Residents rave about new appliance that completely changes what happens to food scraps: 'Keeps all the fruit flies and smell away'

Four Newfoundland communities have launched a program that converts leftover food into nutrient-rich fertilizer using a tabletop appliance, reported CBC News.

Residents in Gander, Corner Brook, Pasadena, and Portugal Cove-St. Philip's can now purchase FoodCycler appliances for $200 to $300 through a partnership with Food Cycle Science.

The municipal cost-sharing program currently taking applications is designed to make these devices accessible to households looking to manage food scraps.

The appliance resembles an air fryer and converts food scraps into fertilizer overnight. Users add everything from orange peels to coffee grounds into the device's container, press a button, and find ready-made fertilizer after roughly half a day of processing.

This initiative fills a void in the province, as it currently lacks organized composting services. The technology enables residents to handle food scraps at home and divert organic matter from landfills.

The device runs silently and is odor-free. Each cycle converts scraps that would otherwise attract pests and fill garbage bags into valuable garden nutrients.

"Depending on where you are on the grid, it usually costs between five and 10 cents a cycle," Christina Zardo from Food Cycle Science explained. "The bucket is a really well-built aluminum bucket and has a filtered lid so it keeps all the fruit flies and smell away."

Homeowners benefit immediately through free fertilizer production while reducing their garbage volume. The resulting nutrients help gardens thrive and reduce the need for waste pickups.

The program demonstrates how technology can simplify environmental action. Instead of waiting for provincial composting infrastructure, these communities gave residents tools to take action from their kitchens today.

The environmental benefits multiply as more households participate. Each device prevents food waste from entering landfills, where it would release methane during decomposition.

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Your municipality might offer similar programs to reduce household waste. If it doesn't, contact local officials to voice your support for subsidized composting solutions in your community.

If you compost your food scraps, what's your primary motivation?

Improving my garden's soil 🌱