We’ve all been there when the trash is overflowing from your week’s worth of food. There comes a time when we wrap it up and throw it out, never seeing it again. Out of sight, out of mind might be a mantra, but when it comes to food waste, the trash bags of food are out of sight affecting our planet. In the U.S., around 80 million tons of food end up in landfills each year. Food is fuel for both our bodies and the Earth (when disposed of properly). Because of this, composting food waste is a way to recycle the food we consume to give back to the planet.
Being environmentally conscious comes with a price tag and can often be lengthy. Composting is an environmentally friendly method that converts organic matter into nutrient-rich soil, and food can be combined in this. Composting is often a complicated, time-consuming process, but with new composters on the market, time and food waste are being cut in half — and doing the work for us. I’ve been on the hunt for an efficient and convenient composter. Four brands, Mill, Lomi, Vitamix, and Reencle are reinventing how food waste is used, but which one is worth the money? Let’s find out!
1. Mechanics (how they work)
Typical composters and food recyclers take on similar mechanics to curating nutrient-rich soil from food waste, but without all the manual labor. The Mill Kitchen Bin collects over all your food waste — sometimes for weeks at a time, dries it, and shrinks and grinds it into grounds. It’s like a trash bin, but without the stench and harmful trash bag. The Mill Kitchen Bin has a corresponding app that can track how much longer is left in the grinding cycle, schedule a food grounds pick-up, and contains a food library of what can and cannot go in the bin.
The Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50 and Lomi take on a similar approach. To use the FoodCycler, you just add food waste, click start, and the machine gets to work drying and grinding the food scraps into a recycled food compound. It features a carbon filter lid to eliminate odors. The Lomi Classic heats the food waste and grinds it down. During the cycle, the sensors measure and control the moisture content and temperature inside while providing a consistent flow of oxygen.
The Reencle Prime mechanics take on a more human-like digestive system approach. The food waste is chopped with mixing rods and then digested fully by the presence of microorganisms in Reencle’s compost starter, turning it into compost. The compost starter has activated carbon, glucose, bacillus, and wood pellets. The Reencle Prime has two filters, a mesh one and an activated carbon filter, to mask the odor from the organic matter. It operates at a sound level of less than 28dB, making it quieter than a library during peak study season.
2. End Result (compost quality)
Compost is more than just dehydrated food grounds. It has to be nutrient-rich, typically from microorganisms, and can act as soil. So, these were the specific qualities I was looking for when comparing the final results. Mill dehydrates your food waste, creating food grounds. Food grounds are useful as feed for animals, specifically chickens. If you don’t have chickens lying around like me, you can send the food grounds to Mill via the home pickup option on the Mill app. This is convenient and makes sure no food is going to waste. The food grounds can also be used as compost for your garden, but you need to add water first and monitor the amount you use based on garden size and weather. I found Mill’s results not to be effective for me as I don’t have backyard animals to feed them to. The app function is accessible, but I want to feel as if I am a part of the recycling process, seeing the impact of composting in my own backyard.
Similarly, the Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50 and Lomi create fertilizer from the food waste that enriches soil. This is an easy, effective way to improve the foundation you have already created in your garden. The FoodCycler FC-50 result is advertised as a plant-ready recycled food compound, but I found the effectiveness can be impacted by the food you compost. For instance, the presence of bones in the fertilizer provides added nutrients for plant growth, but the FoodCycler FC-50 advises not to add bones into the cycle. The same goes for Lomi. The use of bones might damage the grinder.
Lomi devices go further than typical dehydrated food ground, however, bringing the final result closer to actual compost, but isn’t quite there. Lomi devices reduce the volume of food waste by up to 50%.
The device that made me feel like a gardener without the natural gift of a green thumb is the Reencle Prime. Contrary to the others, the final result is compost filled with microbes — it is more than a dehydration machine. It fully digests the kitchen scraps. The Reencle composter’s microbe, Bacillus, makes the final result a long-lasting, bacteria-resistant compost or nutrient-rich soil that is ready to use. From food waste to compost, the volume is decreased by 80-90%. Reencle Prime makes gardening easy and does all the work for me.
3. The time it takes to use
The Mill works when you go to sleep, which can be between 6-10 hours. Foods with more moisture tend to take longer because the Mill Kitchen Bin has to dehydrate the food. You can also schedule a cycle rather than relying on it to run overnight.
The Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50 runs anywhere between 3-8 hours per cycle, but typically on the higher side. Lomi Classic features three different modes: Eco Express, Grow, and Lomi Approved mode. Eco Express takes 3-8 hours to shrink the food waste, but the final result is not nutrient-rich enough to act as soil on its own. However, you can add it to compost or green bin. Grow mode takes 12-20 hours, resulting in a nutrient-rich fertilizer that can be added to soil. The last method, Lomi Approved, is for scraps of bioplastics. This mode takes 8-12 hours to shrink Lomi-approved products or bioplastics into pre-compost that can be added to your green bin.
Reencle Prime can take up to 12 hours to fully turn into compost and it’s best to let it mature for around five days after. Typical compost can take up to a year to be fully ready, so Reencle is creating ready-to-use compost in a fraction of the time. All of these devices will vary in time depending on what food you’re adding to the device and the size of the device.
4. Specifications
The biggest of the products is the Mill Kitchen Bin. As it’s representative of a regular trash bin, the size is rather tall at 26.8 inches. However, this allows for greater capacity for food waste and stores it longer. But if you’re anything like me, you want a minimalist kitchen so a bin might be too bulky.
Reencle Prime is a step under from the Mill Kitchen Bin. It stands 18 inches tall, which allows you to either put it on the kitchen counter or on the floor out of the way. It has enough space to put a lot of food waste without having it sit for weeks at a time as you wait to fill it up.
The smallest of the devices, Lomi Classic, is around 12 inches tall, making it a good fit for the counter. The Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50 is slightly bigger than the Lomi and is reminiscent of a toaster. It’s compact and easy to store, but the smaller the size, the more limitations there are of what can go in.
5. Product Cost
High cost isn’t a deal breaker when it comes to an environmentally-friendly purchase, but it rather has to be worth the amount of money. Mill does not offer a straight purchase plan, instead, your purchase is on a subscription basis. Mill offers two options: An annual plan for $396 which averages out to $33 a month, or you can get a monthly plan for $45 a month. The monthly plan adds up to $540 total for the first year.
Lomi Classicand Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50 are cheaper at a price of $399. Important to note that the Lomi price is subject to a subscription. The subscription rate is $60 every three months, starting three months after the purchase date. Without a subscription, you pay $499 upfront, which comes with a starter supply of LomiPods and filters. Additional LomiPods are available for purchase starting at $30 for a 45-pack. Reencle Prime is priced at $499, plus with a one-year warranty for hardware repair, a shovel, two free filters, and microbes. Microbes from year 2 can be purchased for $65 a bag. Reencle seems to be the most bang for my buck.
Mill, Lomi, and Reencle offer a 30-day trial period. If you don’t approve of the product, you can send it back and get your money back. This takes a weight off the shoulders of us composting newbies who are just trying to scope out the best product.
Composting comes with a lot of nooks and crannies from the amount of moisture to nutrients available for the soil, but with the help of these composters, it makes me feel like the gardener I always wished I was. For me, Reencle is the most efficient and reasonable of the composters. It’s the quietest, most versatile size, odor-masking, and most importantly, makes actual compost. Though the price might be higher than the Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50 and specific payment plans for the Mill Kitchen Bin and Lomi Classic, it’s worth every penny because compared to the other composters, it has the most benefits and you are paying a fraction of the price for what you normally would for true, authentic microorganisms that elevate your soil.
Final Verdict
When it comes to the main qualities I’m looking for in a composter that limits my waste — easy to use, nutrient-rich final product, efficiency, space-saving, and cost-effective — Reencle checks all the boxes. The end compost consists of Bacillus, a microbe that aids in the full digestion of kitchen scraps, setting apart Reencle from other composters as it’s more than a dehydration machine. It also happened to be the quietest composter of the 4, which makes this a machine that allows you to go on with your day-to-day life without disruption. Reencle‘s medium size allows you to store it in a pantry or on the counter — it completely adapts to your needs. Currently at a price of $499, Reencle is cost-effective with its added benefits of 1-year warranty, filters, and microbes. Reencle is an environmentally-conscious composter that creates nutrient-rich soil in a fraction of the time of typical compost and in the comfort of your own home.
47 comments
This was so very informative! That you for taking the time out to dive into the benefits of each as I have been on the market for a one the last few months. Mill has been the leading option because of the shiny bells and whistles but I couldn’t get behind the subscription and not actually owning the bin at that price point.
The subscriptions are deal breakers for me no matter the brand! I’m a one-person household and wouldn’t need to order new supplies nearly as much as “the average household.
This was an amazing review. I take it
Thought I wanted a Lomi . . . now I’m going to look more at Reencle.
The price may be reasonable for you, but it is not reasonable.
I have gone through 2 Lomi’ in 2 yrs. They are not terribly durable.
