Lomi Composter Review 2023: Read this before getting a Lomi

Lomi by Pela Earth has arrived – in Australia! With Lomi, you’ll have fresh compost and nutrient-rich soil in just a few hours. ‘How is that even possible’, you may ask. Well keep reading this Lomi review below to find out more about my experience with Lomi and my honest and comprehensive review of the product.

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What is Lomi?

Lomi is one of the few home compost machines currently available on the market. Claiming to be the world’s first Smart Waste™ appliance, Lomi essentially turns your household food waste into nutrient-rich soil much like compost.

In Australia, about 6.87 million tonnes of organic waste ends up in landfill every year. As a part of the home composting process, using Lomi actively diverts organic waste from landfill, a major contributor to climate change.

Lomi may be new technology but the benefits of compost are well known. Lomi provides you with the convenience and freedom to easily create a natural source of nutrients at the click of a button. The composting process is completed in hours – not weeks, which means you can enjoy a consistent supply of organic nutrients for your plants on the go and say goodbye to harmful, expensive chemical fertilisers.

Taking the arduous task out of traditional composting methods, Lomi’s innovative technology ensures that the storage and processing of food waste keep out unwanted pests and odours.

Whilst traditional composting may take on the volume of bulkier kitchen waste items, not all households may have the time, space or environmental conditions to sustain compost production. Lomi solves this issue as a composting solution that is suitable for every household.

First thoughts on Lomi

I preordered Lomi on 28 December 2021 and as promised, I received an email to confirm that my Lomi was ready for shipment on 29 September 2022. Talk about a long wait! I was anxious and excited at the same time as I awaited dispatch from the factory on 6 October 2022. Fast forward 11 days later, Lomi had arrived in Australia on 17 October 2022 – no small feat travelling all the way from the US!

Lomi ships by Fedex and arrived promptly with tracking details available online. There were a few minor dings on the box but overall no major damage as the box itself is pretty solid, weighing at least 9kg – Lomi out of the box weighs 8.6kg.

Opening the box, Lomi arrived perfectly without a scratch with sturdy packaging holding it solidly in place.

Throughout the year, I had contacted Pela (aka Open Mind Developments) twice via email anxiously asking about shipments of Lomi to Australia. During this time, helpful staff responded in a timely manner with a friendly approach. For this experience, I would rate them excellent in communication.

My initial preorder only allowed me to purchase the ‘Lomi Starter Package’ at the time.

The Lomi Starter Package comes with:

1 Lomi
Lomi Filter Refills – 45 cycles
LomiPods – 45 cycles
1 year warranty

Free shipping is available also available with the Lomi Starter Package.

Keep reading to find out more on my tips on how to use Lomi and what LomiPods are.

Getting started with Lomi

Please thoroughly read the manual before using Lomi. I cannot stress this enough! At the end of the day, Lomi is a household electrical appliance and instructions must be followed clearly to avoid serious harm and endangerment. Always unplug Lomi before performing any maintenance, handling the bucket or refilling the filters.

Bucket

The bucket is designed to process (approved) food waste and Lomi Approved bioplastics. Made from aluminium, the bucket has a non-stick coating and is dishwasher safe. Always align the small red triangles located on Lomi and the bucket to ensure a correct fit.

Back filter

This filter is designed to sit at the back of the unit. Simply lift and pull off the back filter panel. Take off the top of the rectangular filter box by unscrewing the 2 wingnuts and refill with Lomi Filter Refills (activated charcoal). Do not fill to the top, leave a small gap before replacing the filter box lid and back into place.

Top filter

This cylindrical filter is designed to insert easily next to the bucket. Twist the top to remove the lid. Refill the chamber with Lomi Filter Refills (activated charcoal) and replace the lid. Insert the top filter back into Lomi.

