Urban Composter

Awful – Awful, don't waste your money. The accelerator doesn't do anything, your compost will just go mouldy despite dollowing instructions (cutting up food scraps into smaller pieces, layering scraps and spray etc.). IF you do manage to get juice from it, the tap will leak so you won't be able to use it anyway despite doing a leak check first (which… Read more

passed the test, so I don't understand why it would suddenly leak). Please do not bother. I wish i read more reviews first before purchasing. The lid is also very flimsy, it broke after trying to put it back on the first time I cleaned it and had to buy a replacement lid.

A real answer for kitchen to composter – This kitchen composter has been such a boon in our kitchen! I have an insinkerator which I used far too much. The composter is so easy to use and produces beautiful composting liquid with which I feed my indoor and outdoor plants. My Cattleya love It! The other thing I really appreciate is there is virtually no odor. I can have the composter in… Read more

the kitchen happily filling and brewing. I do think it’s good to have two composter’s to keep the cycle humming without having to wait to refill after emptying in the garden. I also love the fact this is a totally Australian designed and manufactured product.

Well designed and easy to use – Simple instructions. Great to be able to put everything in the composter. Fits well in my kitchen

Leaky tap – I purchased this through Aldi. It took a while before the food began to decompose & then the tap started leaking it everywhere in the pantry. I sat it in a bucket, but then of course it started to smell. I contacted the company with no reply. It's a great concept however I don't recommend this one unfortunately & will be returning it to Aldi. Show details

Major reduction in waste – Reviews seem a bit harsh. We purchased 2 buckets in July 2017, used consistently during this time except for a period of about 12 months, started using again over the last few months. When one is full, we fill the other one. When process finished, remains go into a compost tumbler in our small backyard. After 5 years, still no problem with tap… Read more

leaking which others report. One of the lids has slightly warped, doesn't close as well as it used to, I'm about to purchase a replacement which is $9 on their website. Haven't had to replace anything else so far. Smell never an issue, however I keep them on the patio. The grate on the bottom usually falls out along with the finished product when emptying, which is a bit annoying to retrieve. Otherwise well designed, useful product. Our bin waste roughly doubled when not used

Perfect for our office kitchen - Exactly the right size – This little bin is exactly what I've been looking for. It's compact, there's 0 smell and everyone has got on board with putting their scraps in. I spray it twice a day and a couple of months in it is 3/4 full. Show details

Great! – Shocked by all the negative reviews! I haven’t had a single issue with my urban composter, no smells, easy to use, no leaks! I did notice that there’s a FAQ section on the website to troubleshoot any leaks that may occur, but they do state that they have improved the design and test all the products to make sure they don’t leak! I live in a small… Read more

apartment on my own and haven’t yet filled the bucket but when I do, I will hopefully have set up my own small compost bin on the balcony that I can add it to, alternatively I’ll share it through sharewaste.com or take it to my sisters house!

Tap Leaks, Composter is useless – I was so excited to receive my urban composter, however once putting everything together I noticed the tap leaking. If I were to tighten to prevent a leak, the nozzle would be facing upwards. My urban composter is useless and have asked for a refund. Buyer beware Show details

Several Years & No Problems – I've read a few comments here about the quality of this product. I've had mine for several years now. I always add a few sprays of the compost accelerator & have had no problems at all. No leaking tap, no odours, no mould outside the lid, no maggots etc. In fact, I'm about to buy a second one to help with the rotation of the contents. It's always met my expectations. Show details

This does not work in urban environments – We got gifted an urban composter bucket. We put in all organic waste in but after 2 weeks we got maggots and other worms that crept out of the bucket and ate through all our plants in the balcony. I think composting only works if you have a patch of soil in the backyard. Show details

Don’t bother – I got this because it was smaller than the Bokashi Bin and I thought it would fit on the kitchen better. It did... but that is all I can find to say about it that is positive. The tap leaked. I contacted the supplier. They said oh, we did have a problem with some of the taps, and sent me another. I fitted that one (again, carefully) and it was OK… Read more

for a couple of days and then it also started leaking. I never had that problem with Bokashi Bins which, frankly, worked far better. This is sitting in my garage until I can steel myself to toss it out, because who needs a compost bin which surrounds itself with a shallow sea of reeking brown liquid on the bench?

Zero Waste! – I've been using the urban composter now for a couple of years and my small bins haven't failed me yet. I bought a few of the smaller sized ones to make it manageable for me and they work a treat. I love that I feed the worms in the soil, work on soil structure and reduce my red bin waste. I barely take the bin out to the curb anymore.

