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Breville The FoodCycler Food Disposal Bin $299.99 Delivered @ Costco AU (Membership Required)

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Breville The FoodCycler Food Disposal Bin $299.99 Delivered @ Costco AU (Membership Required)
Go to Deal
Madcat on 06/06/2022 - 22:14 costco.com.au (1031 clicks)
Last edited 06/06/2022 - 22:15

Cheapest I've seen is around $350 on eBay and RRP is about $500 - $600

Turn household food waste into odourless EcoChips™ in as little as 4 hours. The FoodCycler operates an automated program drying, grinding and cooling to reduce food scraps into odourless EcoChips. In as little as 4 hours, your household food waste is reduced by over 80% of its original volume. Easy to use with one-touch operation, its unique carbon filtration system eliminates odours, making it perfect for indoor use. With low energy usage and quiet operation, the FoodCycler can fit neatly in any location.

Breville's product page
https://www.breville.com/au/en/products/food-disposal/bwr550…
and one of their video's about it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-J-8V_9Q44

There's been discussion of this device getting a 2021 Choice Shonky award, although Breville responded to that
https://www.applianceretailer.com.au/breville-responds-to-ch…

Electrical & Electronics Breville Eco Food Waste Disposal Recycling

Related Stores

Costco Wholesale
Costco Wholesale

closed Comments

  • Doyen on 06/06/2022 - 22:23
    +34

    In other news, how to create a problem that doesn't exist.

    • Trishool on 06/06/2022 - 23:21
      +1

      Tim Apple reporting, sir!

    • EarlyBird on 07/06/2022 - 12:24

      @Doyen Yes, but the 🟢 will endorse it and their 🐑 will religiously follow their advice

  • Aftos on 06/06/2022 - 22:24

    Yeah nah

  • simulacrum on 06/06/2022 - 22:27
    +7

    If you’ve got spare, unused solar electricity during the day and are too lazy to take your organic waste out to the compost bi/worm farm daily or if you live in an apartment that’s too small for a compost bit or worm farm these devices can be handy.

    • tunzafun001 on 06/06/2022 - 23:50
      -1

      Is it an anti matter machine?

      No final product whatsoever.. brilliant!

      • simulacrum on 08/06/2022 - 09:43
        +1

        Nah but it’ll turn a couple of litres of smelly decaying organic matter into a handful of odorless dry powder you can bury in a few pot plants and allow to decay over time, give to family, or put aside for the green waste collection without worrying about stinking your house up.

    • Thrifty McGifty on 07/06/2022 - 03:44
      +1

      Assuming you're off-grid and can't feed that power back into the grid.

      • Chandler on 07/06/2022 - 12:39
        +1

        With feed-in trarrifs these days, I think I'd rather use my power on one of these (if I needed one).

      • simulacrum on 08/06/2022 - 09:41

        You get bugger-all for feed in these days so it’s better to use it all up.

  • indianregulator on 06/06/2022 - 22:28
    +19

    Use 4 hours of electricity to turn your biodegradable scraps into smaller biodegradable scraps

  • tunzafun001 on 06/06/2022 - 22:29
    +20

    Hats off to putting effort into nothing..

    I chuck my veggie scraps under the fruit trees. Then wait for a mystery plant to grow. Currently have a capsicum, pumpkin and leeks.

    • justtoreply on 06/06/2022 - 22:34
      +4

      We have a compost bin. I'm trying to breed a mutant

      • GregFiona on 07/06/2022 - 00:33
        +10

        We have a council FOGO caddy and bin. We have successfully been breeding fruit flies in the caddy and maggots in the FOGO bin

  • PiperDan on 06/06/2022 - 22:30
    +1

    The FoodCycler uses only 1KW per 8 hour cycle (equivalent to boiling 1L of water).
    Yeah that doesn't add up unless you want to boil your kettle dry

    • Joker042 on 06/06/2022 - 22:53
      +6

      0.09 kWh assuming a 20 degree ambient temperature and no heat loss for anyone playing along at home.

      Back of the envelope, it would take a little more than a third of a kilowatt hour to heat 1L of water from absolute zero to boiling.

      kW isn't even a valid unit there, and when a person is talking, fine, we know they mean kWh if they are talking about power used, but a brand that makes electrical good should kinda get that right.

      • PiperDan on 06/06/2022 - 23:08
        +2

        Google says "It uses 0.8 kWh per cycle". I assume some marketing clown decided to round up. Either way it's still wrong.

