Kitchen Compost Bin Review: Norpro Ceramic Compost Keeper

Even though we’ve been composting for awhile, I'd never hear of a kitchen compost bin before. Since my wife and I are vegetarians, we generate a lot of compost. When we first started composting, I didn't know what a kitchen ceramic compost keeper was.   It is my job to bring the kitchen scraps out to our compost bins, and I’ll admit it, I’m a little lazy. This meant that, in addition to fruit flies and odors developing in the kitchen, my wife (who is normally very easy going) would resort to nagging me.

Norpro 1 Gallon Ceramic Compost Keeper, White List Price: $27.99 Sale Price: $24.95 You save: $3.04 (11%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Description

Norpro 93 1 Gallon Compost Keeper Crock, White Norpro 93 1 Gallon Compost Keeper Crock, White Features: Compost crock Ceramic finish looks good on kitchen countertops Easy organic recycling Store peelings, egg shells, coffee grounds, greens, clippings and vegetable scraps for transfer to your garden composter Includes filter in lid to keep compost odorless Sturdy stainless steel handle White 1 gallon capacity

Features

• Stylish 1 Gallon Ceramic Compost Keeper in White
• Stores vegetable peelings, egg shells, coffee grinds and more until ready for transfer to outdoor composter
• Includes odor preventing charcoal free filter in the lid that will last up to 6 months
• Use replacement filters #93F, that are charcoal free and can be rinsed.
• Easily clean with warm soapy water

Our first solution was to keep the compost in a bowl in the refrigerator. While this kept the fruit flies down (I don’t know if would work for longer periods of time, but there were no fruit flies after two days), the odor and lost fridge space became a problem.

Then we tried a recycled plastic container with lid. Over time, the lid lost it’s shape and didn’t seal properly. The plastic stained and developed odors. And we had to keep it under the sink because it was so unattractive. While this wasn’t a problem in and of itself, it is much more convenient to be able to keep a compost collector on the counter, where it is readily available.

Over the years we’ve tried a few different compost buckets, but my wife always wanted a more attractive container. Would you want a bug, stinky, ugly, kitchen compost bin for your friends and family to see? Our dining area abuts our kitchen and the bucket, when kept on the counter, is visible.

For the holidays, we bought ourselves the kitchen ceramic compost keeper. It has a few flaws, but overall we’re pretty happy with it. Because we eat mostly produce, we generate a lot of compost and fill this bin up quickly, usually in two days, so I’d love it if they made a larger size. I’m considering getting a second compost keeper.

Here are the pros and the cons about the Norpro Ceramic Compost Keeper. There are several reasons to consider this product. It is rate to find a product that is flawless. This bin has a couple of issues that we will discuss as well:

Pros:

• Easy to clean – just pop out the filter and put it in your dishwasher.
• Attractive on counter – this unit is attractive enough to serve as a cookie jar.
• Large storage area – this bucket has a one gallon capacity
• The filter works really well – the filter on this unit is so efficient we have never noticed any odor from this bucket since we’ve owned it. Just make sure not to overfill the bucket. It is very important to keep food from touching the filter.

Cons:

• The handle falls off all the time. It’s a very poor design. We removed it permanently. I was afraid it would detach while I was walking down the driveway and the bucket would break.
• Weight – The bucket is made of ceramic and is a bit weighty. While this isn’t a problem for me, it might be for an elderly person.

Overall, I would have to say that this kitchen compost bin is a very good and useful product.