Composter/Composter Tea Maker Spins and Tumbles
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Composter/Composter Tea Maker Spins and Tumbles
Customer Review: Great composter for suburban environment
Summary: 5 Stars
This our first time composting and we weren't quite sure what to expect; we'd heard that there were some pitfalls to watch out for. That said, this has been really easy and seems to be working well (we're about 3-4 weeks in). We threw in a bunch of yard waste (dried leaves and stuff) to start and then have gradually been adding kitchen waste on a daily basis. The composter sits right by our trashcans next to our house, and there's no noticeable smell. Even when you open it it's not too bad.
A few weeks ago we noticed that we had worms, and the other day I noticed that it was starting to heat up (both good for composting). The composter is a little hard to turn (we do it every couple of days) as the material starts to get a little wet and mucky as it breaks down. But if you give it a good turn that pretty well un-sticks it, and if it gets too goopy I put in a few more dried leaves and things and then give it another spin.
Think we'll have useable compost in a couple of weeks. Regardless, a great way to get rid of food and yard waste without having to send it to the landfill. Very pleased.
Customer Review: Helpful Composter
Summary: 5 Stars
I probably would agree most with the review by "FNU MNU ..." I have had this model / brand for at least two years and have had no significant problems with it. I use composting products with it as I did in other parts of the country previous to now. I have never had an "odor" problem with it as described by another reviewer. You have to rotate it and not just leave it sit there and follow guidelines for optimal moisture content. That may be the reason for some complaints I read. If you do have a problem with clumping, I find that just opening the lid and poking about a bit with a metal rod or garden tool with handle soon resolves the issue. I find that cleaning the base helps and you can use mineral oil (non-toxic - see FDA if you don't believe me) in small quantity on the metal portions of the rollers to facilitate rotating. Regarding the complaint that it takes two to turn it, that may be due to over filling and too much water content. I find that by following the guidelines for use and a little preventative maintenance makes for a product that is productive for the price compared to others. I also make use of the "fertilizer tea (liquid)" that drains into the bottom. Just unscrew the cap and tilt slightly into an old plastic bottle (I use small drink plastic bottles). I periodically make bushes, etc. happy with this free "fertilizer tea" that is a product of composting. If you don't want to tilt the bottom which requires removing the drum from the base, you can always use some plastic tubing to siphon the "tea" into the bottles. You just stick the tubing into the opening and with the help of a used plastic basting syringe(ask the wife for an old one so that it doesn't find its way back into the kitchen but stays in the shed with your garden tools [you still should rinse it and the tubing with the garden hose between uses] you create a vacuum in the tubing which will start the fluid to drain into the tubing. The collection will work best and most quickly with the bottles below the level of the siphon tube (but, it will work as the vacuum created will siphon if the bottles are not too high above the level of the base -- see principles of siphoning). The fore going has been my experience with an Envirocycle Compost Maker (but mine is forest green and not black).
Customer Review: Hot to USE????????
Summary: 1 Stars
It came without instructions. It remains unused because of lack of instructions. If I could do it over, I would not purchase it.Customer Review: I LOVE THIS COMPOSTER
Summary: 5 Stars
I looked long and hard for a composter. One of my personal restrictions was size as I have a very small area in which to make my compost and it is on cement, not dirt. - I live in a condo.
After the looking and looking for a period of about a year I found and and bought the Envirocycle Tumbler for myself at home and one for my work place. Let me say I couldn't be more pleased with both. It takes up so little space yet produces BEAUTIFUL compost in short order- just as it promised. I use mine for kitchen scraps as well as plant waste. All break down nicely and only some of the larger pieces are sifted out and need longer to turn into a mature compost. I do live in Southern California so extreme cold is not a problem, however in my internet searches of blogs etc. I have seen quite a few of these in pretty cold climates. They either use them in covered areas, a garage or basements in the winter. This unit is very easy to move - even when full. All you need to do is roll it off it's base then on to it's destination. There were other insulating methods used but since I didn't need that I did read further.
This composter also has the SUPER COOL added benefit of collecting compost tea which for any gardener is a MAJOR BONUS. This was one factor that contributed a great deal in my decision to buy this product. Another reviewer had theirs leak - unfortunate. (wonder if the cap was on tight enough?) I have not had (or read about) any problems with leakage, which is not to say it doesn't happen. - I'm just saying, I know of, or own 6 of these units and I have read post of countless others- I remember no leaking mentioned. Now not everyone collects the tea (although I can't comprehend why one wouldn't) - if you don't want to collect the tea you simply leave the plugs (that come installed) in the unit. This keeps the bottom of the unit sealed. Done! no tea- no leaking. One thing I did do after the first year or so is elevate the unit on some cinder blocks. I found that by doing this I can harvest the tea more easily and there is no need to remove the drum to pour the content of the reservoir. As an added bonus it's easier to turn a little higher.
[...]
I now have 2 of these and as I said really couldn't be happier. You can buy two of these units for less than most any other 2 compartment tumblers. I think these are made of Recycled Plastic? -not positive, but thy ARE recyclable at the end of their life span- another factor that helped in my initial decision.
I've had my first Envirocycle Tumbler for at least 2 years now and it shows very little wear or signs of aging. The one we have at work does show some signs of aging but it has been left in full sun all day, everyday - all year (not the best idea).
Additionally, I later found information on this company and have since had dealings with them and they are REALLY, REALLY GREAT. The drum for my second unit that I purchased was warped. I didn't even notice until I filled it and tried to turn it. By that time I'd had the unit for 4 or 5 months (or more) as I was re-doing the garden are and had not set it up yet. I contacted the company (through the seller)and they replace the faulty drum immediately- no questions asked. I did not have to go through hoops or return the old one. They just sent me a new drum at no cost to me. The only thing they asked of me was to recycle the old drum- I now use the old drum to store compost as I empty my units if I don't need it right away so I can free them up to start a new batches! They seem to truly believe in doing good for the planet. [...]
Note that in my research I was also looking for one for work that did not have the size restrictions. We since have acquired (gifted) another larger unit we also use at work but the Envirocycle remains in full production along side that one.
I recommend this product to anyone who composts or wants to start- seasoned or newbies
That's not garbage that's food for my plants!
Thank you Envirocycle!
Customer Review: Just didn't work for us
Summary: 1 Stars
Far from being easy to use, the compost basically turned to mush and stuck to one side of the cylinder in a heavy (off-balanced) lump that made the composter impossible to turn. I stopped adding to it at the beginning of winter and by summer the contents still hadn't been composted. If you're unable to turn it (which you will be if you add any significant amount of kitchen waste) it simply will not compost in any timely manner. Also, once the compost gets all gooey and matted down and cannot be tossed anymore it creates the perfect environment for anaerobic bacteria to breed, which cases a noxious odor from the composter. The compost tea never collected in the base, I guess we were supposed to poke holes in the base ourselves to let the tea enter it, but no one bothered to mentioned that, so the tea just ran wherever and added to the smelliness. Once it came time to give up on it and dump the compost out I couldn't figure out how to get that little door off (the book says it comes off but doesn't say what the trick is to successfully remove it without breaking it off completely). That made it really difficult to remove the slimy mushiness inside. I actually think the plastic is plenty durable and likely to last a fairly long time, just not at my house...