debsan has a copper rimmed trash chute cut into her island by her copper prep sink.

And just fyi, I bookmarked this Rufkahr catalogue page back when I was considering a trash grommet. You can get the liners in all kinds of finishes, including stainless, and with nice lids too:

Here is a link that might be useful: trash receptacle grommets (scroll down for nicer ones)

I knew someone who put in a diy kitchen 22 years ago---her dh made all the beautiful cabinetry by hand with a mixture of woods. It was definitely a well planned labor of love that they took their time with. They put a hole in their counter for compost which I thought was really clever. When I visited a few years later they were no longer using it. I don't know why (they were big gardeners and were definitely committed to composting) but it seemed a shame that the hole had to remain even when it was no longer used.

I haven't found a good solution for our compost (been using containers on the counter for 20+ years) but I would think long and hard before putting a hole in the counter. It seems that you're either going to have to dump the compost as soon as you put in something smelly (like the rotton onion in my container right now) or you'll have to have a cover on the counter which may end up being more of a hinderance than help since you'll never be able to move it out of the way like a container. If you end up prepping anywhere else in the kitchen the scraps will still have to be picked up and carried over to the hole. I do most of my prep work on a different counter than I thought I would when planning my kitchen (I thought I would do it next to the prep sink but I found I prefer using our peninsula.)

Someone else on this forum converted a drawer into a compost bin. This was my original plan but the inset drawer above my trash is too shallow. It makes a lot more sense to me than putting an hole in the counter since it would be just as easy to use if not easier with no awkward cover to deal with. If you put a hole in the counter you'll still have to committ the space right under it to a container of some sort and a drawer seems like it would make better use of the space since I imagine there would have to be a lot of dead space around a compost container attached to a hole in the counter.

We just keep our compost scraps in a plastic container in the refrigerator. It's an old caramel corn container from the beach. They don't get smelly, they don't sit out, and they're separated from the fresh food until we have a chance to walk out to the compost bin in the yard every other day or so and dump them in. When it's empty every couple of days I just put it in the dishwasher.

There was an article in an old issue of Martha Stewart Living a few years ago about worm composting in the cabinet under the sink. It sounded absolutely crazy to me to put a bin full of worms in your kitchen, but to each his own, I guess.

Here is a link that might be useful: vermicomposting

I am a committed composter (would love to become a Master Composter someday!) but would not do anything permanent.

It's not the smell that troubles me, it's the fruit flies. They either breed on the compost, or they breed on the residue, and it's impossible to put things in a container without eventually touching the sides or top or underside of the counter. This is absolutely true of a chute -- and it's just ridiculous to think you would clean a chute after each use in summer so well that there's nothing left for flies to breed on. There would be no convenience factor there for you: you would never do it!

Even a hole -- where is the bin sitting? Clipped to the underside of the counter -- is it easy to get in and out so you'll really use it? Sitting on a shelf where the waste can occasionally miss? It should have a very tight-fitting lid to keep them out anyway. You may decide to to ahead with it, but you should be asking yourself those kinds of questions.

I like having a container sitting on the counter that I can take out easily, or throw in the fridge or in the back yard if it gets very gross and leave no trace of itself on the counter.

I know people who have done vermicomposting, and they say it really works. The worms eat a lot and it doesn't smell, just a little earthy. The worms are a little expensive, but like a sourdough starter, friends who have them soon have enough to share, so you may be able to start a "worm co-op". Or ask around at a local farmers market, or garden centers or events, look on the bulletin board at libraries, supermarkets etc. and you might find people willing to trade, share or sell less expensively than catalogs, and give advice.

There's probably more about vermicomposting on Garden Web, if that appeals to you.

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks everyone. I emailed debsan to see how she likes her compost chute now that it's been several months since she installed it.

Just to clarify what I'm considering. I'd have the installers cut a 6" hole in the soapstone of my prep island, and then I'd slide in this grommet, which is 6" long.

The chute would empty into a garbage can in my double trash pull out. Here is a photo of the rev-a-shelf I ordered for my 15" cabinet (Except I don't have a drawer on top).
{{!gwi}}
The front trash can will be for garbage and the rear can for the compost chute. The grommet comes with an optional cover like this. I think I would prefer a different lid that just sits over the hole.

As far as compost material "touching the sides or top or underside of the counter" . . . I don't think this would happen (gosh I hope not). I think having a 6" long chute emptying into a large trash would prevent that sort of thing from happening. The stainless steel grommet and lid are easy to lift out and stick in the DW.

