This Small Device Turns Scraps Into Compost in a Day, Not Years
The Lomi has a 3-liter bucket for food scraps.
Photographer: Takamasa Ota for Bloomberg Businessweek
It takes a year, according to experts in organic fertilizer, for food scraps to fully break down into usable compost. The process can be sped up by adding organisms both micro (bacteria, fungi) and macro (earthworms, insects), and yet even then it can be a six- to eight-week process. But the $499 Lomi, which at 16 inches wide and 12 inches tall has a relatively compact footprint, can do the job of transforming your apple cores and coffee grounds into nutrient-rich soil in less than 20 hours. Insert a small pod that contains microorganisms, and a heat sensor and blade inside the Lomi will do the work of nature—just a lot faster.
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