This is our review of the compost grinder in 2022.
To take care of kitchen food scrap or yard waste, you may want a compost grinder. There are thousands of compost grinders on the market. As a result, finding the right one can be difficult if you don’t know what to look for.
I researched the best compost grinders and found that Vitamix FoodCycler Compost Grinder is the best option as a countertop compost grinder.
But depending on your preferences and grinding needs, you may want something different. If my #1 option is not for you, there are several other compost grinders on my list. Read on to find out which compost grinder is best for you!
Our Top Picks
- Best Kitchen Compost Grinder: Vitamix FoodCycler Compost Grinder
- Best Food Grinder For Compost: Miracle-Gro Small Composter
- Best Kitchen Compost Bin: Joseph Joseph Totem Max Compost Bin
- Best Countertop Compost Bin: NEW OXO Good Grips Compost Bin
- Best Overall Leaf Shredder: WORX WG430 Electric Leaf Mulcher
- Best Budget Buy Leaf Shredder: Sun Joe SDJ616 Electric Leaf Mulcher/Shredder
- Best Overall Wood Shredder: Sun Joe CJ603E Electric Wood Chipper/Shredder
What does a compost grinder do?
A compost grinder can break down the organic waste into smaller pieces. Crushing the large organic matter into smaller bits increases their surface area, gives way for many soil organisms equal opportunity to work on every tiny piece, and speeds up the composting process as a result.
Besides, some compost grinder like electric composters, can cut down food waste by up to 90%, and creates a nutrient-rich fertilizer which you can mix into your soil.
4 Food Scraps Compost Grinders Review
#1. Vitamix FoodCycler Compost Grinder – Best Kitchen Compost Grinder
Vitamix FoodCycler is an electric composter which has a grinding function. In a matter of hours, it will convert your food scraps and reduce their volume up to 90%, creating a nutrient-rich fertilizer within 4-8 hours. The FoodCycler is simple to use and won’t mess up your kitchen. Throw your food waste into the bin and push the go button without adding anything else such as enzymes or pellets.
After using this food grinder, you will have ready-to-use fertilizer for your plants. It is easy to clean up this compost grinder. And the grinder has a removal bucket that is dishwasher safe. The food recycler is lightweight and odorless. Keep it anywhere in or out of your home without attracting pests.
We like this compost grinder because one of the easiest electric composters to use, but also it’s budget friendly compared with other electric compost grinders.
Pros:
- The cover is secure and locks
- Three hours per compost cycle
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Composting chamber is small
- Can be noisy
- It could be easier to clean
#2. Miracle-Gro Small Composter – Best Food Grinder For Compost
If you’re looking for a compost grinder which can be placed in your patio or small backyard, Miracle-Gro is a good choice. This composter is a 27.7-gallon tumbling composter that allows you to put it in smaller spaces. The Miracle-Gro compost bin is best kept outdoors, either on your balcony, in your garden, or anywhere that you have some room.
This powerful composter turns your organic waste into fertile compost that can be added to your garden soil. The Miracle-Gro small composter comes with a unique aeration system that uses inner mixing bars to speed up the process of decomposition to allow you to grow a healthy garden.
Compost all year round with the sturdy design of Miracle-Gro’s composting machine. The side-locking mechanism is sturdy, and enabling loading and unloading the composter is easy. Maintains an airtight seal, is BPA-free, plastic is protected from UV-rays, all means you won’t have any harmful toxins in your compost.
Pros:
- It fits into the tiniest spaces
- Unique Miracle-Gro aeration system
- Mixing bars inside help speed up decomposition
- It has a tight seal
- The heavy-duty manufacturing design allows you to compost all year
Cons:
- The design could be better
#3. Joseph Joseph Totem Max Compost Bin – Best Kitchen Compost Bin
If you’re looking for a compost bin which can simply be placed in your kitchen to collect food waste for composting, then consider Joseph Joseph Totem Max. It measures 15.35 x 14.5 x 32 inches (lid closed). From such measurements, it provides a 16 gallon capacity. Although it has a high volume, it uses a vertical space-saving design.
That is, it has dual chambers; at the top and another one at the base. Each has a volume of 8 gallons. From the top, you can access the inner detachable bucket. The bucket has angled corners, and thus it’s easy to remove.
