dans la poubelle de compost. Après traitement par le Food cycler, l’engrais résultant représente une petite quantité des restes de nourriture initiaux. Mon chum et mes enfants l’ont aussi adopté. Nous sommes très satisfaits!

Très satisfaite

J’adore , il ne fait pas de bruit, et mes plantes et jardin se porte mieux il est très facile à utiliser, beaucoup mieux que les composteurs extérieur. Oui un peu dispendieux mais il est fait de matériaux super résistant et de qualité.Merci foocyrcler

Foodcycler 5

So happy to do my part to reduce garbage and increase the richness of my soil. So simple and easy to use

Good to be back on track!

I use this one once every two weeks right now. Keep it in the fridge! The compost it made was Awsome ! Works so much better than my original! Need the brush for cleaning!

Exemplary product and Canadian made

so much better than better know alternatives on the market

A household necessity!

As a family that wants to make food from scratch as much as possible, we have a ton of stuff to process every day, to the point of this FoodCycler working sometimes 24/7. We did have one fail on us, but it was the bucket, and not the machine itself - and even the bucket was replaced under warranty. I'd definitely suggest this if you have anything more that a couple cups of food waste a day to process. It's definitely worth it!

It is very easy to use.

Using every second or third day. During gardening season will use every day I am sure. Very pleased with how volume of debris becomes tiny little pile of dirt. Will mix with 4 way mix and add to garden.

Addicted to it!

We received our FoodCycler as a gift about two years ago, and it’s easily one of the best gifts we’ve ever received. It should be a staple in every kitchen! Many people don’t realize just how helpful and convenient this device is in daily life. I’ve always disliked the smell of decaying food in the trash, and I also hate wasting anything. The FoodCycler solves both problems effortlessly by reducing food waste and turning scraps into nutrient-rich material that we use in our garden. It’s amazing to see how much less waste we produce, and knowing that our food scraps are being reworked into something beneficial instead of ending up in a landfill is incredibly satisfying. I can’t imagine my kitchen without my Eco 5 anymore! I am advocating for this timeless technology to be used in all places where food is served or produced, especially in schools. There, it will help kids start learning how to become responsible carers for the environment and respect food growers and producers.

Amazing!

I love the FoodCycler! It is so easy to use, it’s quiet and does exactly what it says it will do! I definitely recommend investing in this product!

OMG we love the FoodCycler 5!!!!!

we had the original, smaller Vitamix food recycler. Was ok, food got stuck in it and it was very small. The FoodCycler 5 fixed all that. Perfect. Large size container, so far whatever we put in comes out looking like ground coffee. And we don’t get any odor or noise. We just love it. Not meant to be cleaned, you just pour out what’s left and add more food! I would not change anything. It never gets stuck like my old one. I’m go out to the garage in the morning and the old one was stuck drying for example. Can’t tell you how much we like the FoodCycler. Good job, what are you making next?

Exceeded expectations

As soon as I bought this item I felt buyer’s remorse as it is not a small price to pay and I have had some bad experiences buying things advertised by Instagram. However, I have to say, I am so impressed by the foodcycler. It’s quiet, odourless, and turns all our food scraps into soil-looking compost. I’m quite amazed by the end product and don’t really understand how it works but I love it.

Works right out of the box

So far, so good! I have used this 4 or 5 times in the last four weeks. Extremely quiet. Although I have a compost tumbler in the back yard, in the winter it can't be used. And even in the summer, the tumbler takes awhile to break everything down. I am saving this winter's Eco 5's leavings in a container in the garage to put in my garden in the spring. The leavings don't take up much space as the FoodCycler breaks them down from their original volume.

Easy to use

Great product. Easy to use. Glad to have purchased this.

Excellent

We have been using our foodcycler for about a month and we really like it. We had a countertop composting bin...it was cute but the smell, the mess and the gnats drove us crazy. With the foodcycler we don't have these problems anymore. We have a garden and we're looking forward to adding to our gardening list of things to do. The most important aspect besides the quality and ease is that there's no subscription!!! We love it!!

great machine

Def an upgrade from the Vitamix Unit. Way bigger basket and those sharp blades in the bin really shred everything including huge bones. Super happy with our unit.

