HomeCompost & Co.Digester for Food Scraps and Pet Waste

Got a digester?  Here is the manual: Green Cone Digester Manual

 

Available for purchase at the Pleasantview Road Drop-off Center

Green Cone Digester $89 (including sales tax)

 

Is a backyard digester for you?

A food and pet waste digester is unremarkable looking--or smelling--in your yard.

A food and pet waste digester is unremarkable looking–or smelling–in your yard.

Interest in food-waste digesters is growing rapidly.  But what is one, exactly?  And would it be a good fit for your household?

Think:

  • food and pet waste only
  • simple
  • low maintenance
  • environmentally friendly!

 

 

 

What is a digester?

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A backyard digester, assembled but not installed in the ground.

A backyard digester is often called “a green cone.” It consists of two nesting plastic cones (what you see above ground) attached to a plastic basket which is buried underground.

 

green-cone-women-installing

Installing a backyard digester involves digging a large hole. If your soil does not drain well, you may need to make the hole larger and put some gravel underneath.

How will a digester help me manage my garbage?

Compared to landfilling food and pet wastes, a digester

  • greatly reduces odors in and around your garbage cart or bags
  • can save you up to 33% of what you are paying to landfill garbage
  • eliminates much of the methane your garbage releases when landfilled
  • is highly resistant to interference from pets or wild animals

What is required for good digester functioning?

For proper functioning, the following are essential:

  • a location with full sun
  • good drainage, taking into account that the basket extends two feet into the ground
  • the feedstock cannot be exclusively pet waste:  add some food waste for balance.

How does using a digester compare to composting?

Compared to backyard composting, a digester

  • is for disposing of food and pet wastes only, not yard wastes like weeds, trimmings, leaves, or grass clippings
  • works well to dispose of dairy products, plate scraps, meat trimmings and bones.  Raccoons and other animals may interfere with traditional compost piles if these are included in the pile.
  • requires even less effort to maintain than a compost pile–almost none!
  • takes longer to install
  • does not produce compost

How does a digester work?  Where does the waste go?

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Want to learn more?  Here’s the manual!

Green Cone Digester Manual
It includes

  • background information
  • assembly instructions
  • installation instructions
  • instructions for using your digester.