Lid

Align the locking symbol on the lid and Lomi to securely attach the lid in place. Plug Lomi in and select your Lomi mode to start. Edit: Lomi now sell a see-through lid (Lomi Skylight Lid) that can be purchased separately for $248.00 on Amazon AU.

Register your Lomi

Create an account with Pela and register your Lomi to activate your included 1 year warranty. You can find your Lomi serial number on the bottom of the appliance.

Lomi Modes

Lomi has three different cycles (Eco-Express, Lomi approved and Grow), so the choice is up to you. Take note that each cycle time varies depending on the quality of food waste and contents.

Eco-express mode

This mode is for food waste only and runs the fastest cycle with the lowest energy consumption (0.5 kWh). This mode takes between 3 – 5 hours and is not suitable for bioplastics, compostable commercial goods and packaging.

Lomi approved mode

This mode is suitable for bioplastics, compostable commercial goods, and packaging that is Lomi approved in addition to food waste. This mode takes between 5 – 8 hours and consumes 0.6 kWh.

Grow Mode

This mode is for food waste only and runs at low heat to preserve the microorganisms and bacteria for soil enrichment. It is the longest mode and takes between 16 – 20 hours. It also uses the most energy, consuming 1kWh per cycle. It is not suitable for bioplastics, compostable commercial goods and packaging.

How to use Lomi - in 5 easy steps

Now that you’re familiar with the different Lomi modes, you’ll want to know how to use Lomi to turn your waste into nutrient-rich soil in just a few hours. Whilst you can put food waste into all modes, a diverse mixture of foods is needed for Lomi to produce enriched soil for you plants and not a hard sticky mess.

Pela Earth does have approved lists of what can and cannot be put in Lomi, which are available on their website and are updated as necessary. In addition to sticking to these lists, adding smaller food items and removing excess moisture will ensure Lomi can mix waste adequately to produce good-quality soil.

Lastly, it is important to remember that Lomi is an electrical appliance that has the ability to transform food waste into usable and healthy soil BUT the principles of composting still apply – if you want nutrient-rich soil.

Keep reading below to follow my guide and tips to make sure you end up with nutrient-rich soil.

Step 1

Start with a dry clean Lomi bucket. If there is any hard sticky mess or hard stuck residue from a previous cycle, make sure you thoroughly remove this before starting a new cycle. Here are my tips to avoid a sticky mess in Lomi.

Step 2

Fill the bottom of the Lomi bucket to create a thin layer of pine wood shavings. This tip is found in my guide to using Lomi – Day One, Cycle One. On top of this, add a thin layer of browns. I like to use dried tree leaves.

Step 3

Add your kitchen scraps. Try to get a good balance of food waste.

Step 4

Add a thin layer of household browns. I like to add tissue paper and paper towels or paper napkins that have been used to wipe organic waste (at the end of meals). You can also add in paper towels that have been used with an eco-friendly cleaning product like Koh. You can find more examples of household browns in my guide to using Lomi.

In addition to this browns layer, you can also mix in certified home compostable products (in small quantities) or Lomi approved products. It is recommended that only 10% (per total volume of waste) of biowaste or compostable products are added to Lomi per cycle. Ensure that all waste in the Lomi bucket is below the max fill line.

At this point, if you are planning to use Grow mode, you can now add in a LomiPod tablet. Just pour 50ml (1.7 oz) of water over the LomiPod. The tablet may begin to dissolve and form bubbles (this is ok). Close the lid, select Grow mode and you’re all set to go.

Step 5

Choose the Lomi mode that suits best: Eco-express, Lomi approved or Grow. Take note that compostable products can only be added to the Lomi approved mode.

A Beginner's Guide to using Lomi

My article about Home Compost Machines and Everything You Need to Know about Lomi, covers the basics of composting. So, whether you’re a beginner or a veteran composter, you’ll want to stick to a high carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio. The original ratio as developed in the 1900s was approximately a C:N of 3:1 (for agricultural purposes), modern advancements have now determined that a C:N of 30:1 is generally considered the ideal ratio for home composting.

