FoodCycler Municipal Program

Did you know that up to 50% of household waste is composed of food waste and other organic products? Here are some reasons why countertop composting can benefit your family and our environment:

What is a FoodCycler?

The FoodCycler™ is a closed-loop indoor compost alternative that speeds up the natural decomposition process through aerobic digestion of waste. The unit dries and grinds food waste into a dry, odorless nutrient-rich by-product that is significantly reduced in weight and volume from its unprocessed state. The product is free from bacteria, weed seeds, and food-borne pathogens that were eliminated during the process. You can learn more on the FoodCycler website. 

How does the FoodCycler countertop composting process work?

The FoodCycler speeds up the compost process through its revolutionary low-sound and low-odour grinding technology. The Vortech™ grinding system pulverizes meat, bones, pits, shells, and other food scraps. Over the course of 4-9 hours, the composter will break down food waste into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. 

The FoodCycler works its magic through three stages:

1. Drying: It heats up to 140 degrees Celsius (284 degrees Fahrenheit), which destroys over 99% of bacteria and reduces food waste volume by up to 90% by removing excess moisture.
2. Grinding: With its powerful rotary mechanism and blades, it transforms your food waste into small particles, ready for their future use as soil amendment. 
3. Cooling: Finally, it cools the resulting soil amendment product down, making it safe to handle and use.

You can read more about the science behind the FoodCycler unit on their blog. 

How much electricity would a FoodCycler use?

Each cycle consumes approximately 0.8-1.5 kWh per cycle, which is roughly equivalent to having a desktop computer running for the same amount of time as the cycle. Depending on where you live, each cycle should not cost you more than a couple of cents.

The FoodCycler has built-in sensor technology that monitors the dryness and humidity of the food waste. Once complete, the unit will stop the cycle automatically. 

How long does the FoodCycler process last? 

In the Maestro / Eco 5™ FoodCycler®, a typical cycle takes between 4-9 hours for the food waste to become completely dehydrated and processed into the by-product

For the FC-30 units 4-8 hours (with an average of 5 hours) for the food waste to become completely dehydrated and processed.

The time needed depends on the amount of food waste being processed, the density of the food wastes and the moisture levels contained in each. Please note that these estimates exclude the unit's cooling time which lasts less than a half hour on average.

Wondering if the FoodCycler FC-50 electronic composter is right for you? Read on for an unpaid review of the Vitamix FoodCycler from a self-proclaimed composting nerd. I’ve tested a bunch of different composting methods and love to chat about all things composting at home. Hopefully, I can help you figure out if the FoodCycler is right for you.

Just want a quick answer to know if I think the FoodCycler is a good fit for you? Scroll straight to the bottom of the post for my quick summary about this particular machine. If you’re more curious about electric compost bins and electric kitchen bins generally, I’m not a huge fan. You can read more about why I feel that way in these posts:

I’m not here to decide if an electric compost bin is right for you. But hopefully, this information can help you make that decision for yourself.

Update: We had our FoodCycler for a little over a year and used it many times. But I have since given it away because I didn’t love it or find it the best use of space or the best method of composting for our family.

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Can you compost in an apartment or a condominium? How can you compost without any outdoor space? 

As someone who writes and talks about composting a lot, I get some iteration of this question regularly. A quick Google search confirms there are tons of ways to compost indoors… in theory. But many ways to compost indoors are more complicated than a brief internet search implies. Today, let’s lay out the facts to assess if the FoodCycler FC-50 is your solution to indoor composting.

Detailed Review of the Vitamix FoodCycler

What Is The Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50?

The Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50 is an electronic composting appliance. It’s about the size of a toaster oven (12.6 x 11 x 14.2 inches according to the website where it is sold) and plugs into the wall. After filling the removable waste bucket with food scraps, the FoodCycler heats, dries, and grinds food scraps into a soil amendment that resembles a mixture of bread crumbs and dried spices, depending on what you process.

How Does the FoodCycler Work?

The FoodCycler has a removable food scrap bucket inside of the appliance. After collecting food scraps in the bucket for a couple of days, place the bucket inside the FoodCycler appliance and turn it on.

The FoodCycler moves through three phases to heat, dry, and grind the food waste into a crumb-like consistency called Foodilizer. Due to the high levels of heat, the Foodilizer has no microbial or bacterial qualities like typical compost, which is why it’s not ready for direct soil amendment for existing plants.

Is the FoodCycler Loud?

Nope! I can hear a low humming when it’s running, but it’s not an overwhelming noise by any means.

How Do You Store The FoodCycler?

We store the FoodCycler appliance separately from the food scrap bucket. The food scrap bucket has a carbon-filter lid and is much smaller than the appliance so we keep the bucket on our countertop for daily food scrap collection. The carbon filter in the lid prevents any smells from escaping into our kitchen. We’ve stored food scraps like tuna fish and chicken bits in the bucket for several days before running the FoodCycler and haven’t had any issues at all with unpleasant smells.

