Customer Reviews

Pinzon 1-Gallon Ceramic Compost Pail

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I thouoght this would be a great item that looked better on my counter than my current 1G plastic jar I use for composting. As soon as I opened it, I thought it looked smaller. This holds less than 3/4 of a gallon.

It looks good, but I'm sending it back because it's just too small. I'm also a bit concerned about the lid not fitting tightly, so even with the filters, I'm concerned about fruit flies as I live in a warm, humid climate.

This is a ceramic container about 9" high and 6" diameter. It's bigger than a typical sugar jar but much smaller than a wastebasket. It has a lid with holes and a charcoal filter inside to control odors. It's being sold as a place to keep fruit peelings and the like before transporting them outside to a compost pile. It's supposed to look like a white porcelain version of a garbage can, in case you are charmed to have a white garbage can on your kitchen counter. The same or a similar product appears to be sold under the names Pinzon, Norpro, RSVP.

This is the sort of item which is designed by some marketing person, then made and sold without ever have been tested in practice. Families who compost tend to have at least four members and be inclined towards fruits and vegetables - so the volume of stuff they generate for composting would fill up this container very quickly. Also, there is an annoying design flaw; the inside bottom has a deep cleft which is difficult to clean and slow to dry after being washed. Which would have been discovered immediately if the people who produce this ever actually tried it in their own home. To put out a consumer product without testing it - I hate it when that happens.

Before buying, go to the the Norpro version on Amazon and see the 83 reviews, which are evenly distributed from "Just what I needed" to "Too small, too fragile, rather have a stainless version."

If not for the fact that it's absurdly small, can't be cleaned easily, and is quite fragile, it might have been good for composting. In the meantime, this size of container is useful - I just made a huge batch of granola and filled up my new mini- garbage can with it!

I have been using a plastic pail to store compost scraps until I was ready to take them outside for years, and it was pretty nasty looking, and a pain to clean. It just so happens that the new compost pail is easily lined with a 1 gallon food storage bag, which I use for something else, and then reuse to line the ceramic compost pot. What could be easier. When full, you just take the bag to the compost bin, empty it, and then discard the bag in the trash. The Ceramic Pail stays very clean this way. It also looks really great on my counter. Couldn't be happier. Amazon rocks.

The critial drawback is that the top does not fit properly. There was always a gap between the lid and the pail for flys and odors to flow freely.
The pail is also on the small side. Consider buying the pail marketed by Garderners Supply.

As other reviewers have noted, the capacity of this pail is inadequate for a busy kitchen. But I also don't like the fact that the inner lip overhangs the pail, so when you try to pull a full bag out, it catches. The handle is stiff and doesn't fall to the side easily. We managed to use this for almost 8 months before we accidently dropped the lid (which isn't hinged). Since it is ceramic (and heavy), it broke. I am now actively shopping for a less-fashionable, but more functional and less fragile alternative.

I bought one of these when they first came out because the price was right and I really liked the look of it. Unfortunately, the lid was dropped and shattered. I figured that was an acceptable outcome for an accidental drop, so I got a replacement. The ceramic knobs the handle attaches to broke off from the simple act of carrying it down to dump the contents for my chickens. I admit, it was cold outside, we had about a foot of snow, but I still expect better from an item that most people would presumably be using everyday. I am now in the market for an attractive stainless steel compost pail--quick, before my husband buys me that ugly green plastic one!

FYI: You can use the PLASTIC bag that they give you FREE when you go vegetable shopping. FITS PERFECTLY .. an good way to recycle! LOL!

If you've ever lived in the tropics you'll know about Hawaii. There are 19 different species of cockroaches here and different types of centipedes, not to mention ants and spiders. These cockroaches and centipedes seem to love greasy and damp areas and you can't just have a standard garbage can because they'll get into it.

So I'm using this little mini garbage (as I call it) to put my wet and/or greasy stuff in. It really helps in keeping those nasty creatures out of the garbage can area which is usually hidden in the cabinet below the sink. There's nothing worse than opening up the cabinet and have Cockroaches scattering about trying to hide.

Sounds disgusting doesn't it? It is! But between spraying around the house every three months and the use of sealed containers, you can keep 99% of them out of your house and trash can areas.

So you might say that I bought this thing for a different reason than what it's intended for. I used to use an old coffee can with a plastic lid and a plastic pail, but those looked pretty ugly on top of the kitchen counter. At least this looks nice and I line it with those little plastic bags you put your veggies in when you go veggie shopping at the market. Works quite well!

It's a very small compost pail. I use it just for myself and my husband, and we filled the jar quite quickly. I would imagine a family of four would fill this pail once a day or at least every other day. The filter definitely keeps the odors at bay, as we haven't noticed any "garbage" smell coming from the pail at all.

If you are looking for a great looking compost pail, this one will fit the bill if you don't expect something too big. On the plus side, the size of this pail is small enough and will not take up too much space, which is a positive to many of us.

For what it's supposed to do...hold kitchen waste til you can take it to the outdoor compost pile or just throw the waste outside...I believe this item certainly serves its purpose. It is a convenient size to fit on the kitchen counter for vegetable, fruit, and coffee waste (no meat or dairy), but it's also not so big that you can't store it out of the way, and then place it on the counter when you're cutting/chopping. To give you an idea of the size, the base without the lid is about the size of a 5 pound bag of sugar. It's made from a finished ceramic material, inside and out, which makes it easy to clean and keep disinfected (which you should do regularly, using bleach, the directions say)--much better than trying to keep a plastic bucket or bowl clean. The handle feels sturdy and is made of a fairly heavy gauge metal -- not easily-bent. The lid is lined inside with a "washable" black filter which needs to be replaced every 3 months--I assume you would wash it out every time you clean the unit, and it will eventually begin to break down and need to be replaced. Instructions say to place newspaper in the bottom of the base to absorb liquids and make clean up easier, and that is all the "prep" that is needed when setting it up for use.

I had purchased one of these units once before in the summer, and it was almost identical to this one, but the top was warped making a not-so-tight fit, and I had a terrible time with fruit flies. With this unit, however, the lid is not warped, but I can see how, in the summer, I might still have problems with fruit flies that can wiggle their way in under the lid. I can see how you wouldn't want the lid to fit too tightly so that air can get in and circulate, but what to do with the pests!? I plan to take some newspaper and put it on the rim of the base before I put the lid on, and I think that will take care of the problem, and give a seal that would at least let in a very small amount of air but few flies. Of course, the pail is designed to be just a temporary holding place for waste, and not to sit there for days on end, where odor and decomposition can build and build, as this is NOT a composter! In fact, I think the name of this item is misleading.

I really liked the suggestion to put newspaper in the bottom of the unit, and this seems to be working well (didn't know to do that with the other unit I had). I keep this pail in a very cool room, but I haven't noticed any odor at all. I don't keep it on the counter because it, uh, does look like a little garbage can -- maybe a re-design is in order?

This item is attractive on your kitchen counter--you do not feel you have to hide it under the sink. With the carbon filter insert in the vented lid, there are no unpleasant odors. Very handy for collecting and carrying kitchen waste to the backyard composter.