Servic

My FoodCycler Eco 5 gave up on me and I contacted the company. I must say that the service was impeccable. I recommend this product.

Great to eliminate food waste from trash bin

Our family is trying to reduce food waste going in to the garbage / landfill. We got this as well as started vermicomposting (worms). For things like veggies and bread we put straight in with the worms, but for everything else like meat, chicken bones, avocado pits, citrus, etc... we run through the ECO 5 first then put the ground up output in with the worms. Have been doing this now for about a month and it's gone great so far. My wife makes a 4lb roast chicken regularly. One of the reasons we picked this was because we can put chicken bones in it. The first time we drained the juices and plopped the whole thing in, but the chest cavity acted like a boat and floated over the top of the paddle. We cut it down and ran a second time and it worked great. Even the first run went through all the leg, though and wing bones excellently. We've also run the skin and seed of an avocado through it. Also worked great. We have an 11yo and 7yo and run this every night after supper. We've never approached the max capacity, closest was with the chicken but when we cut it down next time it will maybe be half full with that and other stuff from the day.

Very pleased

I composted two coffee filters with the grounds to try out the Vitamin composter. It came out perfectly. I will mix with some garden soil and add to the garden. There were cheaper composters on line but I decided to go with the Vitamin because I knew it would last. I am an avid gardener so it will get constant use.

Worth every penny

What an incredible job this does on kitchen waste. It is rare to find something that works totally as advertised. It turned 5 litters of food waste in to a very small pile of organic matter that WILL NOT go into the landfill. The unit is so quite you could plug it in wherever is better for you.

Impressive

As a private chef, I have a lot of food scraps while prepping and such. This is amazing, it’s like set it and forget it! No going outside to turn the tumbler X amount of times each for three weeks to create soil. I use the food compost for my above ground garden! I have added to the original soil about two gallon ziploc bags worth of food compost!

Good for weekly left overs

Play Video This machine took me a while to actually use, truthfully, simply because I felt slightly intimidated by it. My intimidation was a bit unfounded, as it ended up being super simple, and I wish I had been using it all summer rather than just from August on. Setting up was very easy, as the instructions are pretty clear about what to do to get it set up. It gives a pretty decent list of what you can and what you shouldn't put in it as well, so it was easy to find things to fill the bucket the first time use and after. I personally have a stainless steel bowl with a lid for food scraps, and leftovers that stays in my fridge. At the end of the week, I dump it in the bucket and place the bucket in, then just start it. It will do everything from there. I have had no issues with jamming or anything so it definitely does its job well. I posted pictures of my most recent use, and a small video to show its not too loud. Honestly, it's louder in my video than what you actually hear while it's running. I forget it's on most the time it is so quiet. It's a fantastic option for people who like the idea of composting, but do not want the smells and mess composting can cause. There are a couple cons for me, though, and it made me remove a star. One being, that you definitely can smell it when it's working. I do not really know how much their charcoal stops the smell, but every time I use it, it smells like milk being heated up. It's not overpowering, but as someone who has a super sensitive sniffer, I smell it, even when no one else does. So, it may be better in a garage or near a window for those who has a sensitive nose. Out of 4 people, I am the only one who can smell it though, so it's possibly not bad at all for the average person. Another flaw I feel this has, is how sensitive the button is. I just brushed it a couple times in passing, and it has kicked on, and to me, that's waaay too sensitive if in a home where kids are. I solve this problem just by keeping it unplugged until I am ready to use. But, I have to keep the kids out of the laundry room when I do or they turn it on before I have the bucket in. The good thing is, if they accidentally shut it off, it does pick up where it left off in its cycle, rather than it starting over. The third and final issue I have with this, is it says it's easy to clean, and also no need to clean unless the blades are jamming. Unfortunately, for me, I cannot leave caked up stuff inside a machine that's in my home. Living rural, bugs are super easy to attract, and it leaves just enough of a film inside when a cycle is complete, that I clean it every time I use. It is just as simple as letting it soak overnight, then spraying it out with the sink sprayer, and then letting it air dry, but still, it needs cleaned every time I use. I personally vaccum seal the cycles for later use, and will store them with my soil for the winter to use come spring and summer. For me, it's a great way to give nutrients back to my garden beds. Overall, I feel this is a good option for small spaces, and homes where composting is illogical, but I do feel the price is a little high, considering it's almost like a food dehydrator, that just grinds it up for you. It definitely makes the jobs a lot less steps, but it really is just that. A dehydrator that breaks it down into soil. And it definitely looks like soil when it's done. I would not have any qualms with the price if it did not have the issues I feel were worthy of a star removal, but as it does, I do feel it is a bit over priced. I personally will continue to use this for as long as it lasts, but I do not believe I would order another in the future. If I could get it on sale, definitely would, but not at the full cost. It is a great product, but it will definitely be one that could be fantastic for some, but a waste for others.