I have too – expensive. And the subscription is a pain – I have more charcoal than I can use in 3 years. I love the way it works BUT I am going to look at the Reencle too –
Thank you for this, Hannah! It’s the most comprehensive comparison I’ve seen.
Thank you! Can you give any information about the electricity required? I want to do this but worry about the energy requirements.
We’ve had the Vitamix for over a year and love it. There’s been no noticeable uptick in our electricity bill. Typically, we use it in the evenings or when going to bed, when electric is cheapest (and it’s the most convenient time of day).
According to user manuals: The Reencle uses 130W while running (0.13kW x 12 hours= 1.56 kWh for one cycle). The Vita mix is way higher 500W, run time varies 4-8 hours (I don’t know if it’s user selected run time or depends on how much food waste?? ) so 2-4 kWh per cycle. Loni’s user manual says it uses 500W, but also says its lowest energy draw is about 0.kWh for its shortest cycle at 3hours. (BUT 0.5kW x 3 hours = 1.5kWh … ???) by the math Lomi should use 1.5kWh to 10lWh for the longest 20 hour cycle.i don’t have the patience to turn amps into watts etc, Mill’s website says it uses about 1 kWh per day and draws 4.5 amps at peak use.
I was planning to buy Lomi but change my mind after I read your comparison and comment on each. Thanks
Those prices are outrageous. Subscriptions? Insane.
Thank you!! This article answered all my questions!
Thanks Hannah. I’ve been looking into recycling machines for our garden. Right now we bro g our kitchen scraps to the DPW for recycling.
I purchased a Lomi,before I saw this. So I canceled the order because I truly like the Reencle’s size and features better.
Thank you for this helpful review!
Thank you for this very detailed and thoughtful comparison. One concern I’ve had about the Reencle is that since it’s always running it would be a significant electricity draw. I believe the company reports a similar electricity footprint to a refrigerator. Did you notice your electricity usage spike when testing the Reencle?
Well done! Thank you for sharing your experience and thought’s.
It’s nice that the Reencle creates nice compost but Lomi is the only one that can compost biodegradable plastic which is a huge! I am sad that this isn’t more important to people. Regular compost bins outside can accomplish the rest of the features. I think it deserves more attention for that.
Lomi also offers a two-year “subscription” to filters WHICH IS NON-CANCELABLE
No kidding: I don’t need all the filters yet I will pay for two years from my purchase
Not a good customer experience
I purchased my Reencle just before moving from CO to VA. We would be living in an area that did not offer curbside compost pick up. I didn’t want food scrapes to go in the garbage. I’ve been using it for 6 months now and couldn’t be happier with my purchase. I have not needed to remove any of the compost as of yet. It’s still below the max line. When I do remove some, I will let it cure as suggested and add it to the house plants and my spring garden. There’s no smell. When it starts to make a sound internally I know it’s time to add a little water because the compost is getting a little dry. I would purchase this again.
My Lomi died within 6 months of owning. I do not recommend it.
Eeek! Our vitamix has been going strong for nearly 1.5 years now. Sad to hear that about Lomi.
What you don’t give us is the power that is required to run these machines. The amount of electricity you’ll have to use to heat up and grind the food scraps into a nutrient rich compost is a non-starter for me. Your electric bill will go up, which will depend on the wattage of the unit being used. If you can’t have a compost bin outside, which uses no electricity. Don’t buy any. Mine is a 96 gallon garbage bin on wheels and gets hotter that 160 degrees with the right mixture of greens and browns with no electricity. But if you have money to burn – go for it. You’ll use it for awhile, but like all single use kitchen appliances, it will soon find its place where your storing your other single use appliances.
Reminder, this is sponsored content, so readers try to make sure you evaluate for your own needs. Though done very comprehensively, not complete. As you can see, there is a bias and a lot of links to purchase Reencle vs the others. I’m ok with that since they do mention it’s sponsored.
After reading through each product’s site and evaluating, I found some good information that shifted my views from being strongly agreeing with the conclusion to possibly agreeing.
An example is the Mill monthly subscription option and Reencle’s is very similar in pricing for a head to head comparison.
Though Mill doesn’t create compost, and you can send it back to them with included costs, they say “The Mill kitchen bin recycles kitchen scraps into dried, ground-up food that we call Food Grounds. Food Grounds are still food, minus the water, bulk, odor, and ick.
Food Grounds aren’t compost. Compost is produced when microbes digest organic matter, which takes weeks or months, not hours — despite what others might say. While Food Grounds can be made into compost or added to your garden, it is a delicate process that can result in mold, cause odors, and attract pests.”
