Mulch and process kitchen waste with the Fritel mini mulch

The Mulch makes short work of the inconveniences of green kitchen waste. That’s the press release that lands in my inbox. And then you immediately aroused my interest, because man I’m so fed up with those food scraps in the kitchen that only attract fruit flies. The Fritel Mini Mulch makes mincemeat of kitchen waste and ensures that mulching and processing are the order of the day!

I’ve had one on my counter for a while now and can honestly say that I’m happy with it. It now fits in my list of sustainable products in the house. I would therefore like to share my experiences with you. What do I do with our kitchen waste and the food leftovers and how does the Fritel Mini Mulch actually work?

Mulching and processing of kitchen waste

I can hear you thinking… ‘another device on the counter’, and yes I get it. I am also more and more of a clean counter these days. It cleans easily and it looks a lot tidier, such an empty countertop.

But what do you do with your leftover food? Do you just throw your leftovers and cutting waste from fruit and vegetables in the trash? Oh no! We all know that causes a lot of misery. A trash can full of misery. This is really not possible, especially in spring and summer.

You’ll have a kitchen full of maggots and fruit flies in no time. And nobody wants that.

What I did with my kitchen waste and food scraps

So in the trash is a no go for me. But I don’t walk to the green container for every bit of waste either. So I have a number of Mepal waste buckets on my kitchen counter as a compost bucket. Two to be exact.

One is for leftover food that can go to the goats. Think of apple peels, remains of fresh herbs, carrot leftovers, cucumber butts and much more.

The other container is for the kitchen waste that cannot go to the goats. And that’s still a lot. Think of potato skins, tomato offspring, onion skins, egg skins, moldy sandwiches from the lunch boxes of the kids, leftover fat edges of the meat, brown bananas, a leftover lettuce that has gone limp… and so on.

Every day we have a Mepal bucket full of kitchen waste and food leftovers.

That is then on the counter all day and at the end of the day I throw this waste in the green container. That way I only have to walk out once.

In itself you would think that this is well organized, but in the spring and summer it really doesn’t work. In no time I have my counter full of fruit flies. Because such a bucket is handy, but it doesn’t really close properly.

And even if it closed properly, it wouldn’t be enough.

The Fritel mini Mulch

You may therefore understand my enthusiasm when I discovered the existence of the Mini Mulch. Now to find out if it does what it promises.

And I did that extensively.

Review Fritel Mini Mulch for processing and mulching of kitchen waste

I must admit that it took me a while to use it. I installed it immediately upon arrival. You have to remove some stickers and plastic and stuff and then you have to read the manual.

And I always put that off. Do you recognize that? That you are happy with a new device, but don’t know how it works yet? And that you postpone using that device because you don’t get around to reading the manual properly?

Afterwards it is usually the case that you think… ‘oh, is that all?’. So also this time!

After having it on the counter in the pantry for a while, I finally got into it. And guess what? Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

The operation of Fritel’s Mini Mulch

Actually, it is all very simple. You initially remove all stickers and plastic as indicated. Then you put the plug in the socket and it turns on.

Then you put food scraps from your kitchen waste in the bucket (up to the indicated line) and then it can be used. Just hold down the on button and the Mini Mulch from Fritel will automatically start drying.

After drying follows the ‘grinding’ and the ‘cooling’ (grinding and cooling). This process takes about 3-5 hours in total. In a few hours, your peels, remains and leftovers are nothing more than a dry raw material that you can sprinkle carefree between your plants as fertilizer or store indefinitely.

So you can reduce odorless and noiseless kitchen waste by 90% with The Mini Mulch from Fritel. A practical and hygienic solution for separating and storing kitchen waste indoors, even in summer.

For whom is Fritel’s Mini Mulch useful?

This offers advantages, especially for people who live in an area where you have to store green kitchen waste indoors for longer. The Mulch will be available in a mini countertop format and a larger, upright format, similar to a trash can.

The Maxi Mulch is an upright model with a capacity large enough for any family. The Mini Mulch fits on the kitchen counter and is ideal for smaller households.

If you don’t have the green container immediately within reach (because, for example, you live in the countryside, just like me), then the Mulch is also a godsend.

What happens during the processing of kitchen waste?

The Mulch processes the kitchen waste in a closed bucket and reduces 90% of the kitchen waste in a few hours. For example, cores, potato peelings and other food waste are ground odorlessly and silently into a dry substance in a short time.

Is the Mulch ready? Then you have a leftover that looks like dry potting soil. You can throw it in the waste bin if you want, but if you want to be even more environmentally friendly, you can throw it in as a nutrient with your plants. In the house or in the garden, both are possible.

The models are available in the better electronics stores and online at, for example, Bol.com. For more information, visit www.fritel.nl and The Mulch – Food Waste Reducer.