An easy to operate food composter with a modern design

This is a well designed machine that is very easy to use. You simply collect food scraps in the little bucket then insert it back into the machine and press a button to operate. While in operation the machine is really quiet and if you turn it on and start composting at night it is ready for your garden by morning. I like its sleek, modern look and how well the filter on the bucket works to eliminate food odors while collecting during the week. Overall this a a great addition to your kitchen and give you the reassurance that you aren't just throwing away your food refuse, you are transforming into a nursing substance that will help feed your plants and foster healthy garden soil.

A Great Solution to Garbage Disposal

Our town issued what I call "slop buckets," for kitchen waste. They will not allow even biodegradable bags and expect people to let garbage fester inside these between trash collections. They did offer one suggestion--keep your garbage in the freezer between trash days (!). To get around this bureaucrat-created non-solution, I purchased this new, heavy duty unit by Vitamix. Now I store dehydrated, finely ground matter in an omega bucket and can either use in garden as a soil amendment or put into my green waste container. It has a larger capacity than the original unit, which would have been too small for us. I also like the covered bucket, which stays on the counter top between loads and does not let odor escape.

Leveling Up my Composting

We have two compost bins and we are able to always keep them pretty full. But you have to be careful what you put in them. No small bones, no seeds of any kind and while we eat a lot of melons the rinds are often too wet and cause issues. The great thing about the Vitamix is that I can put all the melon rinds and things like small chicken bones, avocado seeds and some of the harder vegetables like beets (if cut up) into it. Once all the container is full you run the unit. It does make some noise but mine is much less than a dishwasher and maybe sounds like the Sous Vide cooker if you have one of those. The length of time it takes for processing depends on what you put in it. I would say that for my usual compostables it is 5-8 hours total. Then you are ready to through it directly on your garden or in a storage container. For the most part we just put ours in our most composted section of our 2 different composters to use it with the other material when we are ready. I have put some directly on the garden though too and that is working well. Overall this is a lot of money to spend on the start up to composting. But if you have room for it, it is much smaller than an outdoor composter and takes a fraction of the time. Also if you need material right away it could help boost your garden with the normal scraps from your table, using a composter outside you will need months for that. A few things of note is the basket the fits into the composter will only hold a certain amount of material. I do most of my food prep for a week on one day and so I can only fit a fraction of the material into the basket. Which means I need to save some material or through it into my other composter. I would say the basket could hold about 1 large watermelon worth of rinds. The food cannister is ~1.5 gallons so a bit over a gallon milk container is what you can fit in at one time. A note that sometimes the material can look too wet, especially if it was really wet to begin with. I've found that if you add a few paper towels or newspaper you can fix this issue. So I usually just begin with that now. You could also use hardwood pellets for a pellet cooker as well to assist. Overall: This is really handy in my life and a very easy set up for a beginner. I think if you are considering composting this is the cleanest way to start that doesn't require a lot of dedicated space. See the before and after pictures in my review for a good indication of what your compost will look like.

