FOGO bin that turns scraps into dirt in 24 hours coming to Australia
The new electric FOGO bin will be around the same price as a cheap television.
Foul smells, tiny annoying flies, and slimy black ooze are just some of the drawbacks of using a benchtop FOGO bin. But a new device being showcased in Australia this week promises to cleanly turn kitchen scraps into rich dirt in just 24 hours.
Ecotech Australia and New Zealand was displaying the Chinese-developed machines at Waste Expo in Melbourne. The 1 and 3 kg models are around the size of a medium waste bin and could easily fit in a home kitchen. While larger commercial versions are designed for offices and industrial kitchens and can hold between 20 and 800 kg. And for anyone operating an agricultural waste centre, there's even a 1 to 5 tonne version.
The company's Melbourne-based CEO Sunny Sun told Yahoo News that home models can easily process waste produced by a four to six-person family, using around 1 kilowatt of energy a day, and costing around 34 cents each time.
“It comes with bacteria which is heated. And all the waste food becomes soil. It’s reduced by up to 90 per cent, so 2kg becomes 200 grams,” he said.
How much do these home compost machines cost?
The starting price for the smallest model is expected to be around $1,500. Sun said a benefit of the bin is that it comes with a ball of bacteria which only needs replenishing every six months.
“It’s safe for the environment and easy to use,” he said. “No waste water comes out, and no odour. It’s very useful.”
When Yahoo News examined several of the machines, there was no smell on the outside and just a faint hint of warm soil inside. Other selling points are that it appears to run with little noise and it's relatively easy to operate.
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The dirt can be applied to the garden every day, but creating a high-grade fertiliser takes longer – around one week.
Ecotech is still working to “nail” the electrical requirements for the machines to operate in Australia. It’s secured a supplier in Queensland to manufacture the bacteria, and it’s expected the machines will be available here by next year.
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