Get Help for Your FoodCycler®

Most food scraps and leftovers are fair game — fruit and veggie scraps, grains, eggshells, bones, pits, coffee grounds, and more. For the full at-a-glance list, visit our Do's & Don'ts guide.

Suitable — add freely: veggie & fruit scraps; meat, fish & poultry; poultry & fish bones; coffee grounds & tea leaves (including filters and bags); beans, seeds & legumes; eggs & seashells; shellfish (with shells).

In small amounts: sauces, dressings & gravies; dairy products; jellies, jams & puddings; starches (bread, rice, cake, etc.); pork & lamb bones; hard pits (peach, apricot, lychee & mango).

Cut up prior: paper towel & tissue; corn cobs & husks; whole vegetables; fibrous plants (celery, asparagus, parsley, etc.).

Not recommended: cardboard; oils & fats; candy & gum; most “compostable” plastics; beef bones.

This usually means your scraps are too wet. Balance your bucket with drier materials like veggie stems, eggshells, paper towel, or Foodilizer® from your last cycle to help things flow. Avoid starting a fresh cycle when the bucket is caked with wet residue — soak it in warm water first.

Squeaking usually happens when contents are too dense or wet, creating resistance on the mixing paddle. Mix in drier material to balance the load. If the sound continues:

1. Pause and open the lid, let the unit cool for a few minutes.
2. Remove the bucket and run a ¼ cycle empty to clear the blade.
3. If the sound stops, clean the bucket thoroughly and rebalance loads going forward.

1. Empty any remaining Foodilizer® from the bucket into your garden, compost bin, or storage container.
2. Fill the bucket with warm, soapy water and let it soak for 10–15 minutes.
3. Wipe the interior with a soft brush or cloth — never your hands, the blades are sharp.
4. For stubborn residue, fill with boiling water and a few tablespoons of baking soda, let it sit, then rinse.
5. Dry thoroughly and run a ¼ cycle empty to clear the blade before your next load.

Never submerge the FoodCycler unit itself in water.

Carbon filters last between 3–4 months with regular use, or 500 cycle hours. Life expectancy is determined by the moisture content and natural odours of the food waste — denser, wetter, and smellier scraps burn through filters faster than simple veggie scraps and eggshells.

If you're detecting strong odours coming from the unit even with the Change Filter light off, it's time for a fresh filter.

After replacing the carbon pellets, press and hold the Power button for 3 seconds, release, then hold again for another 3 seconds until you hear an audible tone. This resets the Carbon Filter Replacement reminder.

1. Remove the metal grate and filter mesh.
2. Rinse and clean thoroughly, retaining the centre rubber gasket (grommet).
3. Ensure both components are dry before reinserting.

Make sure not to misplace the grommet attached to the metal grate when removing it for cleaning.

1. Clean vents and the filter area by wiping with a clean cloth.
2. Run a cycle with citrus rinds, 2 tbsp baking soda, and some dry Foodilizer® — this naturally clears odours and residue.
3. Wipe the outside of the bucket with a clean cloth or sponge dampened with warm, soapy water (wring out any excess), then dry thoroughly.
4. Replace the carbon filter pellets and reset the Change Filter light.
5. Run an empty ¼ cycle to confirm smooth operation.

Follow the boiling water and baking soda method from the “How do I clean the bucket?” steps in the Using Your Bucket section above. Then run a ¼ cycle to make sure the blade is clear.

CAUTION: do not reach your hands into the bucket — the blades are extremely sharp.