Customer Reviews

Spinning Composter - Gardening Environmentally Friendly

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought one of these three years ago and a second one two years ago. I have turned out approx. 100 lbs of compost from kitchen scraps in three years. Pretty expensive fertilizer, but good karma. The bins that catch the liquids hold a couple of gallons and it makes 20 or 30 gallons of really dark tea, the plants go wild. These units get pretty hard to turn when they are full and if your mix gets too wet it will roll the compost into compacted balls of all sizes that will need to be broken up by hand.
Until I got the second one the problem I had was that I was always adding more so it never could cook out and finish composting. Even after I had two it was hard to keep somebody from throwing fresh garbage into the bin that was almost ready. They are virtually indestructible and both of mine are still like new.

I looked long and hard for a composter. One of my personal restrictions was size as I have a very small area in which to make my compost and it is on cement, not dirt. - I live in a condo
Note that in my research I was also looking for one for work that did not have the size restrictions. We since have acquired (gifted) another larger unit we also use at work but the Envirocycle remains in full production along side that one.

After the looking and looking for a period of about a year I found and and bought the Envirocycle for myself at home and one for my work place. Let me say I couldn't be more pleased. It takes up so little space yet produces BEAUTIFUL compost in short order- just as it promised. I use mine for kitchen scraps as well as plant waste. All brake down nicely and only some of the larger items are sifted out and need longer to make a mature compost. I do live in Southern California so extreme cold is not a problem, however in my internet searches of blogs etc. I have seen quite a few of these in pretty cold climates. They either use them in covered areas, a garage or basements in the winter. This unit is very easy to move - even when full. All you need to do is roll it off it's base then on to it's destination. There were other insulating methods used but since I didn't need that I did read further.

This composter also has the SUPER COOL added benefit of collecting compost tea which for any gardener is a MAJOR BONUS. This was one factor that contributed a great deal in my decision to buy this product. Another reviewer had theirs leak - unfortunate. (wonder if the cap was on tight enough?) I have not had (or read about) any problems with leakage, which is not to say it doesn't happen. - I'm just saying, I know of, or own 6 of these units and I have read post of countless others- I remember no leaking mentioned. Now not everyone collects the tea (although I can't comprehend why one wouldn't) - if you don't want to collect the tea you simply leave the plugs (that come installed) in the unit. This keeps the bottom of the unit sealed. Done! no tea- no leaking. One thing I did do after the first year or so is elevate the unit on some cinder blocks. I found that by doing this I can harvest the tea more easily and there is no need to remove the drum to pour the content of the reservoir. As an added bonus it's easier to turn a little higher. I should also say that these bins are easy to turn or "tumble" even when fully loaded. Really good design. My only complaint was the opening for the compost tea is inset- not good for getting out all the tea as it is not lowest spot for the liquid to collect. I see on their newest version that has been changed. For me that would not be not a deal breaker though-

See my composters here: [...]

I now have 2 of these and as I said really couldn't be happier. You can buy two of these units for less than most any other 2 compartment tumblers. These are made of Recycled Plastic, for me another bonus!!, and thy are recyclable at the end of their life span.
I've had my first Envirocycle Tumbler for at least 2 years now and it shows very little wear or signs of aging. The one we have at work does show some signs of aging but it has been left in full sun all day, everyday - all year (not the best idea).

Additionally, I later found information on this company and have since had dealings with them and they are REALLY, REALLY GREAT. The drum for my second unit that I purchased was warped. I didn't even notice until I filled it and tried to turn it. By that time I'd had the unit for 4 or 5 months (or more) as I was re-doing the garden are and had not set it up yet. I contacted the company (through the seller)and they replace the faulty drum immediately- no questions asked. I did not have to go through hoops or return the old one. They just sent me a new drum at no cost to me. The only thing they asked of me was to recycle the old drum- I now use the old drum to store compost as I empty my units if I don't need it right away so I can free them up to start a new batches! They seem to truly believe in doing good for the planet. You can check them out at [...]

I recommend this product to anyone who composts or wants to start- seasoned or newbies
That's not garbage that's food for my plants!
Thank you Envirocycle!

The concept is ok, but like the 4 star (huh?) review says, you need 2 of them to do it with out running into mixing fresh garbage into compost which you can never get to use without throwing fresh garbage into your garden. If they sold buy one, get one half off it might be worth it, but I would recommend one that works from the top down or just two cheap containers Garden Composter - Made from 100% Recycled Plastic

We've had this compost bin for a couple of years and I really dislike it. I can't roll it without getting compost juice all over my hands. Plus Black Widows like to live in the bottom of it, so if I don't touch it for a week or more, they will definitely come out when I roll it. Gloves are a must. I much prefer our other compost bin, which is a standard square black plastic bin. I can use a pitch fork to mix everything together without gloves and black widows. I find the rolling bin difficult to empty as well, it is awkward to roll across the yard and the smaller opening doesn't allow for a shovel to fit in easily or for the contents to come out easily simply by rolling it. Again I prefer to load up the wheel barrow from the square composter. The compost juice in the bottom is nice, but I won't touch it because of the Black widows...so my husband empties it. But as far as I can tell the compost comes out fine in both types.

I love composting with this composter. No odors, comes with instructions on how to get started, fully assembled. Best of all, it can be moved around the yard off its stand and rolled to where you need to place mulch. This was not originally clear in the item description and photos.

I researched several models and there really is no ideal method, machine, or barrel which got 100% rave reviews. You will need to sift and sort and remove any food scraps or sticks which have not broken down yet once you place the mulch on your garden. The only way to avoid this 100% is to have a giant fenced in old-fashioned "compost pile" like we had growing up. But of course, this requires turning, dealing with smells, and a rather large yard. This composter is fantastic for a backyard gardener like me with a smaller yard and small organic garden.

We bought two as recommended. The material never breaks down and it is virtually impossible to spin. Please save your money this product will only fustrate you.

I received this as a birthday gift 2 years ago. It doesn't seem to work as advertised. I turned it every day, added the required material (i.e, leaves, kitchen scraps, grass, etc.) and it did not produce the organic material it was supposed to. It was just one big huge smelly lump that turned over and over in the composter as I hand turned it. I'd say, look for something else. This ain't it.

I've had those composter for 2 years now. I did find that it produced a smell, so I moved it to the back of my property instead of near my house. This resulted in me not spinning it as much. But when I did spin it, it was seriously gross. The goo drips out of the bottom (like its supposed to), but when you spin it, the goo gets all over the composter and its very hard to avoid getting the hands dirty. Eventually animals chewed off the lock, so now I can't spin it at all. I still use it to throw out rotten food, and then dump it eventually in the woods.

I'd recommend getting a composter that has a handle.