What You Can & Cannot Feed Reencle ⭕❌Updated 2 hours ago

Category

Examples & Notes

Cooked foods

Rice, pasta, bread, noodles, cooked grains

Small & soft bones

Small, cooked fish bones and small animal bones are accepted, provided they are soft enough to break apart easily. Hard, large, or uncooked bones that cannot be crushed by hand should not be added — they cannot be decomposed and may damage the stirring rod.

Raw meat & fish

Both cooked and raw are accepted. Cut into small pieces before adding — larger cuts take significantly longer to decompose. 

Fruits & vegetables

Peels generally take longer to decompose than other food scraps — some may take over 24 hours. The thicker and tougher the peel, the longer the decomposition time; thinner and softer peels break down faster. Cut into smaller pieces before adding when possible. 

💡 Tip: Blend in a mixer, strain out the liquid, and add only the pulp — this significantly speeds up decomposition. 

Eggs & dairy

Add in moderate amounts. Avoid adding large quantities at once.

Bread & crackers

Excellent carbon source. Great for balancing C:N ratio and moisture.

Coffee grounds

Effective for odor control. Do not add large amounts — coffee grounds do not decompose.

Onions & garlic

The flesh is accepted — the white part of onions and the cloves of garlic are both fine to add. Note: the dry outer skins (papery peels) do not decompose and should not be added. The flesh itself can be slower to break down due to its dense texture. 

💡 Tip: For garlic, microwave with a small amount of water for about 5-10 minutes before adding — this softens the cloves significantly and speeds up decomposition. 

Spicy foods

Accepted. 

Unbleached paper products

Unbleached paper towels, unbleached tissue, or unbleached paper — all accepted. Cut into finger-sized pieces before adding. If the microbes are too dry, pour one cup of water over them after adding. Excellent carbon source for maintaining C:N balance. 

Prohibited Item

Reason

Hard bones (large, unbreakable)

Cannot be broken down. Will damage the stirring rod.

Shellfish shells (crab, lobster, clam, oyster)

Extremely hard. Will damage internal components.

Hard pits & seeds (avocado, mango, peach)

Too dense to decompose. Risk of mechanical damage.

Plastic, metal, glass

Non-organic. Will cause permanent damage.

Cleaning chemicals, bleach, disinfectants

Chemical agents of this kind can disrupt and damage the microbe colony, significantly impacting their ability to decompose food. 

Pet waste or human feces

This unit is designed for food waste composting only. Waste of this kind is not suitable for processing in Reencle and should be disposed of through appropriate waste management channels. 

Frozen food

Thaw to room temperature before adding. Frozen food lowers the chamber temperature and disrupts microbe activity.

💡  A useful rule of thumb: if it's not something humans would normally eat or handle as food, treat it with extreme caution before adding it to your Reencle.

Item

Guidance

Citrus peels (lemon, lime, grapefruit)

Accepted in moderate amounts. Chop or blend before adding — peels are thick and decompose slowly.

Coffee grounds

Good for odor control but do not decompose. Add small amounts only. Excess can affect the microbe environment.

Soft bones (chicken, fish)

Generally accepted, but decompose slowly. Cut or crush before adding.

Very high-moisture foods (watermelon, cucumber)

Best added after the microbes have fully transitioned to soil form and are not already wet. Check moisture first. 

💡 Tip: For thick fruit rinds and peels, blend in a mixer, strain out the liquid, and add only the pulp — this significantly speeds up decomposition. 

Oily or greasy foods 

Pouring oil or liquid grease directly into the unit is not recommended. However, food scraps that naturally contain oil or sauce residue are acceptable, provided the microbes are in a healthy, moist-but-not-wet soil state at the time of input.