Growlery I wonder why the thought of me doing this got your knickers in such a knot. You seem very bothered, sorry if I upset you. My husband and I have been composting for 30+ years. As all regular composters know, the compost bucket can be a pain. Our routine has always been to keep it under the sink. It sits on the counter when we need to use it, then goes back under. Smell and fruit flies are a part of the deal, even if emptied regularly. I just think having a chute that is well thought out and designed could be another solution. I like the idea of having an oversized trash can to catch the veggie scraps, eggshells, coffee grounds, etc. We'll still empty it every day or two. But I think having the big can vs a typically sized compost bucket will be handy. I also like the idea of being able to drop stuff into the compost bin without having to open and close a cabinet all the time. We garden year round (we have a huge greenhouse for winter growing) so throwing the compost scraps out every day or two, even in winter would stay the routine.

I know a lot of people keep their trash in a pull out . . . and many of those people don't compost. So their trash has everything in it (meat scraps, veggie scraps, etc). I don't see how having a double pull out with one bin devoted to composing material and the other bin for general garbage would be any worse. Naturally keeping the grommet clean by putting through the DW will be a new part of routine. But that seems easy.

I'm trying to visualize your logistics. Do you plan to line the plastic trash receptacle with a plastic garbage bag? Would that mean using a new bag every day or 2 even if it's only a little bit full? Or do you plan to not use plastic and clean out the plastic trash bin every day or 2? You might want to considere fitting a stainless steel pan (dw safe) on top of the trash for every day use and using the rest of the can below for times when there is a lot of bulky waste (i.e. when preparing food for a large group or when you have corn husks and cobs or large amounts of melon rind.) But there may be a splatter problem if you have liquid waste.

The people I know that mix food waste in with regular garbage usually fill the garbage liner up every day or 2 so it has to be taken out before things get too smelly. I've appreciated having a tight lid on my compost container so that it doesn't smell the way food sometimes does in a regular trash can.

I think it would be just as easy to pull the trash out and slide scraps off the counter into it rather than put permanent hole in the counter (with a grommet that food waste would have to go over.) Our double trash is super easy to pull open (just need a pinky free when my hands are gunky). But that wouldn't solve keeping a large plastic bin clean without using lots of large plastic garage bags.

As I mentioned in my post above, the idea of putting a hole in the counter is not a new one. I think there is good reason that a very small percentage of committed composters choose to put permanent holes in their counters. I hope you can get feedback from people who have had this set up for several years insead of several months (which is still the honeymoon phase when all is great because it is new and shiny and different.)

ZELMAR: "I think it would be just as easy to pull the trash out and slide scraps off the counter into it."

Zelmar hummm now you have me thinking. Maybe I'll try that routine first before making the irreversible hole. What you propose is still a step up from the old bucket under the sink routine. What I can do is look for a covered garbage can that isn't as large as the one that rev-a-shelf sells for their double trash pull out.

I wasn't planning on lining the can. I was planning on dumping out the compost and rinsing with the hose like we usually do. I should look for a covered trash can that is larger than a typical compost bucket but not as huge as a big garbage can . . . one that can still be used with the rev-a-shelf.

This is what we use for our compost and we LOVE it. It has the automatically closing lid, so no fly or ant problem and yet when you open the door, the bin is fully accessible so that you can just scrape a plate into it. When you are ready to take it out, there is an inset handle that you lift up and you take the bucket out and dump it.

We find that we are using this much more than our garbage because our community recently switched to all food composting (including meat, paper plates/towels and the usual vegetable matter) with weekly curbside pick-up.

Here is a link that might be useful: Compost bin solution

Nothing is in a knot, Judy!

I was just writing fast, and trying to say think of how it all goes together up front, that, as you know, you can get "juice" even where you don't put food. And flies stay around a lot longer than a little smell.

And if the whole point is for this to make composting neat and easy, then you don't want to have to daily break down or reach in up to the shoulder to clean a unit with a lot of tiny cracks where the juice creeps in. After awhile you would just stop using it -- it would be too much trouble. You want it to be easy, right? I think anybody would.

But there are obviously ways around this -- the short, cylindrical chute you talk about, instead of a long square one. And your plan would definitely make sure the whole chute and all the parts can come out for cleaning, and will fit in the dishwasher. Sounds like you've got it covered.

You might get a little juice between the grommet and the counter, or some splashing inside the cabinet, but you can wipe it up easily. The problem comes, I think, when people put these in an area where they can't easily reach in to clean up splashes, or they make the chute too long, or they think they'll never spill or miss the container.

I'd also get a spare set or 2 of parts. If one rusts or gets lost or mangled, it might be hard to find a replacement in 6 or 7 years, then the hole might be awkward.

My comments were definitely not meant as an attack. I guess I need to slow down!

Good luck with your project!