Works well

Very happy so far with this composter. Easy to use and love the removable bucket with carbon filter cover.

Lo amo! Súper buen producto

Tengo poco con el producto, pero esta maravilloso. Tarda bastantes horas pero es silencioso y si hace bien su trabajo. Lo deja más como “fibra de composta” que tierra como tal… pero creo que vale la pena por la reducción de residuos.

works well, large, heavy, easy to use

We keep this under the counter where we have power from the garbage disposal. It's easy to fill with dinner scraps and easy to remove with a handle on the waste product. The machine is heavy, so for us, it's best under the counter, not on it. It's also rather large, so it would take up a lot of counter space.

Game Changer for Far North Composting

Previous to using FoodCycler by Vitamix, my attempts to compost failed due to long Alaskan winters and the reluctance of family members to haul scraps out to far edge of our rural subdivision lot in perpetual winter darkness which is necessary to avoid attracting hungry wild animals like screws, rabbits, and bears and the same reason we must store garbage in the garage. The ability to make winter compost INSIDE is a game changer and the function of this unit is beyond anything I hoped for. It's larger and heavier than my other counter appliances, but worth the space. It's unexpectedly quiet (quieter than a dishwasher), and doesn't produce a noticeable odor when "brewing" (says my ninja nose). Eventually I'll move it into the garage or basement as the removable easy-to-clean cylinder (where scraps are collected) is compact--no need to have the unit nearby. It couldn't be easier to operate--with the cylinder properly inserted, lid secure and multiple-use charcoal preloaded, I press the "ON" button. I miss the days when most appliances offered this level of simplicity. (Carbon filters for the lid are readily available on line--less obvious the charcoal for the unit.) The instructions are clear on what can/can't go into the mix. For best results, a variety of scraps are recommended including most fruit/vegetable scraps, meat/fish/shellfish /poultry, cereals/grains, eggs/egg shells, coffee grounds, filters & tea bags, beans/seeds/legumes, and poultry/fish bones. I've used all of these except red meat/shellfish and filters/teabags. Obviously the quality of the compost will depend on what it's fed and I'm looking forward to going back and forth between producing compost for a flower bed vs. garden. I suspect there's a learning curve to refining this unnatural but conveniently-doable process and look forward to exploring it. The resulting compost isn't as earthy smelling as nature-fermented home-grown, but mixes in with other earth well and I was able to use some mixed with garden soil (from a casual and sadly unkept garden) to transplant flowers into a pot (no potting soil on-hand) and they are thriving in the window sill.

Improvement over the original

This is a different grinding process than the original version, which is more efficient and creates a finer "compost". I love the fact that it has a greater capacity in the canister. There is a faint odor when processing, but not overwhelming.

Works great

LOVE this composer!! Pail under kitchen sink and main machine in laundry room. Use it almost daily-fruits,vegetables, coffee grounds, egg shells and chicken bones. All the plants are thriving with this additional nutrition, both edible and decorative. Much less garbage too-no odor!! Win-win!!

AS ADVERTISED

Worked flawlessly first three times, then the next two, the compost was VERY wet. I thought the machine was broken, but then I read to add some tore up paper towels if a lot of wet-ish stuff in the bucket. Did that, worked flawlessly again. I think may people have bought one after seeing my FB post about ours. A month ago I did not know such a thing existed. Now I am happy to have one.

It’s REALLY good!

We are so happy with this unit! We’ve done a lot of research on composters of this nature and this model seems leaps ahead of its previous ones. First off the build quality is amazing and really user friendly. The main unit is sleek enough to be placed I. Your counter top however if you can swing it I would suggest leaving it in your garage and keeping the bucket in your kitchen next to the sink. We haven’t been cutting anything down and it’s truly impressive. We’ve thrown whole apples, carrots, and even leftover whole chicken scraps and this has no issues breaking everything down into a nice dry powder that’s smells really nice! The whole process does take a while so best to run at night. It’s incredibly quiet and has been fail proof since we got it. I do suspect it uses a bit of energy as the motor is very strong and the heat applied. I would recommend this unit over and over again to anyone that’s interested in it!

