If someone took all the good bits of composting, ditched all the annoying bits, and turned it into a slick kitchen appliance, would that get your attention?
Yeah, us too.
Developed in response to the contemporary crisis of household food waste, Whirlpool’s Zera Food Recycler is a bin-sized gizmo that promises to turn all your food waste into fertiliser in just 24 hours. Even meat and dairy scraps (take that, composting!).
Before adding food, the bin is prepped by dropped in a package called the Zera Additive, which contains a mixture of coir, derived from coconut husk and baking soda. This mixture helps accelerate the breakdown of food when the machine is turned on. Then, food scraps are added until the bin is full. Zera is designed to accommodate up 7 days worth of food waste, based on the average four-person family.
When full, Zera is turned on and over the next day churns and squishes the food scraps and additive packet using an internal mixing blade and heat. A carbon air filter prevents the smell of warm, rapidly decomposing food from overwhelming your kitchen.
When complete, the removable container at the bottom of Zera catches the newly-made fertiliser which is ready to be pulled out and used on the garden.
It’s 2018 so, of course, all of this can be controlled and monitored via an app.
The one thing composting in your backyard has over Zera, however, is price. Zera is still in development over at Whirlpool labs, so there is no RRP yet, but the bin itself is likely to be as expensive as any new large kitchen appliance, and the Zera Additive packets and replacement filters will an ongoing expense.
Sign up for updates on Zera at Whirlpool Labs.
Recovering caffeine-addict and serial bruncher Eliza Murray feels most at home typing away in a cozy cafe with her re-mortgaged avocado toast nearby. When she isn't reporting on the latest Instagram-shattering glittery food trends, she can be found experimenting with new gin garnishes (hello strawberries!) or biting into an entire wheel of brie (no shame). She tweets @theothereliza
