Obeo Compost Bags (Review and Giveaway)

I like things which make as little mess as possible – living with a toddler tends to use up all love for mess makers in one fell swoop. Since having said toddler, quite a lot of time seems to be spent in the kitchen, making copious amounts of tea, preparing snacks for the eternal snacker (but sparrow eater) and trying to figure out different ways to try fit more healthy food into our diets (this one is a work in progress). All those snacks (fruit in particular) and teabags do add up and can make up quite a lot of mess. In fact, since we moved into our new apartment which has a dishwasher, it’s the only part of mealtimes which can really be complained about. Between messy liquids and smelly  leftovers, if it took more than a day or two to fill the bin, we could be left with some really unpleasant hang-ons until bin day. This was even without having a designated caddy like I’ve had in other houses, which was generally dreaded if the weather got in any way warm. So when I got an email last week asking if I’d like to try out Obeo’s compost bags to see if they’d improve our kitchen fare, I was thrilled to try them out.

The bags arrived the day after I replied to their email – seriously impressed first of all with their gift wrap paper – it’s got compost designs on it! The little stationery nerd in me was seriously chuffed with that. They sent me five boxes to try out, with instructions that stated each box should last 2-3 days. Anyone else I knew who had used them before had said they were a great way of learning how much food waste you actually do create – something really easy to dismiss when it’s out of sight, out of mind, but is definitely something I’m far guiltier of than I’d like to admit.

What Can I Put Into My Obeo Box?

The thing I used to find awkward with different compost bins was the differing requirements for what was and wasn’t allowed in  – this led to many grumps in our student house when it came to having to sort out the bin! With the Obeo Box you can put in pretty much anything – meat scraps, fish, veg, fruit, eggs (and egg boxes), teabags, rejected toddler dinners and forgotten black bananas that are too bad even for banana bread. Ahem, I did mention the food waste problem already.

Do they last long?

We filled ours in about 2 days, 2-3 days is average, perhaps if your toddler actually eats their dinner, or you’re having more of a deck-all-prep week it might last 3-4. Happily, we have had one bag that’s lasted  on the counter for five days (we were away for three) and there is still no leaks, no mess, no smell – it’s brilliant (and just about full so out it goes).

How much will they cost me? 

If you’re looking to try them out, you can get 30 boxes (about a three month supply) for €22  – just under €9 a month (0.73c per box, if you’re looking for exact figures). If you like what you see, they offer a subscription service where you can get 30 boxes delivered every three months for just €7 a month – a 20% discount. If your house is bigger and has more mouths to feed, or you spend your days peeling veg and going through teabags like they’re going out of style (or are even worse than me for buying food and forgetting it exists until it’s too late) then the 45 box subscription might be up your street, for €10 per month. Both subscription offers also include a free five box trial, and can be cancelled at any time if you change your mind, as well as free postage. Check out their pricing for more details here.

Alright, where can I get them?

The bulk buy offers are available on the website, www.weareobeo.com – also on this page you can find a list of stockists countrywide – Dunnes and Supervalu in the majority of stores stock them, but as above, if you order online there isn’t a charge for postage.

Do I actually need them, or is this just something else to add to the grocery bill?

I found two major pluses to using this product for my food waste which definitely make them a worthwhile buy. The first is the no mess no fuss and most importantly no icky remains factor – brown bin caddies fill me with dread because of past experience with hot summers and the takeover of the fruit flies, the stench and the horrible cleaning job needed afterwards (with no bleach, thanks very much environmental needs). The Obeo boxes are self contained, durable and completely sealed once they’re closed which means that there is no dealing with mess or need for cleaning of a horrible bin. The second is the reduction in my black bin (general refuse) amounts going out. As well as giving me a bit of a feeling of achievement for the better-for-the-environment factor, financially this makes sense as we’ve seen bin charges rising over the last few years, and the compost bin generally costs a lot less than the general refuse bin. While in my current apartment this isn’t a major factor as we’re not paying regularly for the bins (joys of them being included), for sure in my college house and for life after our apartment living (some day!) it will make a major difference. After checking over a couple of refuse collection companies in my own Cork, most of them charge half the price for the brown compost bin than they do for the black general refuse bin – so by encouraging you to reduce the mess and compost as much food waste as possible, it’s a probable saving in the long run, in particular as a subscription service.

If you need any further prod towards trying these out, I might as well flog the fact that it is an Irish company set up by two Irish women, Liz and Kate – I’m all for supporting our homegrown companies, especially when they’re saving the environment and my kitchen from the killer fruit flies at the same time.

Obeo have been so lovely as to offer a prize for one lucky reader: a 2 month supply of Obeo boxes to kickstart their composting in a new way!

To win this fab prize all you need to do is

Like BadMammy on Facebook

Like Obeo on Facebook

Leave a comment on this post OR on this Facebook post – let me know what your tips for reducing food waste are!

Competition closes at 9pm on Friday 5th February. The winner will be announced the following morning. Giveaway is open to residents of Ireland and UK ONLY. Part of this giveaway is hosted on Facebook but is not endorsed by Facebook. I received a two week supply for the purpose of this review and a two month supply to give away. All opinions are my own (and all fear of fruit flies is genuine).