Helps in reducing household waste

First let me say this thing works well. I have been using it about twice a week for a month now, and it has broken down everything I have put into the bucket. Extremely pleased with its performance, noise level, and overall look. Issues I had with the machine is lack of functionality with the button. There is only one button on this machine, and even after reading the manual, which is very informative. I was surprised that there was no lock feature to prevent you from starting the machine by accident. They do recommend you unplug the machine after every use which I do, and find it to be quite annoying. The manual also states that you can pause the machine by holding down the power button for 3 seconds, however on the same page it states holding the button for 3 seconds will standby, and cancel the process you are currenting doing. Really confusing. How I pause the machine is opening up the lid which does not cancel the current process and allows me to put more into the bucket as long as it's between 1 - 3 cycles in. It takes several hours for the cycles to complete. When it is finished I am amazed by how well it works. I have been storing the compost for use in my flowerbed, and you know the compost works because of the mold that starts to grow on the compost. Besides the minor issues with the power button the machine works really well, and has helped in reducing waste in my household.

Powerful machine that offers easy and mess-less composting

Play Video I ordered this Vitamix FoodCycler because I've been wanting to get into composting for a long time but have lacked the courage and time to really make a go of it. When I saw this machine, I figured this would be an easy way to start composting and I was right! First off, this machine is large (as others have pointed out) and heavy. I had trouble getting it out of the box it came in because of the machine's weight. It's not a problem if you have a dedicated space for the machine though because you really just lift the bin out to add food waste and the bin is solid but not terribly heavy. What I did to try out this machine is put it on my kitchen counter. I lifted out the bin and kept that close to my kitchen sink for easy access for food scraps. That seemed to work well. The bin has a lid with a filter built in so even though I put really random food scraps that would have a tendency to smell over time (such as raw chicken scraps, fruit, eggs shells, etc.), I did not notice any odor around the bin or in my kitchen. It took me about a week of cooking for four people to fill the bin to the max line. The instructions suggest filling it to that line for efficiency's sake. Close to the end of the week, I did notice some fruit flies around the bin when I took the top off but since I kept the top on, they weren't a problem. Once the bin got full, I put it into the machine, removed the bin lid, and locked the lid down. The instructions don't mention that you need to remove the bin lid but the machine lid won't close unless you do. I plugged the machine in and pressed the power button. It ended up running around 5.5 hours during which time I opened the lid a couple times out of curiosity. As the instructions stated, the machine pauses when the lid is opened. Once the lid is locked back down, the machine resumes. I was really surprised by how quiet this machine is. I had planned to run it overnight because I thought it would be loud but because I wanted to write a thorough review, I ran it in the afternoon and evening. The noise was noticeable when standing in the same but I didn't find it to be any louder than our dishwasher and significantly quieter than our washing machine and dryer. What was produced in the end smells a little like burned coffee (probably because I had put coffee grounds into the bin multiple times) but it wasn't unpleasant. The mix looks surprisingly like dirt. I need to find a good way to store the mix produced by this machine but for now, I'm just using a Ziploc freezer bag. Overall, I found this to be just as pictured and described. It's solidly built (as I expect from Vitamix) and well-designed. I do wish I could rinse out the removeable bin but the instructions say not to do that. I would have given this five stars if it weren't for the price. At the current price of $599.95, it's insanely expensive. But, I am familiar with the Vitamix brand and expect quality and longevity worthy of the price tag. Hopefully this FoodCycler will live up to Vitamix's reputation and contribute to our family for a very long time.

Really quiet

This well worth the price first time using it I felt like I was saving our world not throwing food away and making plant food you can't go wrong the directions are easy to follow and this stores nicely on the counter it don't take unto much room and looks great blends nicely.

