Stinky kitchen composter

August 30, 2019 5:45 PM

So I have a kitchen composter that uses a carbon filter. Lately my wife has been complaining about the oder, and I'm guessing that my attempts to wash the filter has reduced its efficacy. Is there some alternative I can use to keep it from being smelly that is cheaper than the filters on Amazon?

This carbon filter material seems like a commercial product that exists in bulk out there somewhere. The thing is, I take it out before it even starts to compost. Maybe I should replace it with something that is attractive and just seals tightly.

posted by mecran01 to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

Depending how often you're willing to take it out and how big your freezer is, I know a lot of people who keep their compostables in the freezer till they're ready to get them out of the house.
posted by gideonfrog at 6:45 PM on August 30, 2019 [2 favorites]

wondering if we have the same composter- their website says "you can buy the filters at your local store"... guess they haven't been to my neck of the woods cause no one has 'em.

our problem was fruit fly larvae in the filter (yuck) so we finally just replaced it with with a plastic one that closes completely. we also have friends that are less fussy and just use a large plastic container that once housed grocery store potato salad.
posted by noloveforned at 6:52 PM on August 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

(here's the one we just bought on amazon)
posted by noloveforned at 6:58 PM on August 30, 2019

What is your use case? There are about a million different compost techniques, each with pros and cons, suited to different efforts, costs, speeds, desired outcomes, etc.

I compost a lot, have tried many methods over the years. Here’s what worked best for me now: I put everything in a disposable plastic juice or milk jug I’ve cut in half for that purpose. I store it uncovered in an out of the way place like under the sink, and I take it out every few days. After a few cycles i rinse and recycle. Never a problem with smells or pests, nothing really spends enough time in the house. You can buy pricey and pretty steel containers just for this at Target etc now, but then you have to maintain them too.

Sealed methods will always stink more, that will encourage anaerobic bacterial growth.
If you’re looking for complete in-house cycle, you’d be better off with vermiculture or bokashi.

In my experience no good comes from filter gimmicks.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:07 PM on August 30, 2019 [3 favorites]

The things that I do that greatly reduce the smell are:
empty frequently
scrub the bin and lid thoroughly after every emptying or run it through the dishwasher
rinse the charcoal filter with a solution of bleach and water
use paper lunch bags inside the container

I mostly never smell mine even when it's open and I'm loading it up. If I smell something, it means that I needed it empty it and got lazy.
posted by quince at 7:23 PM on August 30, 2019

Don’t think of it as a composter. Think of it as a scrap bin for the compost. Empty frequently. Like, it shouldn’t be close to composting. At least a few times every week.

My bin is only smelly when it’s full and I open it. Mine has a proper lid.
posted by bluedaisy at 8:09 PM on August 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

Also! Clean it out each time if you’re not using a liner.
posted by bluedaisy at 8:10 PM on August 30, 2019

I know several people who swear by vermiposting for less odor. Another uses a bin with drainage, and regularly disposes of the drained liquid.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:15 PM on August 30, 2019

I literally keep my scraps in a large tupperware that sits at the back of my kitchen counter. No lid on it. Empty it 3-4x per week as soon as it accumulates foodstuff. More in the summer when the fruit flies are more active.

I guess I'm confused of whether you're trying to compost in the house, or if you're just collecting scraps to take out to your compost container (outside).
posted by hydra77 at 10:20 PM on August 30, 2019 [1 favorite]

Open container on the counter, no lid or filter, emptied every couple of days. I think most fresh fruit and vegetable scraps are rather pretty. so I prefer optically clear containers. The best I've found are probably the straight-walled, almost beaker-shaped retail packaging from pretzel rods. I snag them from a neighbor's recycling bin while walking my dog on trash day.
posted by jon1270 at 3:28 AM on August 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

Just now, I found Target selling replacement filters for $3 on clearance.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:34 AM on August 31, 2019

I think the most important steps to non-stinky indoor kitchen compost are:

1. Empty the compost frequently (into your backyard composter or city compost bin or wherever). Aim for at least a couple of times per week, maybe; adjust as necessary based on results.
2. Make sure your compost bin has adequate ventilation. This point is very counterintuitive, but a sealed bin will turn much stinkier than a ventilated one. Anaerobic decomposition is stinky and gross; aerobic decomposition is benign and unoffensive.
3. Avoid putting meat, cooked meals, or other things that very rapidly turn stinky and putrid into your kitchen composter (these things also should not go into your backyard composter, for health and pest reasons; but some municipal composting programs do take them). Fruit and vegetable scraps and such are fine, of course. (Going vegetarian or mostly vegetarian helps quite a lot with kitchen odor and sanitation by itself.)

I really love this composter, which has adjustable ventilation (although I always leave it on maximum ventilation) and an invertible silicone bucket for easy emptying, and is dishwasher-safe when you want to give it a really good clean (a quick rinse suffices after emptying normally). We just leave it sitting on our kitchen counter, empty it when it fills up, and can never detect an odor unless we practically stick our nose into it.
posted by Syllepsis at 10:34 PM on September 1, 2019 [1 favorite]