  • Coops1 on 06/06/2022 - 22:31
    +3

    The answer to this is just use a FOGO bin.

    • b3au on 06/06/2022 - 22:35
      +1

      If only our council was as forward thinking to have such things!

      • Matt P on 06/06/2022 - 22:46
        +3

        Dig a hole and bury food scraps in your backyard. Plant something there next year

        • garage sale on 07/06/2022 - 19:07

          hard if you live in a rental apartment and the carpark is all concrete …..

  • clandestino on 06/06/2022 - 22:47
    +6

    Alternatively, just stick your household waste into your regular bin. It'll end up going into landfill and biodegrading in exactly the same way.

    (Saving you $299.99+ energy charges in the process)

    • b3au on 06/06/2022 - 22:55

      Except with the bonus of more carbon emissions via landfill!

      • clandestino on 06/06/2022 - 22:59
        +8

        ??!
        I am a scientist. I seek to understand.

        BeauGiles, you may be surprised to find out that the carbon emissions will be almost identical via both routes.

        • b3au on 06/06/2022 - 23:03

          No methane emitted when the FoodCycler does it's thing, no?

          Vs trucking your food scraps to landfill….

          Every kilogram of food waste in landfill produces 1.3kg of CO2 emissions and most of this is methane gas, according to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

          From the article linked in the deal

          • tunzafun001 on 06/06/2022 - 23:42
            +2

            @b3au: What are you meant to do with the waste chips then in the end…cryogenically freeze them for eternity so they dont decompose?

            Then there is the higher CO2 output from using 1KWh of power (they couldnt even get that unit of measure right).

            Finally a product that is more shit than Peter Brocks Fuel Polarizer (kids will need to google this one)..hats off, I never thought this was possible.

            P.S. the Op who listed this product…name checks out!

            • dengziyi on 07/06/2022 - 08:14
              +1

              @tunzafun001: The end product goes into the green bin or can be thrown into the garden. Many municipals still don't take raw compost, but will be able to the ecochips.

              • tunzafun001 on 07/06/2022 - 14:39

                @dengziyi: Then put it straight into the green bin or garden. Even the normal bin is better.

                Why waste 1Kwh of energy to simply grind and dehydrate it, which will simply become hydrated again. This product will then break down in exactly the same way, with the same by-products.

                It's pure madness.

                • dengziyi on 07/06/2022 - 14:54
                  +2

                  @tunzafun001: Some municipals don't accept raw food in green bins - it will contaminate the entire bin, and all that goes to landfill. Throwing food waste into the garden increases pests and smells. The normal bin is simply not better. Aerobic decomp such as throwing it in the garden, and using the Foodcycler, and composting, reduces methane emissions compared to landfill dumped food.

                  Or, if someone doesn't have a green bin or garden or any viable composting options like myself, this product allows me to make compost for my pot plants. Even if all the ecochips goes to landfill, it still produces less methane than raw food in landfill

                  It's really not madness.

                • simulacrum on 08/06/2022 - 09:55

                  @tunzafun001: Because your average person is too lazy to go and throw each piece of green waste into the garden every time they peel a carrot or have some food scraps left, and they don’t like the alternative of having a bin of wet rotting organic matter on their kitchen bench all week stumbling the place up and attracting fruit flies - or lying in their garden bed for that matter. So many people give up and end up just throwing everything into mixed waste and having it take up space in land fill in their bin bags along with plastics and other mixed rubbish and decomposing anaerobicly, releasing methane. Not to mention those that might live in apartments, and find it even more difficult to fit composting into their lifestyle.

                  This product allows you to process the waste into a product that takes up much less space and is odorless and something most people would be happy to allow to accumulate in a bin indoors, ready for once a week disposal in the garden/worm farm/compost bin/green bin for aerobic decomposition. Further if you already have rooftop PV generating electricity all day that you don’t use then the device is essentially doing it for you for a few cents worth of foregone feed-in tariffs. Think of it as something that compensated for people’s lifestyle preferences / laziness and alters behaviour rather than something that’s meant to contravene conservation of energy.

          • garage sale on 07/06/2022 - 19:11

            @b3au: yep, in some land fills, once they are full and soil is returned to the top, they tap methane from them

  • pharcyde on 06/06/2022 - 22:50
    +1

    I just chuck mine down the stormwater drain.

    • tunzafun001 on 06/06/2022 - 23:38
      +1

      The machine? Good call.

