Commercial food waste composters for kitchens, hotels and campuses

In-vessel means the composting happens inside a closed drum, not in an open pile. Food waste goes into a closed, 100% stainless steel machine held at 45-75 °C (113-167 °F); mixing arms turn it and fans keep air moving through it, so the process stays aerobic. From the ECO-130 KSN up, an enzyme-assisted biological process breaks the waste down in a 12-24 hour cycle, and the compost left in the drum starts the next batch.

That is the difference from a food waste dehydrator, which heats and dries the waste and leaves dried food waste behind. An OCTOEN machine leaves fresh compost, used as an organic fertilizer or soil amendment. Some rules draw on the same idea: New York City and Washington, DC both accept on-site processing in an in-vessel system.

Source: NYC Department of Sanitation, Commercial Organics Requirements · D.C. Code § 8-1031.03a

An on-site food waste composter only works if it fits the daily routine. Staff load waste during a normal shift and press one button; PLC control runs the cycle, so no dedicated operator is needed. The emergency stop and the door and lid locks are built to CE safety standards.

• Quiet: the ECO-30, ECO-130 and ECO-1000 KSN run under 45 dB, a quiet office level; the ECO-300 and ECO-500 KSN under 60 dB
• Odor-free: built-in activated carbon and UVC filtration allows installation indoors or outdoors
• No plumbing: no water or drain connection, only power and a ventilated area
• Low upkeep: about every six months, or when odor appears, the filter cassette is rinsed and only the activated carbon is refilled
• No daily consumables: enzyme is dosed only at the first start and after a full emptying

Size for your busiest regular day. If you have not weighed your waste yet, rules of thumb give a first estimate: about 0.43 kg (0.95 lb) of food waste per occupied hotel room a day, and about 0.26 kg (0.57 lb) per meal served or per attendee on an event day. A hotel with 250 occupied rooms comes to about 108 kg (238 lb) a day, which fits the ECO-130 KSN. A cafeteria serving 1,000 meals comes to about 260 kg (573 lb), which fits the ECO-300 KSN. Our engineers confirm the final size after a site review.

• ECO-30 KSN: 30 kg (66 lb) a day, 50 L (13 gal) bin, 720 × 420 mm (28 × 17 in) footprint
• ECO-130 KSN: 130 kg (287 lb) a day, 300 L (79 gal) bin, 1,350 × 720 mm (53 × 28 in)
• ECO-300 and ECO-500 KSN: 300 and 500 kg (661 and 1,102 lb) a day, bins of at least 530 and 750 L (140 and 198 gal), one 2,000 × 965 mm (79 × 38 in) body
• ECO-1000 KSN: 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) a day, 1,800-2,000 L (476-528 gal), with a built-in electric bin lifter

Source: RecyclingWorks Massachusetts, hotel food waste guide · EPA Ireland, food waste in full-service restaurants · EPA Ireland, one meal per attendee

From the ECO-130 KSN up, every machine carries OCTOEN Carbon Tracker software, an energy analyzer and four load cells at no extra cost. Each loading is recorded with the kilograms loaded, the output produced, the energy used and the date and time, so sustainability reports use measured data instead of estimates.

The same connection supports remote monitoring and intervention: our engineers can check settings and help, often without a site visit. Some rules also ask for reports: Cook County, Illinois, requires large venues to report every quarter, and Connecticut has required annual reporting from institutions since 2025. The ECO-30 KSN has a simpler keypad control without Carbon Tracker or load cells, so choose the ECO-130 KSN or larger when reporting matters.

Source: Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability, waste diversion for large event facilities · Connecticut DEEP, Commercial Organics Recycling Law

From Pine Cay in Turks and Caicos to Michelin-starred kitchens, hospitality teams run OCTOEN on site every day. Pine Cay composts its kitchen scraps with an ECO-30 KSN on an island where hauling is costly. Teruar Urla, with a Michelin star and a Michelin Green Star, runs an ECO-130 KSN. At Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, an ECO-130 KSN processes waste from the match-day kitchens, and Parken Stadium in Copenhagen runs an ECO-500 KSN with an OCTOEN shredder. In Chile, Sodexo processes food waste at contract catering sites with the ECO-130 KSN.

OCTOEN LLC serves US customers from Chicago, with assembly, installation and service facilities in Chicago, Peru and Chile. Installation, commissioning and training are quoted separately, and the limited warranty runs 12 months from acceptance or 14 months from shipment.