LOVE IT! Sorry I did not have this bin much sooner. I hesitated and hesitated before ordering this item after reading a number of reviews. First to address the idea of the lid being difficult to open. I am 65+ and the lid is easy to lift off with one hand but it DOES seal completely when placed on the bin. So that is not an issue for me. Second: It is small enough to sit on the counter and blends nicely with my other stainless steel appliances. I thought it would stink but with the filters there are NO ODORS to smell even after two days. It holds a surprising amount of food items and coffee grounds. Living in Florida I expected bugs to be an issue - have not seen any bugs around, in or near it. Third: It is easy to wash and clean - shines up nicely and still looks new. Finally the filters are easy to put in and the bin is easy to move and carry. I use the small scented kitchen bags you can purchase in any store so that is a plus in my book. This product is a step up from putting food items in the disposal or in the trash can. It is one of my best buys. Highly recommend it.

Review of: Epica Stainless Steel Compost Bin 1.3 Gallon (Includes Charcoal Filter). We purchased this Epica Compost Bin a few weeks ago, and I am happy to report, my wife and I both love it. For our use, it is the perfect size. It is solid, heavy and very well made. The lid is solid and is easily removed with one hand. You don't need three hands to dump your coffee grounds and egg shells. With the well designed lid and the charcoal filter system, we can not smell it, even when it is a week old and full.

The pale style handle is solid and easy to hold when one is dumping the bin or moving it to the counter top. Our usage is for a house of two, and it mainly holds our coffee grounds, egg shells, fruits and vegetable waste. It fits under the sink, but also looks good when I leave it on the kitchen counter. At the time of purchase we paid $22.95 and it was Sold by: Perella's. I think this is the 'Best Compost Bin On Amazon'.

I am a normal human reviewer. No one paid me, bribed me, threatened me, or give me a discount to write this review. I paid for this Epica Compost Bin using my wife's hard earned money.

This stainless cannister is well made; the only problem is that the filters are not replacable unless you modify the lid. They advertise it as:

"COMES WITH REPLACEABLE CHARCOAL FILTER: The specially designed activated-charcoal filter is the key to an odorless indoor compost bin. The filter can be cleaned with soap and water, like the bin. Will last more than 6 months with careful handling."

So I assumed the lid could be disassembled to remove and clean the filters which is not the case. Today when I removed the lid, there were these fruitfly-like bugs inside and I wondered how the hell did they get in? I said to myself, something's up with this lid and I need to get the filters out somehow. After a lot of effort, I was able to break the four small tackwelds between the lid and the stainless steel ring that held the round filter in place. When I turned the filter over, it was infested with bug eggs as you can see in the photos. There is a second ring that is also tackwelded to the lid and holds the second square filter that you see from the top but I didn't have to remove that ring to get the filter out. NOW I can remove the filters and clean them thoroughly. If they changed the design to make the filters removable, it would be a really great product and be true to their claim that filter is REPLACEABLE.

This has served its purpose very well. Its purpose is to sit on my kitchen counter and collect food scraps in an unobtrusive way until it is full. Unobtrusive = doesn't smell and looks decent. Haven't noticed any issues with fruit flies either, and those can occasionally be a problem in my kitchen. Capacity is very good. I'd say on average we empty it every 2-4 days, unless we are cutting up a watermelon in which case it needs to be emptied right away. :)

Maybe twice per month after emptying it, I put a scoop of baking soda inside and fill it with hot water. Let it sit for a couple of hours and then rinse it out. This seems to work well at keeping things from getting gross with minimal effort.

We love this bucket, almost. It's attractive, a great size, and meets our needs. The only issue we have is with the lid. It is impossible to find one with a solid lid, which is what we wanted. After a month of use, we noticed bugs in our kitchen. Somewhere along the line we must've gotten some buggy produce, and we couldn't figure out where they were coming from. Turns out, they were reproducing in the filter and hatching their larvae there. We just removed the filters--we empty it every other day so nothing gets too smelly.