  • kingmoron on 06/06/2022 - 22:50
    +3

    I dont get it - what do you do with the food scraps once finished? compost?. its like composting, but with extra electricity. or do you just bin it and 'save 80% of your footprint' but those food scraps wouldve decomposed in no time anyway…

    • b3au on 06/06/2022 - 22:53

      From the article linked in the deal

      Every kilogram of food waste in landfill produces 1.3kg of CO2 emissions and most of this is methane gas, according to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). Even when powered by Australia’s predominantly coal-based grid, there is a net carbon reduction when you use the FoodCycler versus sending food waste to landfill

      I assume if your council doesn't do a FOGO bin service, and you don't have enough room (or time?) for a worm farm or compost bin but you want to do the 'right thing' - using the FoodCycler results in less carbon emissions vs just throwing it in the red bin and out to landfill

      • bargainshooter on 06/06/2022 - 23:40

        But does it result in less carbon emissions? Do you store those chips somewhere or end up throwing them in the red bin anyway? Or do you burn them?

        • dengziyi on 07/06/2022 - 08:15
          +1

          They're thrown into the green bins or can be put in the garden, but won't attract fruit flies.

  • ozbargainer666 on 06/06/2022 - 22:51
    +3

    do the chips taste good

    • xenoic on 07/06/2022 - 00:50
      +3

      I’d recommend putting in an air fryer for extra crispness

  • Matt P on 06/06/2022 - 22:52
    +2

    Given the current energy situation in AU, you're potentially having coal burnt to compost food waste.

    Clandestino above makes a better suggestion, even if you CBF composting or council doesn't offer a green bin, put it in your regular bin and it will end up composting itself

    OP, this isn't personal, but i have a severe issue with this as a product.

    • b3au on 06/06/2022 - 22:54

      Every kilogram of food waste in landfill produces 1.3kg of CO2 emissions and most of this is methane gas, according to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). Even when powered by Australia’s predominantly coal-based grid, there is a net carbon reduction when you use the FoodCycler versus sending food waste to landfill

      From the linked article in the deal

      • clandestino on 06/06/2022 - 23:05
        +4

        Firstly, I'd be very surprised if 1kg of waste could generate 1.3kg of CO2. The mass has increased by almost 30%?

        Secondly, what's different about this device, or a green bin/ "Fogo" bin? I reckon that you'll find that the same amount of CO2 is created.

        • b3au on 06/06/2022 - 23:18
          +2

          I only used that quote as it was already linked in the deal.

          Depending on where you look, the actual amount generated may be higher?
          Eg, OzHarvest claim that 1kg not in landfill is 2kg of greenhouse emissions saved (though obviously their goal is to have it eaten…)

          For every 1kg of food that OzHarvest rescues from landfill we save 2kg of greenhouse (kg Co2-eq) emissions and 143 liters of water.
          https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/ozharvest-media/wp-c…

          I'm sure you could find other numbers that show that 1kg produce less than 1kg in emissions…

          Secondly, what's different about this device, or a green bin/ "Fogo" bin? I reckon that you'll find that the same amount of CO2 is created.

          Not all of us have access to a FOGO service; eg in NSW it's only Penrith council (last I checked) that offered it to all residents. Other councils have got nothing. I'm guessing it's offered everywhere in Brisbane and QLD?

          So the comparison isn't so much FOGO vs FoodCycler, but FoodCycler vs Landfill.

          If you clicked on the link in the deal, it does actually say

          In conclusion, Martyn told Appliance Retailer: “We encourage those who backyard compost to keep doing so, but for those who can’t or won’t, this is a net gain for the environment and another option to consider.”

          —

          And again, just pointing out that this is all stated in the article linked from the deal. Which some people perhaps didn't click on.

        • dengziyi on 07/06/2022 - 13:42

          To clarify, the article is poorly written. The "every kg produced 1.3kg CO2" is referring CO2 equivalent (CO2-e) emissions. Anaerobic decomp of food waste releases mostly methane, and as methane is 4 times worse than CO2 in greenhouse/warming potential, it has higher value in CO2-e, that's why it's producing "more" than its original mass in emissions.

          CO2-e is not exactly a measurement of mass, it's saying it produces the same global warming effect as 1.3kg of CO2.