Hi Judy and LAX SuperMOM. (How's lacrosse?)
Thanks for inviting me to the discussion.
The first questions I'm always asked about this are first, do you use it? and second does it smell?
So here are the answers, everybody uses it. Everybody loves it. Yes, it would be just as easy to open the drawer, but I'd have to wipe my hands and open the drawer several times. The minor streamline of being able to just brush veggie debris out of my way and into the trash is tremendously efficient! It seems minor, but even Rachael Ray recognizes how much garbage accumulates during the course of a meal and uses a garbage bowl to deal with it.
Secondly, My kitchen doesn't smell because the garbage gets emptied--probably about as often as yours does. Does your kitchen smell? I didn't think so. I often have fruit flies around my fruit bowl, but have yet to have then anywhere in, on, or around the trash chute.

Judy, the Rev-a-Shelf you've chose is the same as I have. Your grommet is basically identical to mine except for the fact that you have stainless. (I had started with stainless, but the grommet I purchased was not as tidy or nice as yours. I think if I were doing two, I might use a cover on the compost. For others, who are considering a similar situation, it is possible to put the half-depth drawer over the front trash can without interfering with the chute if the chute is in the rear. I did not do this, but only because it didn't occur to me until after the kitchen was finished.

Hope this is helpful. Let me know if I can offer any more info. (One more thing, I was so worried about doing this that I saved the soapstone cut-out so that if it was a disaster, I would be able to some how glue it back in. Knowing what I do now about soapstone, I think it would be a very easy thing to replace and camouflage the plug.

I have the cheapie version of riskaverse's. In fact I considered the hole-in-the-counter solution but I was concerned about the smell and fruit flies. I knew I needed a more sealed solution.... and I also wanted something that wasn't so totally permanent (what if the next owner thought composting was gross? Unlikely since I also installed a 1000 sf vegetable garden, but you never know.)

Mine is from IKEA and cost about $12. It's also door-mounted, under the sink, but I have to lift the lid by hand rather than have it swing open. The one riskaverse has is fabulous, though: I have seen them on many high-snd European yachts, where trash in the tropics definitely needs to be in a tightly-lidded receptacle. I may upgrade one day when I have the budget!

Here's ours. The composting is the bin in the back. Because it's a PITA to keep opening while cooking, I use a small bowl wherever I am prepping in the kitchen and then dump it in when I'm done. Unfortunately that unit didn't come with the option of having the composting at the front. The good news is that it holds lots.

For those who use Lee Valley Tools, these nifty fruit fly "traps" really work! They're non toxic too.

{{!gwi}}

Eliz

Lots of good discussion here. Nice to see so many people are composting!

Debsan, I'm so glad your compost chute is working out so well ! I do have a few more questions, if you don't mind.

Do you have a cover for it?
Do you run the grommet through the DW?
Do you use the 35 qt trash can that came with the rev-a-shelf? If so, what do you think of the size and Is it a pain to keep rinsed out?
Does stuff splash and/or miss the trash can below? If so, is it easy enough to clean up?

I'm sure everyone is interested in knowing these details : )

THANKS for the help.

We've been composting for 25 years. Always kept a bowl on the countertop. Eventually bought a covered copper pail to keep under the sink, but that became more work than it was worth. I would never cut a hole in my countertop for scraps. The original bowl still works great. It gets emptied at least once a day.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Natal that copper pail is gorgeous!

It's so interesting to read everyone's reactions to this idea. I must admit I am a bit confused now . . . for the moment.

Wow! That copper pail is great. More on Lee V T - their take on the composting pail is not as pretty as Natal's but may be easier to coordinate with more kitchen designs.

{{!gwi}}

Eliz

There was somebody who had a hole cut out in the corner of the countertop for a compost bucket, but I didn't think it was a chute -- just a way of recessing the can into the countertop. I can't remember whose kitchen it was, but it had a red brick backsplash, L-shape w/ island layout, an oven stack w/ few different things (warming drawer, regular oven, and steam oven on top), and some kind of clever place in the cabinet near the door for hiding shoes...anybody remember that one? Very warm and cozy looking kitchen...possibly white cabs and soapstone, with a casual and homey feel.

Hi debsan(waving)! Lacrosse is going great. DS1's club team won both playoff games and will be playing in the finals tonight. His travel team has their final tournament(yay!) in Lake Placid next week. Football starts this Saturday so there's a slight overlap of seasons. It's been a very busy spring/summer season. We travelled to Philly & MD & pretty much all over the east for tourneys which is why the backsplash is still yet unfinished. We did buy the tile finally, though.

Sorry for the hijack, everyone. Back to composting. It's nice to see how many people are composting. scootermom, I also vaguely remember that flush mounted compost bin, but darned if I know who it belonged to. This will eat away at me for the rest of the a.m.

scootermom here is the thread: homey, red brick, garbage chute hole, and more. Scroll down to the end.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jan 2008: tah-dah!! the wait is over! thanks for the advice!