Dissapointed – This is not cheap and I was expecting a product that was well made. I purchased a whole kit with one large and one small composting bin -- both leak at the tap, even after I used some plumbers tape so must be leaking from within the tap itself -- Also on the large bin the tap when fully screwed on sits at 9 oclock (to the left) position instead… Read more

of 6 o clock(facing down) position! the large one the lid doesn't seal due to a warping in the lid so you get the smells wafting out. Also the spray bottle with compost accelerator and a refill bottle of compost accelerator. The spray bottle trigger also leaks when spraying.

I would not spend the high dollars on this and look for something cheaper, like a bucket with a lid and you can buy compost accelerator from Nurseries or hardware outlets.

Seems I am not the only one with complaints about the leaking taps.

Yet to use – I was just reading the comments people were putting, where some had said there was mould, HELLO, mould is good if you went to a class as I did and learnt about it then you would know, also I saw someone else wanted the juice for the garden No not a good idea you don't use the juice as the fertiliser another one who doesn't have a clue, so glad I went to the 2 hour free council talk on this product and can't wait to use it :)  Show details

One step closer to zero waste! – I have used my bokashi bucket in an urban apartment environment for approximately a year now after purchasing it through the Port Phillip Council Initiative where they paid a portion of the price. I ended up forking out around $50 for the bucket, masher, compost activator and postage. Two people live in the apartment and we take approximately 1… Read more

month to fill it up. We cook separately approximately 3-4 times a week, eating mainly vegetarian.

We put almost everything in the bucket- tea leaves, coffee grounds, all veg and fruit scraps, mouldy food in the bottom of the veg crisper - everything! A small amount of meat may go in (not much at all) and a tiny bit of cheese.

Basically I just pop in whatever, give it a quick mush down with the masher and spray 3-4 times with the compost activator. I empty the juice 1-3 times a week which is a bit stinky, but I am used to it now so it doesn’t bother me at all.

Once it’s full we take it to the local community garden and empty it in the compost bin. This bit is the really REALLY stinky bit, which you do get used to, but at first my stomach turned a bit. We then rinse it under the tap, take it home, give it a good scrub to get rid of any residue and then leave it on the balcony in the sun for a day or two to reduce any lingering stink. (Compost goes into a bowl in the fridge whilst it is airing).

I have had no issues with a leaking tap which is quite lucky. The only part which could be annoying would be if we didn’t live near a community garden, but if you don’t you can always connect with someone on www.sharewaste.com.au to find people in your area who would like to take your scraps.

This bin has been amazing for reducing our waste. We compost food scraps, recycle as per council requirements and collect soft plastics to drop at the supermarket. I reckon we get a single shopping bag of rubbish a month, if that.

All in all a great product for people who would like to reduce their waste (providing you get one with a decent tap)!

Easy to fill up. And difficult if you don’t have a big garden – Originally we had the seals around the taps on incorrectly. This caused the tap to leak constantly. Taking it apart and paying more attention to the size of the seals stopped this leak forever. We must have a lot of food wastage as this gets full very often. We don’t have the option to dig up the garden in our current rental. But the liquid we… Read more

get is great for the garden. especially at the end of an Australian summer and the garden is dry and tired.

Unfortunately this means we throw it away once full.

Leak and mold – We got this bin because of the discount from council, however, it’s a huge disappointment. As many users here, we also experiement leaking from the joint of the tap. On top of that, the bad quality and design of the cover cause moldy as it’s almost impossible to close the bin tightly. Complaint to the council, they advice us to tighten the tap but… Read more

Im not sure how much more I can tighten it. No one likes to deal with a leaking problem of bokashi bin in their kitchen, It’s disgusting!

We have a The Bokashi Bin, it never give us any unnecessary problem. So much regrets, it properly end up to be an expensive rubbish bin!

Tap fitting has a constant annoying drip – The product has a leaky tap fitting. This is certainly a design fault that undermines an otherwise good product. Having to apply plumbers tape to make a proper seal on the tap mechanism is less than satisfactory and this defect does not justify the cost of the product. The plastic from which the tap is made, is much softer than the plastic of the… Read more

internal nut and can be easily cross threaded. Perhaps if the tap was made from the same plastic as the nut, it may be more functional. There were no unpleasant odors at all which was very pleasing.

Not as good as hoped – I bought the Urban Composter City (small one, fits under kitchen sink). It was going well for the first few weeks and I was really happy with it, until it started filling up. First, the tap started leaking from the connection point into the bucket, then another leak appeared from the tap itself. I was emptying the juice frequently, a few times a… Read more

day at least. The smell was absolutely horrible, although may have been worse than typical as there were quite a few banana skins in there as I eat half a banana every morning. The leaks constantly put a gross smelly wet film across the shelf it was sitting on, despite frequently draining and sitting on paper towels, and putting plastic small bag over tap. The plan was to let it sit for a week, empty, clean, then fix at least one leak in the tap as advised on their website with plumbing tape, however I just could not handle the smell and mess. Disappointing result. Perhaps the design needs changing so that each product is absolutely sound. Disappointing as I live in an apartment block without green / organic waste bins.