We keep our FoodCycler appliance on a shelf in the room next to our kitchen. It’s large enough that I did not want it taking up counter space. Unless you have a lot of empty counter space, you’re probably not going to want the FoodCycler appliance residing on your counter.

You could also store the small appliance in your basement, garage, or even on a balcony when it’s not too hot or cold outside. As long as the temperature is above freezing where you store the appliance, the FoodCycler will operate properly. When purchasing the FoodCycler, keep the space requirements in mind when thinking about how and how often you plan to use it.

How Often Do You Run The FoodCycler?

We have a traditional compost bin for food scraps that can go in our outdoor piles and tumblers, so we don’t run the FoodCycler all that often. We only use the FoodCycler for food waste like meat, bread, and dairy products that I don’t like to put outdoors.

We probably use it once every seven to ten days, because the food scraps start to smell after that time. However, when I was getting to know the FoodCycler, I used it exclusively, and we ran it once every day or two for a family of four.

Is It Better To Landfill Food Scraps Or Use Energy To Run It?

As soon as I plugged the FoodCycler FC-50 into the wall and realized it ran for several hours, I began wondering if my energy use was any better than tossing the food scraps in the trash. I know it depends, in large part, on the source of energy from which the power to run the FoodCycler is generated. Methane emissions from food decomposing in a landfill are worse than solar power for my FoodCycler but maybe not such a good trade-off if the power to run the machine comes from fossil fuels?

I didn’t see much analysis on the carbon emission comparisons between using the FoodCycler, backyard composting, or sending food scraps to a landfill, so I did a simple “back of the envelope” FoodCycler carbon emission analysis for you! It was long enough to warrant its own post, so head on over and check it out. While no solution is perfect, the FoodCycler carbon emission analysis suggests an electric composter is better than sending our food scraps to a landfill (something about which I wasn’t all that surprised).

Update: Life-cycle assessments from other electric food waste bins also corroborate the conclusion that using a processing bin like this is better (when you can use the output and don’t put it in the trash anyway) is better environmentally. But I’m still not convinced it’s a great solution, especially for the masses, even though it’s marginally better.

As with many environmental problems, we don’t reach a perfect solution in one giant leap. We take baby steps through various states of progress that continually improve on previous alternatives. Even if the FoodCycler isn’t the epitome of regenerative living and food waste elimination, it’s a better option for certain populations, and it energizes momentum toward normalizing composting.

In due time, we can only hope that a majority (or even all) of our energy sources are renewable or carbon-free, and appliances like the FoodCycler can capitalize on that paradigm shift.

How Can You Use the FoodCycler Output Or Foodilizer?

The crumb-like output from the FoodCycler is Foodilizer. As I mentioned above, the Foodilizer has no microbial or bacterial qualities like typical compost. You can add the Foodilizer to the soil but need to let it rest for 1-4 weeks before planting in that soil. The Foodilizer tablets speed up this process but still don’t make the output “soil-ready” right away.

If you don’t need the Foodilizer, I’m sure there are neighbors, community gardens, or friends in a local Buy Nothing group that would be happy to take it off your hands.

The Foodilizer can sit for up to a year before spoiling, so you can also collect it over time in a large container and use it to amend the soil in your garden in the spring and fall before planting and after harvesting, respectively. Just be sure you keep it dry while not using it. This is a great alternative to traditional compost if you have the space to store the Foodilizer and the soil in which to use it.

That being said, I think there are a lot of people who won’t have a great way to use the output. If you’re considering buying an electric kitchen bin, be sure to consider the full cycle of how you plan to use the machine and what other alternatives are available to you before making this significant investment.

Can You Add The Foodilizer To A Compost Pile?

Yes. If you’re using the FoodCycler as a supplement to a traditional, outdoor composting system, you can add the Foodilizer right into the compost pile without any issues. The active compost will bring the Foodilizer “back to life” and make it ready to go into your garden when the compost finishes processing.

Is The FoodCycler A Complete Composting Solution For Apartment Dwellers?

No. You can’t use the finished Foodilizer unless you have soil in which to let it rest and “come back to life”, even if you add the Foodilizer tablets to speed up bacterial and microbial regrowth.  Thus, if you’re hoping to make fertilizer for indoor houseplants and container gardens, the FoodCycler gets you there but requires the extra processing steps in empty soil.

If you just want to reduce waste and don’t need soil amendment, you can give the Foodilizer away to friends, neighbors, a community garden, or offer it up in a local Buy Nothing group to someone who can use it.

How Does The FoodCycler Help If I Already Compost Outdoors?