When you open the lid, you can attach a bag to the provided hooks so that it doesn’t slip down. And when you need to remove the liner, the air holes make it trouble-free.
The stack design makes emptying easier. That’s because the drawer at the base pulls out completely. Its wheeled base makes it effortless to transport even when it’s full of trash.
The kitchen compost grinder taps on the airflow technique. So it channels air through the carbon filter. By doing so, it cuts down on moisture levels and therefore minimizes odor.
Pros:
- Requires footprint of space
- Has wide opening that supports easy filling
- The robust frame and steel compartments
- Carbon filter minimizes unpleasant smell
Cons:
- Expensive
- The lid opening mechanism requires improvement
#4. NEW OXO Good Grips Compost Bin – Best Countertop Compost Bin
Want a countertop compost bin? The New Oxo compost bin is a good choice. It has an oval shape and measures 7.75 x 7.3 x 7.6 inches and has a capacity of 1.75gallons. Such a size fits even a busy kitchen. Its 0.74kg weight and design allow it to balance on the countertop. Besides, it has an easy-to-grip handle that also folds down.
Its lid stays open and hence makes it convenient to toss in scraps. And the removable cover and the countered bottom make emptying the bin trouble-free. It’s also available in 4 different colors. Hence you can select the color that blends with your kitchen wall paint.
Its smooth interior supports easy cleaning as less food builds up on the walls. Its rim design allows you to tuck a composting bag in the bin without slipping down.
And when you close the lid, it hides the composting bag and presents a neat appearance. The cover also flips down and thus locks the odors. Further, it uses a soft seal design. So, it allows oxygen and thus cuts down on the smell.
Pros:
- Stays balanced on countertops
- Easy to clean
- Presents the neat look
- Sturdy handles that also folds down when not in use
Cons:
- Relatively small capacity
3 Yard Waste Compost Grinders/Shredders Review
#1. WORX WG430 Electric Leaf Mulcher -Best Overall Leaf Shredder
If you want to reuse garden leaves, you may need a leaf mulcher.
The WORX WG430 is a powerful outdoor leaf mulcher that weighs only 20lbs. It uses a 13-ampere motor that runs at 8500rpm. When you feed in the grass or leaf clippings, the powerful motor mulches at the rate of 53 gallons of leaves every minute.
After mulching the leaves, it channels them down to the universal bag holder underneath. Hence collecting the ground leaves is less demanding. It can chop 11 bags of leaves to fit into one bag. So the mulched leaves fit even the small composting bins. You don’t require any tool to assemble the mulcher. And during the off-season, it disassembles into easy-to-store parts.
It also has a large opening and 13 inches cutting diameter. Therefore it accepts a large volume of leaves. One of the essential features we admire about the electric leaf mulcher is the Flex-a-Line bladeless mulching technique. Besides safety, that also makes the cutting line system quick to replace without using any tool. For further convenience of use, this compost shredder has an oversize on/off switch.
Pros:
- It has a powerful motor
- High mulching ratio
- Rugged design
- No-tool assembly
Cons:
- The leaf mulcher registers reduced performance on wet and thick leaves
#2. Sun Joe SDJ616 Electric Leaf Mulcher/Shredder – Best Budget Buy Leaf Shredder
Sun Joe SDJ616 Electric Leaf Mulcher shredder works as both leaf shredder and mulcher. With its pricing, this shredder is very value for money. Sun Joe SDJ616’s engine taps on a robust 13-ampere motor that produces enough power to shred pine needles, grass clippings, both wet and dry leaves.
When you feed the organic matter through the 19-inch wide hopper it effectively reduces them to 1/16 of their original volume. And as a leaf mulcher, it boasts a 12-inch cutting diameter and can mulch 55 gallons every minute.
The lightweight leaf shredder has an easy-to-read control dial that makes it convenient to choose your desired setting. Yet, despite its versatility, it is portable (weighs 13.4lbs) and produces a sound level of 110db only!
Pros:
- Assumes a compact size for easy storage
- Shredder and a mulcher
- Easy to carry or move around
- Uses the smart shred technology
- No-tool assembly
Cons:
- Plastic housing
#3. Sun Joe CJ603E Electric Wood Chipper/Shredder – Best Overall Wood Shredder
Looking for a compost grinder which can turn leaves, twigs, brush, and branches into nutrient-rich mulch? Sun Joe CJ603E is the best choice.