Very happy despite its bulk

This thing is super heavy. I was NOT prepared for that. But because You only need the base unit when you are actively running it, I was able to stick it on a bottom shelf out of the way where I can just plug it in to run. Composter bucket slips right out for filling, then easily back in to run a cycle. I cannot get over just how it has NO smell. That charcoal technology is amazing. It took me over two weeks to fill initially and there was plenty of stinky food it in, but unless I was right above it with the lid open I didn't smell a thing. And neither did my dog because she hasn't messed with it once. Cycle takes about 8 hours and did an amazing job turning scraps to ready-to-use compost. It's very quiet. I've a lot of appliances in the kitchen and I could barely hear it over the ambient noise. I have a big, tumbler composter which has a much greater capacity but takes so much longer to turn to compost (and is constantly sprouting seeds from whatever I throw in). At only 8 hours for a full cycle I plan on utilizing this a lot more since it grinds everything and provides pretty instant satisfaction.

Little miracle worker

Its a little miracle worker takes composting from month after month to 9 hours the only thing would make it better is if was bigger. I show in my photos whT it was and what it looked like after it was done and there was almost nothing in there wow and I filled it up this is a must have for me I highly recommend this ...

Composts as promised

This does compost as promised. It is very expensive and not worth it for me. I am not a huge composter and find this to be useful and a good start into getting to be a composted.

So happy to finally break down kitchen waste

Play Video I recently had the opportunity to try out the extraordinary Vitamix Eco 5, a game-changing blender designed specifically for composting food waste. This innovative appliance is truly a marvel, offering a range of features that make composting a breeze. One of the standout qualities of the Vitamix Eco 5 is its ability to effortlessly break down kitchen waste. Instead of throwing away food scraps and contributing to landfill waste, the Eco 5 allows you to transform them into nutrient-rich compost. It's like having a mini composting system right in your kitchen! I was pleasantly surprised by how quietly the Eco 5 operates. Unlike traditional blenders that can be noisy and disruptive, the Eco 5 blends food waste with a whisper-like hush. This is especially valuable if you live in an apartment or have noise-sensitive neighbors, as it ensures a peaceful composting experience. The inclusion of carbon pellets in the Vitamix Eco 5 is a brilliant touch. These pellets help keep any potential odors contained, preventing any unpleasant smells from wafting through your home. I found that even when blending a variety of food waste, the Eco 5 did an excellent job of minimizing any odors, ensuring a pleasant composting process. One of the best features of the Vitamix Eco 5 is its compact footprint. It takes up no more space than a standard kitchen appliance, allowing you to seamlessly incorporate it into your countertop setup. With its sleek design and efficient size, the Eco 5 ensures that composting doesn't take up unnecessary space in your kitchen. Assembly of the Vitamix Eco 5 was a breeze, thanks to the clear and straightforward instructions provided. Within minutes, I had the blender ready to go, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to transform my food waste into nutrient-dense compost. In conclusion, the Vitamix Eco 5 is a true game-changer for composting food waste. Its efficient breakdown capabilities, quiet operation, odor-controlling carbon pellets, compact design, and easy assembly make it an indispensable tool for eco-conscious individuals. If you're passionate about sustainability and want to make a positive impact on the environment, the Vitamix Eco 5 is a must-have addition to your composting routine. It's time to turn your kitchen waste into valuable compost with the help of this remarkable blender.