For beginners, this means that the C:N ratio is achieved by layering 30 parts of carbon to 1 part of nitrogen by weight. In composting, carbon can be referred to as “browns” and nitrogen generally as “greens”. It is the C:N ratio that is essential to provide a well-balanced environment for microorganisms to thrive for successful compost.

Browns

High carbon material includes:

Leaves
Paper
Bioplastics
Packing items

Greens

Household kitchen waste scraps high in nitrogen include:

Fruit
Vegetables
Plant trimmings
Eggshells
Coffee/tea

Lomi can process many different types of food materials but the secret to successful compost is creating a diverse mixture of both Greens and Browns whilst maintaining the ideal C:N ratio.

What can you put in a Lomi?

Most organic kitchen food scraps can go in Lomi:

Fruit and vegetable scraps
Food leftovers, plate scrapings
Meat scraps
Soft bones e.g. fish
Soft shells and shellfish e.g. egg shells and prawns
Dry grains (liquids must be separated and removed) e.g. oatmeal, rice, pasta, pancakes
Paper coffee filters, coffee grounds
Loose leaf tea and tea bag leaves
Rinds (cut into smaller pieces) e.g. watermelon, melons
Peels e.g. oranges, mandarins, bananas
Hommus
Eggs
Houseplants, plants, flowers
Garden trimmings (leaves, prunings, weeds)
Shredded/cut up cardboard
Paper items (napkins, paper towel, tissue paper, shredded brown/lunch bags)
Compostable paper plates, bowls, cups, sandwich bags

Got something you think that might go into Lomi? Check this list here to find out what can be composted in smaller quantities.

What can't you put in a Lomi?

Whilst there are plenty of organic foods you can put in a Lomi, there are some types of food that you should never put in Lomi:

Hard bones e.g. chicken, beef, pork and lamb
Cooking oils, grease and very greasy foods
Fruit pits e.g. avocados peaches, apricots, nectarines, mango
Soaps, shampoo and conditioner bars
Soft plastics and aluminium lined food bags e.g. chips, biscuits, pet food
Soiled diapers, baby wipes
Cigarettes
Metal, plastic (hard and soft), glass
Aluminium foil
Fresh produce netting and tags
Styrofoam
Pet waste
Alcohol
Walnut shells

Day One - Cycle One

Following a similar guide to adding layers in a compost bin, I started off with a base of 100% natural timber wood shavings and dead leaves from my backyard. The wood shavings base had a dual purpose of absorbing any excess liquids to prevent unpleasant odours (when Lomi wasn’t running) and is a great source of high carbon.

I continued to alternatively layer greens with browns from my household waste that day. This cycle took about 1.5 days to fill (to the max limit) and for the first cycle I chose the Lomi approved mode.

Green scraps I added included: egg shells, baby food, sushi scraps (cooked tuna and avocado), skin of half an avocado, pear core, McDonald’s sausage and egg McMuffin leftovers, beef lasagne, canned chicken, bread (containing butter), cereal, oatmeal, fresh avocado, loose tea leaves, whole tea bags, compostable cling wrap and compostable wipes. All food scraps were broken up into smaller quantities before being added to Lomi.

Brown scraps I added included: baking paper, paper towels, tissue paper, paper napkins, wooden takeaway cutlery (one knife and one fork) and wooden chopsticks. Only the baking paper sheet was cut up into smaller pieces.

As it was the first cycle, I decided to add additional dead leaves for extra high carbon to test against the second cycle without additional dead leaves. To test the grinder capabilities and end-product breakdown, all items were placed in Lomi whole (unless specified as above).

Due to the addition of compostable commercial products, I selected Lomi approved mode as being the most suitable for this cycle. With Lomi being an electrical product, I also decided to run it during the day to test for the sound level and in case of any fire hazards! This cycle ended up running for a total of 5 hours.