We have several compost systems outdoors (because I’m a composting nerd and like to experiment with them), and the FoodCycler offers some composting benefits that I can’t achieve in my outdoor piles and tumblers.

FoodCycler Composts More Variety Than Backyard Composting

Because food scraps are heated and dried, the FoodCycler can compost meat, dairy, bread, and even certain types of small bones. We use our FoodCycler as an additional bucket for many of the scraps that we might otherwise toss in the trash if we only used backyard composting.

These types of items can go directly into backyard compost bins, but they can attract pests if not diligently managed. Many people choose not to compost meat, dairy, and oily products in home compost bins for simplicity, and an electric compost bin can make adding those items a bit easier to maintain.

Foodilizer Reduces Attraction of Wildlife To Compost

Additionally, the FoodCycler can help reduce the risk of attracting wildlife to your compost pile. Food scraps in a traditional backyard compost pile may smell, especially if not properly managed, and attract mice, raccoons, or even bears (depending on where you live). The Foodilizer reduces the risk of smells during the final microbe reactivation process that happens in the soil or in a compost bin (before the Foodilizer becomes traditional compost).

I want to distinguish reducing the smell from eliminating the smell. The Foodilizer output may have a slight scent to it even after it’s dehydrated and ground up. It’s definitely not odor-free based on my experience, though I had no issues with any odors so long as I kept it stored in a container with a top. I used repurposed yogurt containers with lids.

Later, I mixed some of the output into the mulch on my garden beds. Within 24 hours, an animal (presumably a raccoon) got into the mulch and made quite a mess of it. There was nothing in the garden beds at the time, so I assume the animal was searching for whatever was producing the odor (in this case, the Foodilizer mixed into the mulch).

The Foodilizer will be easier to manage and can go directly into the soil, but it probably needs to be mixed into the dirt to prevent animals from tracing the odors.

FoodCycler Speeds Up Composting Process

The FoodCycler significantly speeds up the time between waste production and soil amendment if you’re not actively managing a very hot compost pile. After 3-8 hours in the FoodCycler, the Foodilizer can be added to the soil and ready for plants in just a few weeks. If you prefer not to labor over outdoor compost piles but still want to feed your garden with your food scraps, the FoodCycler makes that possible.

FoodCycler Makes Composting Easier In Cold Winter Weather

In places with long, cold winters, a backyard compost system freezes and stops processing in winter weather. Electric composters, like the FoodCycler, give people an option to compost their food scraps indoors when the weather is not as suitable for backyard composting. Then they have soil amendment that’s ready to add to garden beds when spring arrives.

You can also food scraps into a frozen compost bin and let those scraps process over summer when they thaw out, but outdoor composting in a cold climate can be slow if there isn’t a long enough warm season for everything to fully decompose.

Where Can You Buy The FoodCycler?

The FoodCycler appliance is made by a company also called FoodCycler. When I first started researching the FoodCycler, I was a bit confused about where to purchase the product and who made it. While this company developed the technology and the product, they do not sell directly to consumers.

FoodCycler partners with Vitamix to sell the Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. They partner with Breville to sell the Breville FoodCycler FC-50 in Australia and New Zealand. These are the same products branded under each respective distribution company’s name. In the United States and Canada, you can buy the FoodCycler from Vitamix. In Australia, you can purchase the FoodCycler from Breville.

If you’re looking to purchase the FoodCycler in other countries, the company has partnered with a variety of retailers to make it available in select countries internationally. You can see the full list of international FoodCycler sellers on the FoodCycler website.

What Is the Difference Between the FoodCycler FC-50 and the FoodCycler FC-30?

The FoodCycler FC-50 and the FoodCycler FC-30 are identical appliances though the FC-50 model comes with a carbon-filter lid for the food scrap bucket that is not included in the FC-30 model. The carbon-filter bucket lid can be purchased separately for those buying the FC-30 model. We store our bucket on the kitchen counter and use it to collect scraps while the appliance is in another room in our house. If you’re considering purchasing the FC-30 model, I think adding the carbon-filter lid as an accessory is really helpful and worth the additional cost.

Additionally, each of the models is only available through certain channels. The FC-50 model is available through Vitamix and Breville while the FC-30 model is available from other international sellers and directly from FoodCycler through their municipal bulk order programs (described in more detail below).

How Much Does the FoodCycler Cost?

As of the time I wrote this article, the Vitamix® FoodCycler® FC-50 model available in the United States and Canada costs $399.95 in the United States and $499.95 in Canada. Breville sells the FoodCycler for $499AUD. This price includes the removable waste bucket and carbon filter lid as well as two carbon filters for the machine.

You’ll need to replace the carbon filters in the machine about every 500 Cycler Hours. This is once every 3-4 months if you use the Cycler every few days. A set of two FoodCycler Replacement Filters costs $24.95, so expect to purchase those once or twice a year.