      • Matt P on 06/06/2022 - 23:16
        +3

        This is assuming the "EcoChips™" don't further decompose. It also assumes the device itself has no manufacturing footprint/no travel to get to you/no disposal at end of life, no footprint of you earning the money to buy it after taxation etc…

        It also assumes the compost process adds nothing to soil, which it undoubtedly does.

    • crunchyhead on 07/06/2022 - 01:19
      +1

      Agreed. This is a stupid product.
      It in no way reduces the carbon ultimately released by the food (dry food and wet food contain the same carbon) and wastes even more energy crisping it up.
      I can see why it might LOOK like a good idea but it is not.

      • CptLeopold on 07/06/2022 - 05:19

        Yeah this product makes no sense at all. Kitchen storage is at a premium and there are community gardens for those in apartment towers that want to compost as well

      • dengziyi on 07/06/2022 - 13:55

        Perhaps they may release same amount of carbon. But the product is designed to reduce methane produced from anaerobic decomp of food in landfills.

        • crunchyhead on 07/06/2022 - 17:16

          Maybe, but at some stage the dried bits of veg will eventually get wet and decompose in exactly the same way as the soggy veg would.
          The only way to prevent this is to do something drastic like encase the dried chips in concrete and bury them VERY deeply underground.

          Please remember that these are only the peelings.
          The bulk of the vegetables, you supposedly ate and as you (or anyone) digests that food far more methane will be generated from the meal than from a few tiny scraps.

          • dengziyi on 07/06/2022 - 17:34

            @crunchyhead: Yes, it will eventually decompose like the original form. But there's significantly less waste to decompose, less time required to decompose and since it can mixed with soil, we can expect some of it to not go to landfill.

            The FC and other electric composters can take animal scraps (not bones), dairy and pet foods, it's much more than just peelings and covers a larger scope than a regular outdoor compost bin.

            Just because we eat and fart doesn't mean we shouldn't try to reduce food waste emissions. Annual emissions from food waste is probably higher than the annual emissions of our butts. But tbh I don't know

          • garage sale on 07/06/2022 - 19:14
            +1

            @crunchyhead: I don't create methane, it's not me, it's the dog …….

  • Iwantthebestprice on 06/06/2022 - 22:57
    +3

    Can I exchange these eco chips for goods and services?

    • cyssero on 06/06/2022 - 23:47
      +4

      They can be redeemed for Non Fungus Tokens.

  • King Steuart on 06/06/2022 - 23:18

    Check mate, Julia Gillard

  • try2bhelpful on 06/06/2022 - 23:44

    I just have a worm farm.

  • NNOP on 07/06/2022 - 00:02
    +3

    The Breville web site says this typically uses 1/6 of the energy of a clothes dryer (140kwh/mo) on a monthly basis.

    That puts this at around 23kwh/mo to operate.

    That is around $4.60/month in electricity or $55.20 per year.

    at 1.13 kg CO2-e/kWh emissions in Victoria that comes out to 26kg of CO2 emissions per month or just under 1/3 of a ton of CO2 emissions per year to run this.

    Even if you are running solar the power that goes towards this would otherwise have been sent to the grid to offset someone else's coal emissions.

    And.. even if you believe their methane claims, methane is more complicated. It is worse in the short term, but degrades quite quickly to CO2 (9 year half life) whereas CO2 sticks around in the atmosphere for hundreds of years.

    So yeah, 1/3 ton of CO2 to make some food pellets? I think this is about as green as rolling coal…

  • PiperDan on 07/06/2022 - 00:51

    Considering the cost of veggies ATM it might take a month to fill the damn thing. By then the composting process has already begun!

  • Fuzzy69 on 07/06/2022 - 01:06

    Yah ..Nah.. have better things to spend to..

  • ozchobie on 07/06/2022 - 05:43
    +1

    On sale because no one is buying it.

    It's the most impractical thing to get for your kitchen.

  • Ebany on 07/06/2022 - 06:02
    +1

    Wonder how often the filters need changing ……

    • pegaxs on 07/06/2022 - 17:03

      It's a bit like printers and ink. Soon they will be selling these for $49, but the filters will be propitiatory and $299/3 months

  • liamisred on 07/06/2022 - 06:14

    Yeah, this is a bloody scam

  • bloom on 07/06/2022 - 06:24
    +3

    And now we know how Pringles are made!