End product: as pictured in the above image, brown earthy nutrient-rich soil was a success! My first impressions: amazement (to produce a product resmebling soil in such a short time), relief (it didn’t cause a hard sticky mess), happy (it smelled great) and it was overall a great experience (looking forward to my next test cycle).

The appearance of the end product resembles finished compost left for 4-6 weeks.

Day Three - Cycle Two

This cycle took 1 day to fill (to the max limit) and for this cycle I chose the Grow mode. No compostable commercial products were added to this cycle. The Lomi bucket filled up faster in this cycle due to the larger volume of browns I added this time around.

Green scraps I added included: bread (containing butter), cereal, oatmeal, baby food, fresh avocado, chicken, beef mince, fresh lettuce, mayonnaise (small quantities), fruit cores, and potato peels. All food scraps were broken up into smaller quantities before being added to Lomi.

Brown scraps I added included: 2 sheets of baking paper, paper towels, tissue paper, paper napkins and a brown paper bag. Only one of the baking paper sheets was cut up into smaller pieces, I left the other whole.

In this cycle, I did not add additional dead leaves or a LomiPod. But stay tuned for an upcoming product review of LomiPods where I compare the before and after results on edible and non-edible plants. To test the duration of this mode, I chose Grow.

To run this mode during the day, I stopped Lomi before I went to bed and started it again the next day. This cycle ended up running for a total of 20 hours.

End product: by appearance and odour, the end product of this cycle resembled soil from the first cycle. The one major difference however was finding small amounts of hard stuck residue that had collected on the screw heads in the Lomi bucket. Thankfully nothing else was found on the rotary arms. This is where the addition of extra dead leaves for high carbon may have come in handy to help avoid such a problem.

Also, the uncut sheet of baking paper did not break down at all and was still completely intact (scrunched up). I actually cut this sheet into smaller pieces for another cycle and it broke down completely.

Overall, this cycle was quite long and probably needs to run continuously for it to fit in practically with our household needs. I would most likely use Grow mode once every 4-5 cycles or so to gain the benefits of a LomiPod.

Similarly, both cycles ended up reducing the total waste volume to at least 20-25%.

Tips to avoid a sticky mess in Lomi

Lomi has been on the market for more than a year now and early users in the US have reached a consensus that the hard stuck residue found under the rotary arms and at the bottom of the Lomi bucket is a bit of an issue.

According to some of the comments found on their Lomi Support page, there’s a lot of finger-pointing as to who’s responsible for this sticky mess. One disagreeable commenter goes so far as to point out that the manufacturer of Lomi should consider providing a “tool” with Lomi to remove hard stuck residue – implying that it was to be expected and completely unavoidable.

One theory could be that high sugar-content (think carbs) items are coming into contact with the sides and bottom of the Lomi bucket during a cycle, essentially baking it and causing the residue to harden up (like toffee does) instead of using dry heat to dehydrate the items.

Comments aside, I think we can all agree that we can and should use Lomi to produce either dirt or enriched soil. And for starters, this means all users are responsible for striking a balance between browns and greens by sticking to the C:N ratio. Here are my top tips to avoid a sticky mess and hard stuck residue in Lomi:

Create a base layer of browns (such as wood shavings) before adding greens.
Create diverse layers of browns and greens.
Make sure the rotary blades are clean and free from any hard stuck residue from a previous cycle
Regularly wash the Lomi bucket i.e. once every 3-4 cycles.
Use LomiPods to further breakdown organics

Tips to create nutrient-rich soil in Lomi

Good quality soil can be easily created in Lomi. I consistently follow these tried and tested tips to get a usable end product:

Start with a base layer of browns in the Lomi bucket before adding any greens
Stick to a high C:N ratio
Add plenty of browns and a diverse mixture of greens, create balanced layers in the Lomi bucket
Avoid excess moisture by draining soaked food items
Avoid adding too many greasy foods in large quantities
Break up or cut up larger items like baking sheets, paper, leaves, fruit or vege peels and rinds like watermelon
Don’t place tough or hard items like fruit pits, avocado seeds, bones, chewing gum, etc. in Lomi
Avoid adding large quantities of high sugar content (carbs/starches) food items like rice, pasta, tomato paste cereal, oats, potato, sweet potato, pumpkin and fruit
Avoid using Eco-Express mode, unless you’ve got the C:N ratio down pat. According to some Lomi users, its been the cause of many hard stuck residue issues
Use Grow mode at least once every 5-6 cycles with LomiPods
For regular use, use Lomi Approved mode

How can you tell if your soil in Lomi is ready to use?

First of all, you’ll find that a finished product from Lomi, or a home compost machine, will be different to finished compost from a compost bin, but the signs and benefits are quite similar.

What does finished compost look like from a compost bin?

The appearance of finished compost from a compost bin has the following characteristics:

it crumbles easily in your hand and should not contain any larger recognisable food scraps or leaves
a sweet earthy-like smell
a rich dark colour
should be cool to the touch (if using the hot compost method)

What does finished soil look like using a Lomi?

The appearance of finished soil from Lomi has the following characteristics:

a crumbly mixture of small, dehydrated fragments
a sweet fragrant and pleasant smell (reminds me of sticky date pudding)
a medium to dark brown colour

What do I do with the soil after composting with Lomi?

All soil from Lomi, and dirt from Eco-Express mode, can be added to the green bin. Nutrient-rich soil from both Lomi approved and Grow modes can be mixed with garden soil in a 1:10 ratio of 1 part Lomi soil to 10 parts garden soil for outdoor or indoor plants to thrive on.

You can also add nutrient-rich soil to an existing compost heap, donate it to a local composting centre or help a friend out by giving it away for free!

Is a Lomi worth it?

There are really a few ways to answer this question. You’re probably asking yourself if a Lomi is worth the time, effort and expense. This would point to drawing comparisons between a home composting machine versus a compost bin.

Cost

Lomi has a hefty price tag with figures starting at $USD499 which is roughly $AUD768. This gets you the machine and refills (charcoal filter and LomiPods) which is about 3 months worth. On top of this, if you’re also planning to use a base layer of wood shavings instead of twigs, then this will also be an additional cost. I purchased a 30 litre bag of 100% natural timber wood shavings for $21.99 from Petbarn or you can purchase it online for $26.00 from Amazon AU.

On the flipside, at the very least you will be able to pick up a fairly basic outdoor compost bin from Bunnings for as little as $AUD49.98 but the real kicker is creating a base layer using twigs and leaves which is well, free.

A neat little kitchen countertop compost bin will set you back $AUD42.99 from Amazon AU.

In comparison, Lomi additionally loses a few points here by being a not so eco-friendly option in respect to energy usage per cycle. Total energy consumption per cycle (depending on the Lomi mode selected) ranges from 0.5 kWh – 1 kWh.

Capacity

There is really no comparison here. The capacity of a Lomi bucket is 2.5 litres whilst compost bins can range anywhere from 150 litres to a whopping 600 litre capacity.

Compost processing time

Speaking of capacity, this really depends on routine household needs. Unless you have two compost bins, you could be waiting anywhere from at least 4-6 weeks to about a year for finished compost before you can think about refilling it again.

With Lomi, you can run any of the shorter cycles (up to 8 hours of processing time) during the night and there will be no downtime to refilling the bucket again.

Zero food waste

I feel like this one’s a bit of a draw here. Yes, both Lomi and compost bins reduce the amount of food waste that ends up in landfill but arguably it’s difficult to establish which one does a superior job at really getting rid of food waste. This is mainly in part due to the fact that the type of food waste we generate depends on what we eat on a daily basis.