So is Reencle really compost? Will have to do more research. Also, Mill allows seeds, nut shells, and small bones, Reencle doesn’t (neither does pork or beef bones). So that’s a factor as we eat a lot of chicken and fish.
Hope you find this content helpful.
I have a Lomi and it’s okay, but if I ever need a replacement, I’ll definitely check out the reencle
If I vermicompost, what would be the best option to feed to the worms?
Why would you? It’s an either or. I used to have worms but now a Lomi composter. So far so good. Though I have friends over regularly and cook for them, I do have a single household. The Lomi is a good size for my small place. I put it in the garage because the Sound. Though similar to my refrigerator, it went on for too many hours. It takes 2 -3 capacity runs of the Lomi to fill a 16 ounce cottage cheese container with compost. For use, the compost needs to be diluted with 10 times the soil. I’m really happy with it.
This is a good article. I got a Mill as one of the initial users and have not been disappointed. I do not have an enough need for this much compost so at least it is going to chicken feed. Noise is minimal and the amount of electricity is worth it. Plus the bigger capacity is helpful so I’m not always emptying the bin. Just wanted to give a different perspective.
Thank you! We’ve had a Lomi for a few years now, and when I use the ‘soil’ on my indoor plants, it attracts tiny gnats and when dry, creates a hard matted surface that is difficult for water to penetrate properly. Maybe mixing it into store-bought potting soil would help, but now I only dump it into the outside garden. Makes me think Lomi is more of a food dehydrator than a true composter. Considering switching to Reencle. The microbe action makes sense to me. Thanks again!
Reencle has a monthly subscription of about $30 and they allow you to put what you’ve paid toward the balance if you end up wanting to purchase. Also Mill does allow you to purchase outright but I believe it’s $1,000
I have the vitamix and agree with your assessment. I do put chicken bones in and it grinds them up just fine. Cannot remember the last time I put food waste in the trash! I mix the results in my yard waste compost ing bin.
I bought a Lomi and was happy with it but it broke after the year. I would not recommend it. I just subscribed to a Mill 🙃
I have a Vitamix which dehydrates and chops up the food waste just fine. The problem is that the result is just dried food – which is attractive to rats and other critters. I put mine in the outdoor composter to finish it up.
The Lomi doesn’t actually require a subscription — it’s just helpful if you want to regularly replace the filters and add a supplement to increase the nutritional value of your scraps. And my Lomi gets food waste to around 25% of what it was. I sprinkle it around the plants in the yard and use it to supplement potting soil and soil in raised beds. It’s a great little machine.
I’m very curious about how much electricity each uses. I don’t feel like I can call it environmentally friendly if it’s using a ton of electricity to do the job. None of the websites seem willing to discuss their energy use. 😔
Lomi just came out with a new model call Bloom. I wonder how it compares
I have had my Lomi for a month and it’s broken. Lomi has not responded to my email from 3 days ago! Not happy. Tried the phone number they give and it didn’t exist.
My Lomi broke within 6 months, and I’ve read others are having the same issue. Even while it was working it didn’t always work as I would have liked. Too many rules about what to put in each load meant that I had to store smelly scraps in a container awaiting their time with appropriate composting partner foods. Mill looks easy from that respect, but then you don’t get true compost so I would lose what I was hoping to gain. I wonder if Reencle is better?
We have been composting for 40 years without any device other than garden tools. Composting is literally the easiest thing on earth. It happens whether I do something or not.
I just purchased the Lomi, which is now available at Costco. I’ve been watching it for a while now, price is down, no subscription, and came with extra everything and a double warranty for $299. Very happy with the footprint, fits well on my counter without taking up a lot of room. Excited to finally have one!
Loved this review! We’ve been considering getting a compost machine for our backyard gardening and this breakdown of the top 4 machines really helped us make an informed decision. The pros and cons of each machine were really helpful in figuring out which one would be the best fit for us. Thanks for doing the research and sharing your findings!
We’re thrilled to hear that our review has helped you in making your decision! We regularly share helpful content like this, so be sure to stay tuned for more reviews and recommendations. Thanks for your support.
Loved this review! I’ve been struggling to figure out which compost machine is best for my small backyard garden. After reading this, I think I’m leaning towards the one that uses worms – it seems like it breaks down the waste so quickly and efficiently. Did you encounter any issues with odors or pests while testing?
Hello, thank for you your question. Reencle’s website has a list of items that should and should not be used in their composter. You can find it here: https://help.reencle.co/en-US/what-you-can-and-cannot-put-in-reencle-137084, along with other useful information. Happy Composting!
Thank you so much for all the information