I’ll level with you: When a box of technology lands on my porch, I’m instantly anxious about what the manual entails and how many cords we’re talking about. I thought the Eco 5 would be a project, but the whole setup was painless and took less than 10 minutes.

First impression: The entire Eco 5 unit is about the size of an office trash can. Inside nestles a food bucket that’s both sleek and countertop-sized—but I kept my bucket in the corner of my kitchen. (The larger unit can be stored elsewhere, close to a plug.) Over the next few days, I excitedly tossed my food scraps in the bucket. Once it was full, I was ready to run my first cycle.

Here’s what really got me: All I had to do was set the bucket in the larger Eco 5 unit, close the lid, plug it in, and push the power button. A few hours later, I was left with (as promised) about 90% less food waste than I had before. And some new plant food to give my green-thumbed friends!