A Very Simple Composter for the Kitchen – We recently bought a Bokashi, a small urban composter for the kitchen. It is simple to set up, we found good instructions for the product on the internet. You can put just about anything in the composter as long it is cut up small, including vegetables, mall meat pieces, coffee and tea bags. Within a few days it will produce a liquid which you… Read more

drain off via the tap in the bottom of the compost bucket. You then dilute the brown liquid and pour it on your garden as a great fertiliser. When the urban composter is full you put all the mixed in refuse into a hole in your garden and over a few months it will turn into compost. If you have limited space and are interested in a simple process for providing compost for your garden and reduce your waste, this urban composter is worth looking at.

Great Aussie made product! – Bought this great composter online after watching the war on waste. We searched for composting products and this looked amazing. It arrived promptly and we've used it for 2 months. It's easy to use, once you start doing this it's mind blowing to see how much less full the garbage bin is. Thinking of getting a second one, as we had to wait a few days for the full bin to ferment.  Show details

Been working great for 2 years! – I've got two of these composters (the smaller city ones) and have been using in my apartment for 2 years. They work great and I've never had to throw out food waste. As one fills I leave it and add to the next. This ends up taking a LOT more scraps, and it breaks down to liquid and compacts in size. I think people obviously haven't read about… Read more

what they are supposed to do, they are sealed containers that ferment the scraps with a special mix of microorganisms. This looks like fluffy white mould and is supposed to happen, the more the better. You'll need to find somewhere to bury the fermented scraps when it's full. I've used pot plants a few times, but just go to a friends house now as they have a backyard to bury. Then bring back some finished soil to put on top of my pot plants.

It is a good system that makes quality compost, I'd suggest reading up on Bokashi and other gardeners blogs to get the most out of it first.

Waste of money- agreed – I agree it is useless as a composer and I use it to transfer waste into my compost bin. Do it daily so it doesn't stink. I used use a ceramic that can be washed in dishwasher and was far better. Don't waste you money on it like I have done.

Not very happy – My Bokashi bin is leaking which makes a mess in my laundry (smelly). The waste in the bin also starts to get mouldy. A lot of trouble for not much return. I should have read the reviews before I bought the bin. I have used it now for 8 weeks and I am ready to ditch it.

Fantastic system that works for our household – Just finished our first batch in the 16L Urban Composter since purchasing in Oct 2014 - approx 3 months of food scraps from our household of 2 who cooks on average 5 days a week. We saved up the food scraps in a container stored in the fridge and added this (with recommended amount of compost accelerator) twice a week to the composter bucket. Push… Read more

scraps down with a potato masher in between each addition, close the lid, done. Each time new scraps were added, noticed that the volume of the bucket reduced significantly (hence, the long amount of time to fill up!), used approx half a bottle of accelerator over that time, not a big deal for us.

Bucket is outside the kitchen door full time, and we drain the tap every few days (generally when adding scraps) into the drain where it sits above. Once a week, drain into a 1L watering can, top with grey water, and use this on our geraniums which have been flowering beautifully since we started this. Some "vinegar" smell, but as we use this outside only, again, not a big deal.

Once "full" (still about 10cm from the top of the bucket), we left the bucket for approx 2 weeks to mature (still draining every few days) before tipping the contents into a large plastic tub, mixing thoroughly with potting mix, and topping with more potting mix and closing the lid. Checked the tub today (a week after setting up) and the soil level has reduced by a few cms, hoping that this means the fermented scraps are being incorporated into the potting mix base.

During the 3 weeks out of action, we continued to fill the kitchen scraps container, but freezing and defrosting it before adding to the empty bucket to start another batch. One week in, and nothing too different from the same stage of the first batch. Very happy :)

Will continue to use the Urban Composter, and cannot wait to try our amended soil in our new garden bed!

The Urban Composter worked for me – My Urban Composter works really well... I know another reviewer mentioned mould and it's really important that you remove excess moisture from the scraps before you put it in the bin. My tap doesn't leak and I dig the excess into the garden and the remainder is gone in a month or so. The spray keeps the contents smelling fresh and I find that… Read more

it's cleaner than bokashi (if you've ever spilt it, you'll know what I mean!) I think it works well on protiens like steak which bokashi doesn't work on

this is a very expensive piece of plastic – The urban composter looks good but it doesn't work. The compost goes mouldy while its still in the bin, despite diligent use of the spray compost accelerator. The tap at the bottom to drain the liquid leaks after only one use, and the liquid that leaks out onto your bench or floor smells and stains. looks good doesn't work, the tap leaks, the… Read more

compost goes mouldy while still in the urbancomposter, even with the use of the accelerator. at around $45 for a small plastic bin, its an expensive bit of plastic. .