  • Sammyboy on 07/06/2022 - 07:14

    Wonder what was the amount of carbon emission in manufacturing the product and packaging

  • joshk on 07/06/2022 - 08:21
    +1

    This might make sense for someone like me who lives in an apartment building without composting. It would offer the following benefits:
    - Reduction in waste volume means having to take out the trash less frequently. This means less plastic waste bags ending up in landfill
    - Can put the eco chips on your pot plants for added nutrients

    But as to the environmental benefit of this vs landfill - given that the environmental cost of manufacturing this isn't taken into account I'd wager its a net negative.

  • mickeyjuiceman on 07/06/2022 - 08:38

    The sheer stupidity of this - both in the initial expense and then the reality of it using a heap of power to do exactly nothing - makes you really wonder about the upvoters, ESPECIALLY on this site, which should not be upvoting this sort of lose-lose appliance (assuming people think about it, which is far from a given).

    Not to mention the lies about relative power usage - "The FoodCycler uses only 1KW per 8 hour cycle (equivalent to boiling 1L of water)." - I boil two cups of water in the morning on the induction - uses about 80W according to the cooktop.

  • mwblink86 on 07/06/2022 - 10:02

    You guys can afford food

  • Ctn on 07/06/2022 - 10:18

    Should of called it EcoCoin(s).

    Redeemable for cost of power used x 1.2.

  • dengziyi on 07/06/2022 - 13:24
    +7

    Let's look at the context of this product and do some rudimentary maths. This product is designed for people who have no access to worm bins or compost areas - essentially those without outdoor areas (i.e apartments) and don't have municipal/community composting - this is a significant portion of people. The Foodcycler (FC) is not designed to be the first point of composting, it is the last resort.

    Costco description is a bit garbage - let's assume Foodcycler uses 0.8kWh as per the Breville website description.

    Quickly doing the maths, assuming Foodcycler is used twice a week. That's 96 times a year. 96 * 0.8 = 76.8 kWh. This is less than the annual load of kettle that is used daily..

    Ecochips/waste from these electric composters can go into the green bins, mixed with topsoil or can be thrown into the garden without introducing pests/smells. It can be thrown into general waste. Electric composters reduce the volume of food waste significantly (in Foodcycler's case, up to 80%), which also can reduce weight of waste, rubbish bag usages, and methane gas produced from rotting. Assuming 1kg of landfill food produces 1.9kg/CO2-e, and assuming the ecochips decay the same way as food, it should be <80% reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent (0.38kg/CO2-e).

    Further, let's do a comparison, assume:

    • No renewable energy powering the FC.
    • Each household throws out 312kg/yr per household.
    • FC processes 1kg at a time
    • And every time, it uses 0.8kWh
    • All the FC waste is sent to landfill to decay anaerobically.
    • Weight is also reduced by 80%
    • Emission factors from VIC (the highest of all states)

    Food processed by Foodcycler
    312 * 0.8 = 249.6kWh = 270kg CO2-e
    Waste volume reduced to ~62.4kg = 118kg CO2-e
    Total kg CO2-e = 388kg CO2-e

    Or, using Breville's numbers: - for extra context please see NNOP's comment
    23 * 12 = 276kWh = 300kg CO2-e

    Food to landfill emission
    312 * 1.9 = 592.8kg CO2-e

    Obviously, supplementing with zero emission electricity increases the saving. Electricity from other states will result in less emissions. However, lifecycle emissions of the FC is unclear and might negate the savings.

    As for the bargain aspect, this is a actual bargain. FC rarely goes on sale. Other alternatives on the market (Lomi, Vitamix) are all $500+

    Have done a bit of research into electric composters as I am in their target market, I can't compost by other means (and have tried and failed) and my electricity is supplemented by renewables (i.e 100% Greenpower). Happy to be corrected, let's discuss.

    P.S: Seems to be a lot of misinformation/misunderstandings in the comment section. The point of the product is to reduce anaerobic decomposition of food (aka sending food to landfill) which reduces methane production and to 'recycle' food (turn it into something useable). Aerobic decomp, like composting and FC's process, produces less CO2-e compared to landfilled food waste.

  • KenDiaMoi on 07/06/2022 - 13:58

    What happens if you eat the chips

    • garage sale on 07/06/2022 - 19:15

      What if you offer the chips to vegans ?

  • zombie hunter on 07/06/2022 - 19:57

    washing machine for gsrbage

  • skullster704 on 07/06/2022 - 22:27

    If this doesn't produce 1.21GW to power my time machine moderately modified DeLorean, then Costco can give me my blood money back!

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