There are foods that better suit Lomi like meat scraps and dairy for example. This is not really ideal in compost bins as it can produce bad odours and attract pests. However, Lomi can’t handle hard food waste like avocado seeds or animal bones which a compost bin would happily take on.

Compost quality

There is no doubt that natural compost has many benefits for plants. It enriches soil, provides vital nutrients and is the perfect environment for beneficial microorganisms to grow, basically Earth’s organic fertiliser.

Pela has found a clever way to artificially provide similar benefits to finished nutrient-rich soil using a Lomi by creating LomiPods.

Is a Lomi right for me?

We’ve listed the top pros and cons of Lomi to help you decide if it’s right for you.

Pros

Cons

Does Lomi have any odours?

Lomi has two filters filled with activated charcoal and a tightly sealed lid to prevent any odours from escaping. The filters prevent odours during a cycle however there is nothing to prevent odours from escaping every time you open the lid to add more waste inside. Pela recommends not leaving unprocessed food waste in Lomi for too long (more than a week) to prevent unpleasant odours.

Finished soil in Lomi should have a pleasant sweet-smelling aroma to it.

Is Lomi eco-friendly?

No, Lomi is not eco-friendly. As an electrical appliance, it requires electricity and runs for many hours. However saying that, Lomi can be more eco-friendly by running it during the day if you have access to a renewable energy source like solar power or by running a short cycle with Eco-Express mode.

Is Lomi loud?

It’s about as loud as running a dishwasher cycle. So if you live in a small apartment with your bedroom located next to the kitchen, you’re probably going to hear it at night.

During the day this can also seem loud and distracting if you work from home. I don’t work from home so it doesn’t bother me during the day and our house is two-storey so we can’t hear it when it runs at night.

The final verdict on Lomi

Would I continue using Lomi? The short answer is, yes I would and so far I continue to run a cycle for most of my food waste, but for everything else there’s FOGO.

The most important thing about Lomi is that there is no guarantee that this home compost machine, like others on the market, actually produces compost. It is a home electrical appliance, basically if a food dehydrator and a Thermomix had a baby.

Creating compost using traditional methods is hard work and composting really is a science. Whilst Lomi delivers good on its promise to cut down on food waste, it essentially comes down to the user to create good quality soil (not compost) in Lomi and not just relying entirely on the machine itself to do the work. Which I am happy to oblige mind you, Lomi can take some fine-tuning to get used to but it is still far less work than a compost bin.

Granted Lomi has engineered a design to break down food waste, and fast by all accounts, but without the added benefits of LomiPods, is the soil created using Lomi just glorified broken-down food waste? Pela reviews this sentiment in a blog post that compares their Lomi design with 5 other home composter machines currently available on the market.

If you’re getting finished soil using Lomi and not stringy leathery strands or hard stuck residue like some Lomi users, then you’ll probably agree that Lomi is a good solution to the food waste problem. As to the nutrients and benefits of microorganisms of finished compost using traditional compost methods, Pela adds LomiPods to the mix for a comparable end product. I most likely wouldn’t purchase a subscription for LomiPods but will stock up to use in Grow mode every 5-6 cycles.

Are there alternative solutions to Lomi? Of course there are, like the Bokashi method, traditional composting, Vitamix FoodCycler, Tero, Reencle, Kalea, Breville FoodCycler and some interesting ones on Amazon. But are they likely to afford the convenience and time-saving qualities you can expect from a Lomi? Probably not.

My final verdict is a thumbs up for Lomi. Its able to tackle the food waste problem head-on in a way that has modernised composting methods adding to the ease and convenience of everyday living.

You can purchase Lomi directly via their official channel on Amazon AU.

Inspired by the Lomi journey? Follow them on Instagram for more projects and ideas! @getlomi

Please note that this is not a sponsored review. All products in this review have been purchased and fully paid for. This is an unbiased and honest review of all products mentioned and not influenced by any paid advertising or sponsorship.

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