I am a happy composter

I enjoy growing a garden, every year, but I haven’t been able to have a compost bin, with food scraps, because they attract rodents. I end up buying bags of compost and the quality is not that great. Now, I don’t have throw away all the great kitchen scraps we end up with. It is so easy to collect those scraps and toss them in the Vitamix Eco 5 bucket. I keep the bucket on the kitchen counter, near the sink. I add the bucket to the Eco 5 Foodcycler, which I keep on a wide counter on my sun porch, when it is filled up to the line on the inside of the bucket. The Eco 5 Foodcycler dimensions are: 13 1/2” wide, 11 1/4” from front to back, and 13 3/4” tall. I have been adding egg shells, coffee grounds, salad greens that have gone bad, and some lettuce leaves I trim from my garden. I added some celery, but it did cause the machine to stop, when the celery got stuck in the blade. It was an easy fix. I just took it out and cut it up. It was a piece about 5 inches long, so now I know to cut it smaller, before adding it to the bucket. I have made three batches of compost, so far. It comes out looking like dirt, with egg shells ground up and mixed in. It only makes about a cup of compost at a time, but I’m okay with that. Every cup is going to make my garden that much better. I have noticed no odor coming from the bucket and no odor when the Eco 5 is running. I don’t think the Eco 5 FoodCycler is too heavy and I am an old senior lady. Though, I don’t plan to move it very often. If you have limited counter space in your kitchen, like I do, you might want to find a dedicated place for the Eco 5 FoodCycler in another room. The instructions say to wait a week, or longer, before adding your new fertilizer/compost to your soil. So far, I really like this Vitamix Eco 5 Foodcycler.

Good idea but heavy, bulky, and pricey

There’s been more buzz lately about composting and food recycling. The Vitamix Eco Foodcycler overall is a good product with impressive results. The question one needs to ask themselves is whether it’s worth the cost. It’s very important to understand this does not produce compost. It recycles food scraps into a form to make composting easier. Our family is not a big composter. We have the option to send all our scraps to the local industrial composting. This Foodcycler is a way to try returning the nutrients to our yard. The unit weighs in at some 20 lbs and is larger than a desk wastebasket. You need some serious floor space. Note to people with small children, there is NO LOCK on the lid which is concerning if you have small children who could reach in and cut their hand on the blades. The machine will stop rotating the blades if opened, but that doesn't stop kids from reaching in. The scrap basket is great with a handle and lid that hold a carbon filter. The basket is heavy because the blades are inside. I’ve run the three batches, all with increasing types of scraps. It is a very quiet machine, better than our air filtration. There is no smell if you use the carbon pellets. If you forget the pellets, the smell is not offensive, though it really depends on what you put in. My first batch had a few cups of coffee grounds and so the whole house smelled like roasting grounds. Fibrous items like corn husks need to be cut smaller or they remain stringy sometimes. A small amount of cherry pits got broken up well. A big avocado pit was no problem other than making more noise as it got tossed around. Everyone time we were left with a rich mixture of dried material ready for composting. If you are a composter who wants a shortcut on the process or don't have a compost option with your garbage pickup, this is a good option. For the casual composter, this may not be worth the cost if you don’t put in regular effort.

A compost fast forward button, 1.5kWh a cycle

First, let's address a complaint I've seen: Yes, the unit itself is fairly large, but the beauty of this setup is that you don't have to leave the whole thing on your counter! The compost container has a handle, easily removes, comes with a lid that has a built in charcoal filter, and is no bigger than many other compost containers I've seen. It is almost identical in size to the one we were using prior to this. The manufacturer actually recommends using it this way so that you don't accidentally spill food scraps into the unit outside of the bucket. Keep the main unit somewhere else (it does need to be kept above freezing), and keep the bucket on your counter. When the bucket is full, pop it in the unit and hit the button. It's easier than running the dishwasher. It works phenomenally well. A pile of scraps turns into ready to use compost in a few hours. It's also incredibly quiet. You can hear it running, but it is by no means intrusive. It puts off warm moist air filtered through a large charcoal canister, and there is almost no odor. I have mine running in the dining room even. I'm not entirely convinced that it's any "greener" than normal composting or throwing away the food scraps. Of the two runs I tracked, one used 1.57kWh of energy and the other 1.47kWh. The variability depends on how moist your material is. The drier it is, the less energy will be needed to process it. My first run had a lot of plums in it (complete with pits). My second had corn cobs. It handled both without issue. See the photo for before and after. The only thing preventing this from getting 5 stars is the hefty price tag, but depending on your situation it may well be worth it. I think it would be great for someone living in an apartment or other space where they are unable to compost the traditional way. This review was for "Eco 5 FoodCycler by Vitamix, quiet, odorless waste reducer"

Worth every penny. Wow. Diehard composter loves this machine.