Conclusion of the Mulch from Fritel as a waste processor.

The advantages of this Mulch:

• Unique device that dries and grinds organic waste odorlessly and silently
• 90% waste reduction, with environmental benefits (e.g. less pollution, less solid waste, …)
• Odourless, thanks to the latest filter technology
• No flies and maggots, thanks to the unique processing process
• Low noise, ≤ 40dB (noise level of a sleeping baby)
• Ecological result; residue can be stored endlessly without odor
• Self-cleaning function; add water and steam will clean the bucket and filter
• Easy to use; operation at the touch of a button
• Robust bucket; made of high quality cast aluminum
• Spoken instructions in Dutch, French, German and English
• Save function; device already slowly reduces food waste when locked. Advantage: more food waste can be processed during one drying cycle (energy efficient)
• maintenance-friendly; the bucket is easy to remove and dishwasher safe

Technical details:

• Processing time: between 3 to 5 hours depending on the content
• Motor type: BLDC DC motor
• Noise: 38.5dB
• Triple complex activated carbon filter
• Bucket is finished with non-stick coating
• Must be placed at a distance of at least 15 cm from walls, etc
• Power: 500W; only during the heating process.
• Volume: 2 L

Which kitchen waste and which food residues are allowed in the Mulch?

Vegetables, lettuce, cabbage, bread, baked, steamed and fried foods, dried fruits, berries, fruits, eggs (with or without shells), poultry, thin chicken bones, all meats, coffee grounds and tea leaves/bags, fish and seafood ( e.g. lobster, crab, …), all food scraps

What can’t be done in The Mulch?

Everything that is not edible from non-food such as stones, metal, glass, plastic, cans, etc. Large bones and thick bones, such as from a cutlet, are also not allowed.

Furthermore, no cardboard and hard paper, but also no other hard objects, live animals and insects, stones (e.g. nectarines, peaches, avocados, mangoes, plums, …), shells of mussels, oysters, snails .

For example, it seems as if not much is allowed in, but when I see what we mainly have in terms of waste, then most of our kitchen waste is allowed in it. With us, the Mini Mulch from Fritel can handle every day.

If you have the Maxi Mulch, you can probably leave it in standby mode longer before it actually starts processing the kitchen waste. In the meantime, the standby mode ensures that there is no smell and that the waste does not rot. So no maggots or fruit flies.

Do you choose the Fritel Mini Mulch or the Maxi Mulch to process kitchen waste?

In terms of processing quantity, Fritel’s Maxi Mulch is an ideal size. It can hold 4 liters and that means you don’t have to turn it on as often.

But on the other hand, of course, you have a fairly large device at home. And the question is whether you have room for it of course.

I’ve reviewed the Mini Mulch myself and we’re still using it. It runs about every other day, but in the meantime I can store my food scraps in the Fritel Mini Mulch until it starts mulching the kitchen waste.

I keep the Mulch itself in a bowl or container until I use it for the plants. Because it is odorless and does not take up much space, it is just as easy.

The dimensions of the Mini Mulch are 27 cm wide, 35 cm high and 31 cm deep. It is slightly larger than our bread maker. In principle, it can therefore easily stand on the counter if you still have some space left.

I myself have it in the pantry, where it is just a little more out of the way and I find that more practical.

Costs and consumption of the Fritel Mini Mulch to process your kitchen waste

For the sake of completeness, I would also like to give you the cost of processing your kitchen waste in this way.

To begin with, the purchase of the Fritel Mulch. The Mini Mulch costs € 699.99 and the Maxi Mulch costs € 1499.99.

That is not nothing, of course, but it is a one-time purchase. You also need a new filter 4 times a year if you use the Fritel Mulch consistently. The costs for this are between € 45.00 and € 60.00.

The processing of your kitchen waste itself – the electricity consumption – is as follows:

The Mini Mulch consumes 500 W per hour (= 0.5 kWh) and the Maxi Mulch 1000W. This consumption only applies when the Fritel is drying, I estimate that time at about 1-1.5 hours, but it can also be 2 hours. The average electricity price is currently around € 0.525 per kWh. For 1.5 hours of drying your kitchen waste with 0.5 kWh, that is 1.5*0.5 kWh*€ 0.525 = € 0.39 per drying cycle.

Advantages of the Mini Mulch

• no more problems with maggots and fruit flies in the house
• left over compost for the plants
• self-cleaning device
• compared to a food grinder in your sink (which according to this source are actually forbidden to use in the Netherlands) this method is more environmentally friendly

Disadvantages of the Fritel Mini Mulch

• Quite expensive to purchase, storing your kitchen waste in the green container is a lot cheaper
• If you have a small countertop, the device takes up quite a bit of space
• The dogs like the residue and are in my planters these days 😉