Frequently asked questions

Add your food scraps to the bucket and press start. The Eco 5 heats, dries and grinds them using Vortech™ grinding technology, then cools them down. You're left with a dry, odour-free soil amendment, up to 90% smaller than what you put in.

Usually 4–9 hours, plus a short cool-down. It depends on how much is in the bucket and how wet it is. Most people run it overnight. Please don't skip the cool-down; it makes the bucket safe to handle.

Yes. For best results, add them within the first hour or so of the cycle. Scraps added late may not be fully processed; if that happens, simply run another cycle.

No. It runs quietly enough to leave on overnight in the kitchen.

On the bench, in the pantry, the laundry or the garage. It needs to be indoors or under cover, kept dry and out of extreme temperatures. It requires airflow so do not run it in a cupboard.

Up to 1.5 kWh per cycle. Built-in sensors stop the cycle automatically once the scraps are dry, so it doesn't run longer than it needs to.

No. While your Eco 5 is running, its lid isn't needed, so just pop it on the spare bucket as it fills.

• Fruit and vegetable scraps
• Meat, poultry, fish and seafood scraps (including shells)
• Cheese and dairy
• Eggs and eggshells
• Beans, seeds and grains
• Coffee grounds and tea bags
• Small bones such as chicken, lamb, pork and fish
• Pits: peach, apricot, mango seeds and avocado pits & skins

• Large, dense bones (beef, lamb shanks)
• Cooking oil and fat
• Lollies and chewing gum
• Pineapple tops 

Sticky or starchy foods are fine in small amounts mixed with other scraps: bread, rice, pasta, cake, sauces, jam, peanut butter and very sugary fruit like bananas and grapes. Cut up fibrous scraps such as celery, corn cobs and whole fruit or veg before adding. 

Yes, small bones such as chicken and fish are fine. Pork and lamb bones only in small amounts. Avoid large, dense bones like beef or shanks, as they can jam or damage the grinding gears.

Very little. An airtight lid and a carbon filter lock odours in. If you notice a smell, the carbon pellets probably need refreshing. Very smelly scraps like old fish or cheese use up the filter faster.

About every 3–4 months with regular use (roughly 500 cycle hours). The filter itself is reusable; you just refill the carbon pellets. Used pellets can go in your general or green bin.

After refilling the pellets, press and hold the power button for 3 seconds, let go, then hold it again for 3 seconds until you hear a beep.

Most of the time you don't need to: a little dry residue is normal and helps the next cycle. 

If food is stuck, soak the bucket add boiling water to the Bucket enough to submerge the solid contents, and let the Bucket sit for approximately 10 minutes.

Using a long plastic or wooden utensil, attempt to shift the Bucket contents so as to free the blockage from the grinding arm. 

Never put your hand inside the bucket; the blades are sharp.

Open the unit. Secure the lid to the locked position and press Start. Let the unit run for 10–20 seconds, or until you can hear the grinding arms start to turn. You can pause the cycle by opening the unit lid and try removing the Bucket.

If unsuccessful, check the food content. If it is a solid mass, you may need to loosen the by-product inside the Bucket. Unplug your unit, add boiling water to the Bucket enough to submerge the solid contents, and let the Bucket sit for approximately 10 minutes.

Using a long plastic or wooden utensil, attempt to shift the Bucket contents so as to free the blockage from the grinding arm. Run the cycle again for 10–20 seconds, and try again to remove the Bucket.

Mix it into garden beds, pots or your compost heap as a soil amendment, or put it in your green bin. For gardens, dig it in well and give it a few weeks before planting.

Keep it in an airtight container somewhere cool and dry. If it gets wet it can start to smell or go mouldy.

It usually means the output is sitting near the surface. Mix it deeper into the soil and cover it with more soil.

Australia: Free shipping on orders over $500. New Zealand: $150 flat rate. Orders are dispatched from Melbourne within 3-4 business days with tracking. See our shipping policy for delivery times. 

Shipping for accessories varies based on size and weight.

Yes. Try it at home for up to 30 days. If it's not right for you, contact us for a refund of the product price. It needs to come back emptied, cleaned, complete and in its original packaging; change-of-mind return postage is paid by the customer. See our refund policy for details.

Every Eco 5 comes with a 2-year replacement warranty. If a covered fault occurs, we'll send a prepaid return label and repair or replace it. This is in addition to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. See our Warranty page for full details and how to claim.

Email warranty@enrich360.com.au with your order number, a short description of the problem, and a photo or video if you can. Our Melbourne team will reply within 1–2 business days.

Yes. Choose Afterpay or Zip at checkout to pay in 4 interest-free instalments.

We're a small, female-led Australian business based in Yarraville, Melbourne. We bring the Eco 5 to Australian homes and support it locally, and we help households, businesses and councils turn food waste into fertiliser.