I am a diehard, everything organic, 8 rolling compost bins, person. My kids draw straws to see who's job it is to take the compost out to the bins. They hate it. This machine, we all love. I am painfully frugal and thrifty and this machine is worth every penny. It makes composting insanely fast, saving money on compost, it eliminates the potentially smelly and gross looking compost buckets, eliminates the need to store the compost long term as it can go directly into the soil, and pasteurizes everything, so even meat and dairy don't stink and raw items aren't dangerous to handling the compost if it hasn't been long enough or hot enough. This machine is a little smaller than a countertop ice maker. It doesn't have to sit on your counter top though. The bucket is removable and has a lid, the machine can sit anywhere it can be plugged in. The housing is all plastic. The bucket is the workimg part, it's all metal as are the blades. The heating element on top also has a metal screen. This machine has a huge charcoal filter that is filled with loose pellets. It does put out warm humid air, but even the rotten bananas I put in there couldn't be smelled while it ran. The bucket has a nice boot and charcoal filtered lid that makes it fine to set on the counter while it's filled. Once full it just sets down into the machine. It does take several hours to run when full, so I turn it on at bed time and it's done by morning. The results are mind blowing. You can see in my video all the stuff I put in, and in the photo what came out. I put in 3 rotten bananas, potato and carrot peels, onions, dead cut flowers and more. What came out was dry and unrecognizable compost, like what you'd find in seed starter kits or bagged compost in the store. It's really neat. As I said, I am a diehard organic person all about compost and gardening. However, the indoor compost collection and the cold compost rotators outside were such a fight. They drew gnats inside, nobody wanted to take them out to empty them, and nobody wanted to help turn the bins. This machine has eliminated all of that necessary hassel. Now all that needs done is to fill up the bucket, push a button and when it's finished, carry it outside and put it in the soil. I really can't say enough about how great this machine is and the amount of work it is saving me. It is worth every penny. I had been saving up to buy one prior to getting this one, and I wouldn't have regretted buying it one little bit.

Does the Job, But wish it was smaller

Does the job but takes up quite a bit of room. If your garage is close to the kitchen i recommend putting it out there. Or you have room in a cabinet. Otherwise it takes a lot of counter space.

Overnight compost, literally

Okay so first, this is pricey. I believe it is competitively priced. I see it as an investment. Vitamix is a brand I trust and I know they make quality products. My grandma’s Vitamix blender is like 20 years old and still working with no hiccups and she will not upgrade or switch. My Vitamix blender is like almost 10 years old and looks and works like it is brand new. There’s that. At a price tag of $600 I look at it like saving time, effort, food waste, and keeps me from having to rebuy new products in the future. Its worth it to me. If, and I believe it will, this product is with me for 6 years, I can view it like $100 per year well spent on composting. A win for the environment, the garden and me. All I have to do is replace the carbon pellets when it tells me on the display which should be in 3-4 months according to the instructions. Setting it up was super easy. Remove the inside contents. Take out the carbon filter chamber and pour the pellets in and replace. Take out bucket and add food scraps. After dinner last night I had: 1 pineapple peel, 1 apple core, 2 egg shells, 2 tea bags, 1 garlic peel , and 1 onion peel. This was enough to fill the bucket without stuffing it down. It filled to the line. I put the bucket back into the machine, plugged it in, closed the lid and pressed start. It was so easy I wondered if I was doing it right. Went to bed and woke up to compost. No smells. Instantly, overnight, it turned to usable content to add to my soil. No mess, no bugs, no piles, attracting animals (I live in the forest with bears and pumas). Impressed. Now, it does take up counter space. My initial thought upon opening is that this unit is bigger than expected. I placed it next to my reverse osmosis countertop system and it is definitely bigger. Have in mind a space to place it. It can go almost anywhere, including the floor if needed. It doesn’t bother me on my counter. It still takes up less space than an outdoor compost pile or bin. I love it for my needs and time and space.