NatureMill PRO Automatic Composter - Silver

NatureMill PRO Automatic Composter - Silver
by NatureMill

List Price: ~~$399.99~~
Category: Kitchen
See more product details

Buy NatureMill PRO Automatic Composter - Silver at Amazon.com

(Click here)

Product Summary

Manufacturer: NatureMill
Brand: NatureMill
Product features:

Foot pedal for convenient hands-free operation.
Add waste items any time, any day. Upper chamber mixes, heats, and aerates.
Compost then transfers to lower chamber, so you can add more materials.
Remove rich compost fertilizer every two weeks.
Stainless steel components for continuous heavy use . Vacation mode for automatic energy savings.

Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of NatureMill PRO Automatic Composter - Silver

Customer Review: green wash
Summary: 1 Stars

Executive summary: If you are looking for a gadget that composts, then the naturemill is fine. If you're trying to do something for the environment, then look elsewhere. Acting green is different from being green. Acting green is an excuse for a certain brand of feel-good conspicuous consumption. Being green means doing the math and, often, walking away from stuff that doesn't make sense.

If you need to buy something, try Kitchen Composter Hinged Top Filtered. It's a vastly greener choice.

As a gadget lover even I can't justify buying naturemill's interesting gadgety automated contraption because feeling good about composting isn't a reason, it's an excuse. Actually being green is a valid reason though.

Doing the math ... You buy this manufactured product containing plastic, motors, heaters, fans and filters. You ship it in, plug it in and it composts your kitchen waste. You then take the compost somewhere to use it. Quite a CO2 footprint for that little bit of compost.

Advocates of the product claim it only costs 50 cents a month to run, the same as a night light. In Feb. '08, electricty cost, on average, 7 cents per kilowatt-hour. So that 50 cents is about 7 kilowatt hours and equivalent to running an old style 7 watt night light 24 hours a day every day. Every clueful enviro I know uses 1 watt or less nightlights on sensors or no nightlight at all.

So, energy to run is about 7 watts 24/7. A 15 watt CFL bulb produces the illumination equivalent of a 60 watt incandescent. So, the naturemill device sucks the juice of an average CFL bulb running 12 hours a day every day. This is just consumption and ignores the energy costs of production and shipping.

Compare one alternative. You find a container that is otherwise destined for the landfill, poke some holes in it, and throw in your kitchen waste. If you're in a hurry then turn the container or shake it around every now and then. After all, part of being green is letting nature do what nature does. The CO2 footprint is almost zero because everything in the project is reused.

Compare another alternative, you collect kitchen waste and give it to someone who has a compost pile.

naturemill claims that urban dwellers can benefit because they lack space for a compost bin. Well, where will the compost go then? Compost doesn't really take any less space or weigh less than the stuff that went into it. There is no savings to the environment in hauling it after composting rather than before. Compost piles take space? It seems that a bucket without lots of attendant gadgetry takes less.

Another reason advocates provide is that a simple bucket takes effort and people are so lazy that they quit putting in the effort. The effort is almost nil - people stop composting because they get bored with it, not because it's tough. I guess when people quit getting a kick out of the naturemill contraption, they can sell it. Cool, re-use. that's green.

Write your own review

Description of NatureMill PRO Automatic Composter - Silver

How it works: Deposit food waste items at any time, on any day. Add up to 120 lbs (55kg) per month. For best results, cut items into small pieces. Items remain in the upper chamber, with "hot composting" conditions: mixing, air flow, heat, and moisture (see diagram). The energy released destroys odors, pathogens, and seed germination. The compost is later transferred through a trap door to the lower cure tray chamber, where it continues to compost while you add fresh waste items to the upper chamber. No odors, worms, or bugs: Cultures consume waste quickly, without odors. The cultures produce a mild aroma similar to sourdough, mushrooms, or damp straw. Balance the chemistry by adding a small amount of sawdust to increase "brown" content, and baking soda to reduce acidity (both are included). A fan draws air into the machine continuously, providing oxygen to the cultures. A powerful carbon filter removes any lingering odors. Replace the filter every 4-5 years ($8 online, or about $1 if you buy the carbon yourself). Use it anywhere: Fits inside any standard cabinet (cabinet kit sold separately - COMING SOON). Keep it in the kitchen, a garage, or laundry room. Use it outdoors, even in the snow, rain, or freezing temperatures. Keep the power supply dry, using a ABOUT NATUREMILL NatureMill, Inc., is the inventor, patent holder, and sole producer of fully automatic compost machines. Founded in 2004, we have sold thousands of units. They are odor free, can be used indoors or outdoors, require minimal effort, and are energy efficient. The product has become an instant hit in the US, Canada, Europe, and beyond. It has been featured on Better Homes & Gardens, Home & Garden TV, Popular Science, The Times of London, USAToday, and hundreds of other newspapers and magazines world-wide. Based in San Francisco, NatureMill is at the forefront of the environmental and organic gardening movements.

Large Appliances

Kitchen and Housewares

Most talked about in Eco Options on Amazon

NatureMill PRO Automatic Composter - Silver
NatureMill; NatureMill; Kitchen
Best price: $399.99

Fuelmeister II Biodiesel Processor - Model# FM2 Image

Fuelmeister II Biodiesel Processor - Model# FM2
Fuelmeister; Tools
Best price: $2,849.99

Green Clean: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home
by Linda Mason Hunter, Mikki Halpin
Melcher Media; Published: 2005-05-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.14
Price in other shops: ~~$16.95~~

Planet Earth - The Complete BBC Series [Blu-ray]
Ingram; Release date: 2007-04-24; DVD
Best price: $66.70
Price in other shops: ~~$99.98~~

Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century
by Alex Steffen
Abrams; Published: 2008-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.98
Price in other shops: ~~$19.95~~