Journey to find THE compost bin (From our founder)

When the NYC wide composting program was first announced, we, transplants from Seoul, Korea (by way of California), couldn't be happier. Piling food waste in the kitchen trash can was a big frustration, and we had to take the trash out (voted the worst chore possible by our household members) every single day in the summer.

As we were getting ready to switch our kitchen bins, we looked for a decent composting bin to use on top of the counter and place under the sink. To our surprise, we couldn't find anything that made us happy. 

Some had a charcoal filter on the lid, which had to be replaced occasionally. Worse yet, after a day or two, you could smell everything, even with the filter. The wire handle broke after a few bonks on the door. 

Some were caddy designs that you could hang on a larger trash can or countertop. Absolutely not! Why would we want to put the most smelly thing on display? 

Some were plastic or bamboo, and once the liner broke, it was no good. It had a kimchi smell for two weeks until we finally decided to put it outside the stoop. 

Some were electronic processors, but using electricity (from fossil fuel) to compost food waste felt ironic. Also, we wouldn't shell out hundreds of dollars for food scraps. 

With the absence of high-quality, convenient compost bins in the market, people try different things, like freezing their food waste or using the liner on a bowl and taking the food waste out after every single meal. None of these workarounds were for us.

So when we traveled back to Seoul, we looked for a perfect compost bin. With nearly three decades of composting history, Korea had a LOT to offer. When we saw Vatya compost bin at our friends' house, we were delighted by how nice it looked on her countertop. Using the Vatya bin for three days in our Airbnb sealed the deal for us. It was definitely coming back to the US with us.

Living through the many, many benefits of food waste separation - environmental and otherwise - we sincerely wish that it sticks, like recycling. And so here we are with the best composting bin we could find. We hope you give it a go - and stay with both the habit of composting and the Vatya composting bin.