Testimonial: Using the Reencle in a Suburban Home for a Family of Five

How do we convince everyday suburban families to stop throwing their food waste in the trash or sending it down a garbage disposal? Maybe this Reencle Home Composter is the trick. Here’s what it’s like to use the Reencle in a suburban home for a family of five.

I’m a composting nerd and advocate who has tried composting at home in various ways: outdoor bins, tumblers, electric composting machines, pickup services, and more. My curiosity compels me to test many methods of turning food waste into soil nutrients. But more than anything, I’m driven to understand all the composting methods better to devise ways to get everyone on board with keeping their food waste out of the trash.

Most people want a magic wand to make their food waste disappear. If a curbside composting pickup service is available in your area and within your budget, it’s a viable option. It’s as easy as setting out your trash. For many people, though, that’s not accessible. Electric composting machines appear to be the next best alternative to miraculously vanish food waste.

Unfortunately, I’ve tried many of these machines, and most leave much to be desired. They’re not composters but food dehydrators. They’re tedious to use or over-engineer the process. They employ misleading marketing. In some cases, their sneaky subscriptions and fancy apps are really just a ploy to collect your personal data for profit. The Reencle Home Composter, however, is different and worth the investment for those committed to creating less trash and returning the nutrients from their food waste to their community’s soil.

A while back, after using our Reencle for about a year, I wrote a detailed review of the Reencle to share what I think differentiates it from other electric food dehydrators. It’s not perfect, but in a world where progress matters and perfection is not an option, I liked the Reencle well enough to recommend it to IRL friends and family.

After using the Reencle and liking it, I agreed to collaborate with the brand to share the machine with five of my family and friends so they could try it and provide their honest feedback. This group includes people in a variety of phases of life so they can share how it works as individuals without children, families with children, empty nesters, people living in the suburbs or the city, and someone who already composts using an outdoor bin in her backyard.

Reencle Home Composter in a Suburban Home for a Family of Five

Today, I’m sharing about the experience of my sister and her family of five using the Reencle in their suburban San Diego home. She’s married with three children between the ages of 5 and 10. She has a small backyard and limited space to compost outdoors. While he might not appreciate my sharing, it’s relevant to note that her husband is generally opposed to the perceived inconvenience and “yuck” factor of composting.

My sister set up her Reencle electric composter next to her kitchen. Over the last few months, she’s consistently used the Reencle. She says it’s very easy to use and simple to maintain. As with any composting, there’s a bit of a learning curve to understand which foods can go into the machine. The Reencle accepts almost all food waste except for hard products like bones, stone fruit pits, and avocado pits that can jam up the rotating paddles.

We’ve exchanged less than a handful of text correspondences about troubleshooting the machine, generally related to the appropriate mixture of food, waste, and water to run it optimally. It can make small groaning noises when it gets too dry as the paddles rotate through the dry mixture.

Her kids are quickly learning what goes in the machine. It sits on the floor so they can easily dump their food waste into the receptacle without help. Her husband has decades of practice dumping food waste down the garbage disposal and into the trash, so he’s slowly building new habits. Given the limited attention our culture has committed to composting in the United States, I find this slow habit shift a common hurdle for new composters, regardless of the composting method they choose.

As with our experience, my sister noticed a slight odor emanating from the machine when it was open. It doesn’t smell when closed, nor does the odor waft to the room when the lid is open.

Overall, she’s been pleased with the Reencle. It fits seamlessly into her lifestyle, and even with a family of five, she doesn’t need to empty the contents frequently—once every few weeks at the most. She sprinkles the process mixture around her garden beds and on her grass.

She received the Reencle as a complimentary gift from the brand in exchange for reporting back on her experience. Due to the price point, it was not within her budget to pay the full price, so I understand if the price is a barrier for now. Reencle is working on a lower-priced alternative to make its machine more accessible.

She believes it’s an easy way to reduce waste and be a more conscious consumer if it’s in your budget. Food waste is one of humanity’s most significant threats as climate change continues to barrel through our communities. Food waste in our landfills does not break down properly and leeches methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the air.

Alternatively, returning composted food to our soil provides nutrients that make the soil healthier. This helps soil support plant growth, retain more water, and sequester more carbon from the air. In other words, not only does composting reduce a bad problem on the front end, but it also provides a positive solution on the back end.

What other questions can my sister answer about her experience using the Reencle composter in her everyday American suburban home? Join us in the comments to discuss.