FoodCycler Foodilizer Tablets, which cost $24.95 for a pack of two, are optional and will likely last about a year if used as instructed.

All in all, in the United States, the upfront cost is about $400 with annual costs of roughly $40 – $50 a year. This is a pretty steep price that is out of reach for many people. I recognize this is not intended to be a solution for everyone. The FoodCycler has some great benefits for those who can afford it and find it a complement to their current food waste management system.

That being said, I highly encourage potential buyers to consider how they would use this or any electric compost bin. I do not believe they are the silver bullet to solving our food waste dilemma. For the most part, they are novel and nice to have for some people but not an end-to-end solution for many people.

What Is The FoodCycler Municipal Bulk Purchase Program?

FoodCycler recognizes that the price of its product can be a barrier for many people. To make the product accessible to a larger customer base, they work with municipal groups to offer discounted FoodCycler FC-30 units and accessories when purchased by the municipality or municipal organization in bulk.

Depending on the municipal budget, municipalities can provide these to residents for free through their budgets or simply sell them to residents at cost and pass along the bulk purchase savings to their communities. The second alternative has no ultimate cost to the municipal organization, so it might be an attractive option for towns and cities looking to foster eco-friendly or green initiatives, even if they don’t have large financial budgets.

How Does This Compare To A Compost Pick-Up Service?

A compost pick-up service is a logical alternative for many people considering an investment in a FoodCycler. While not offered to everyone, there are composting (or food scrap collection) services in many major cities around the country. A lucky few have municipal compost services, but that’s not currently available for most of us.

The price of a food scrap collection service varies depending on where you live. I’ve seen rates as low as $10/month for weekly service and up to $25/month for bi-weekly service. Price often depends on the density of customers in your area.

At the prices above, one could pay for several years of compost service fees before recovering the investment in a FoodCycler. As the former owner of a composting service and a FoodCycler, setting your scraps out for the service pick up is much easier than managing your FoodCycler and the subsequent maintenance for the Foodilizer to be effective soil amendment.

Many of these services also provide finished compost to customers once or twice a year included in their subscription fee. The finished compost from the service provider will often be ready to add directly to the soil of houseplants and container gardens.

Compost pickup services vary with respect to the types of food scraps they take for collection. This is based on what methods of composting they use. Many will not take meat, dairy, and oils, so the FoodCycler could offer a broader range of food scraps to be composted.

Who Should Buy The FoodCycler?

Here’s the big finale. Who should actually buy the FoodCycler? Let me start by disclaiming that I think any electric food waste bin is nice to have but not the future of food waste on a mass scale, something I shared at the beginning of the post. But if you have the disposable income to invest in this appliance and think it would be fun to have, here are some people who might find this a useful addition to their current food waste management habits.

Home Gardeners Without A Compost Pile | If you have a home garden, want to recycle your food scraps and put the nutrients back in the soil, don’t want to manage a typical compost pile, and have space to store Foodilizer until you’re ready to amend bare soil, then you might like the FoodCycler!

Apartment Dwellers With Access To A Garden | If you live in a small space and have access to a garden, you could use the Foodilizer in your garden like a Home Gardener. You will reduce your food waste and replace nutrients in the soil.

Cold Weather Composters | If you already compost but live in cold weather and struggle to manage a pile in the winter, the FoodCycler could be helpful for winter food waste recycling to complement outdoor composting in warmer seasons.

Next-Level Composter | The FoodCycler may be helpful as a supplement to traditional composting for someone who wants to eliminate food waste like meat and dairy that can’t easily be composted in other home composting systems. If you want to step up your composting game and reduce your food waste to nearly zero, the FoodCycler might fill the gap that your backyard composting system can’t address.

So What’s The Verdict On the FoodCycler?

The FoodCycler is a really neat appliance. It’s novel and offers some great benefits. But the FoodCycler is expensive. Electric compost appliances, in general, are not the seemingly magic, comprehensive solution they seem to be at first blush.

The FoodCycler is not a complete solution for an apartment dweller or someone with no outdoor space unless they plan to give away the Foodilizer. Many people may benefit from and love the Foodilizer, but it’s important to understand how it works and how you can use the output before investing.

Food waste is an immense global issue and will require massive culture change and a variety of solutions to effectively address. The FoodCycler is one piece of the giant puzzle that we can use to find a way for everyone to get their food scraps out of the landfills and into the soil where they belong.

I don’t think electric compost bins are scalable solutions that warrant significant climate action investment dollars. I think there are better, more effective and equitable systems that provide a better environmental return on our investment. But I think it could be a novel appliance for the eco-minded early adopters who have space in their kitchens and their budgets for an appliance like this.

Any Other Questions?

Did I miss anything? Do you have any other questions? If so, leave them in the comments, and I’ll do my best to answer them!