At the heart of this electric shredder is a powerful 15-ampere motor. Its AC motor produces high torque to shred twigs, bush, and branches up to a thickness of 1.73 inches. Hence if your yard green waste are mostly twigs and small tree branches, it’s a worthy contender.
Its instant start, maintenance-free, and silent running features make it better than gas-powered wood shredders. Whenever the hopper opens, the motor disengages automatically. So, it minimizes the chances of accidents occurring.
Its two 7-inch wheels make it 38.6lbs weight easy to push around the yard. And owing to its powerful motor and blades it possesses a high reduction ratio of 21 to 1. Therefore, it reduces a large pile to fit even into a small composter.
The Sun Joe Sun Joe CJ603E chipper shredder runs in the forward or reverse direction making it convenient to use in your garden.
Pros:
- Environmentally friendly
- Easy to push around
- Commendable reduction ratio
- Outstanding safety features
Cons:
- Less effective in shredding leaves
Compost Grinders Buying Guide

What should you look for in a compost grinder? There are some things to consider in your search for a grinder that suits your needs and space.
Grinding Purpose
Before buying a compost grinder, you need to decide what purpose you’re going to use it for. If you want to recycle your food scraps into fertilizer easily, an electric composter is a good choice; if you want to turn your food waste into fertile compost, tumbling composter is the best option; if you want to chip or shred your yard waste into smaller piece for better composting, then an electric chipper/shredder would meet your needs.
Size
A determining factor when choosing a compost grinder is the size and where you will put it. Some grinders fit on your countertop or mid-range that fit under sinks, to larger models that can be kept outdoors or in a garage.
When you choose a grinder, also consider the size of the garden that you need to feed the soil. If you have a small area to cover, you want a smaller size versus a larger size for a bigger space. You do not need a big unit taking up space if you aren’t going to utilize the capacity or use the compost it produces.
Compost doesn’t just happen overnight; it can take a few weeks to produce, so you want to make enough to cover the area you are working with all at once.
Loading and Unloading
Loading means the addition of putting your waste into the compost bin, unloading means how you’re gonna harvest your compost when it is finished. You may use a compost grinder quite often in your daily life. Choosing a grinder which offers easy to add compost into and collect finished goods should be a feature to consider.
Processing Time
The traditional way of composting costs processing time from weeks to months. That’s why a compost grinder is necessary. Like electric compost grinders, they’re easy to operate with 4-8 hours processing time and you will get ready-to-use fertilizer for your plants.
FAQs
How do you grind compost?
One of the best ways is to use a compost grinder. However, you first have to let the compost reach its full curing state. After that, you add the compost in bits or all at once. If your grinder has high capacity then you can add the compost all at once. Otherwise, grind compost in bits. But some models of compost bins produce well-ground compost. In such cases, you won’t have any use of a grinder.
Should you grind compost?
Grinding your compost will certainly help speed up the process of composting, but it is not necessary. The composting will happen whether or not you grind the compost. It just may take a little longer.
Depending on how often you need new compostable material and the type of materials you add to your compost will help you decide if grinding them is the right option. Grinding your composting material is an extra step, but it helps speed up the process considerably.
How do you shred food scraps for compost?
You can use a shredder to chop the kitchen scraps into smaller pieces. There are many handheld devices for shredding kitchen wastes. And in case you don’t have a shredder, you can even chop them into smaller pieces with your knife.
After shredded kitchen scrap then occupies less space in the compost pile. But don’t forget to turn the pile often. The shredding speeds up the composting process and produces fine compost. However, it isn’t a must to shred vegetables and fruits. The worms disintegrate the kitchen wastes, though it takes a longer duration.
Our Verdict
There are many options available for the best compost grinders, most make ideal additions for composting. The ideal pick from our lineup of best compost grinder is Vitamix FoodCycler Compost Grinder. Not only because it’s easy to use and can transform food waste to fertilizer efficiently, but also it’s budget friendly.
Whichever option you choose, make sure it suits your composting needs and your budget.
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