Do you have a compost heap or bin?

April 20, 2009 3:37pm CST
Do you put your kitchen and garden waste for compost? I started about a year go with a bin the local council sold at a bargain rate to encourage us to compost waste instead of having it hauled away. The results havew been great and just recently I had some lovely soil to distribute amongst the flower beds. Is there anything unusual you put for compost? I've started rippping up cardboard tubes and boxes into small pieces and adding it to the green or vegetable waste. They call this 'brown' content. What about you?
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12 responses
@GreenMoo (11834)
21 Apr 09
I have a wooden structure divided into four which I use for composting. Just about anything and everything organic goes in there. I compost kitchen waste that the animals aren't interested in like orange and onion peel or egg shells, chicken and rabbit waste and bedding, shredded paper and tissue, ash from the wood stove, garden waste, fallen leaves and torn up natural fabrics like cotton. All sorts really. I keep mine covered in plastic to keep the warmth in in winter and the moisure in during the summer, and chuck an occassional bucket of water in it when it looks too dry. If you're getting on well with composting, you might want to look into starting a wormery. Vermiculture produces usable compost far faster than composting alone, and it's fascinating! I made my wormery out of a large plastic composter, but there are ready made ones available as well as directions for making your own out of waste materials on the net.
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22 Apr 09
The worms found their way into mine all by themselves and look like they're enjoying themselves!
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@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
23 Apr 09
Hi GreenMoo. Can you please elaborate on your wooden structure divided into four and how you use it please? Thanks. I recently tossed some wood ash from my wood burning fire as I thought it would tuen gluggy when wet Can I add ash to my other compost matter?
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@GreenMoo (11834)
23 Apr 09
I'm glad your worms are enjoying themselves! MsTickle, imagine four three sided boxes next to each other. The top is open to allow you to throw things in (although I keep plastic on top to maintain heat and moisture) and the front is open to allow access with a wheelbarrow. These are pretty large, each 'box' is about 150cm square. The whole thing is made out of waste wood and old pallets, with supports on the corners made from small pines we chopped.
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@shaggin (71573)
• United States
23 Apr 09
Nearby they have composting classes once a year to try to encourage people to compost instead of sending so much stuff to the landfill. If you went to the classes you could get a free composte bin. I unfortunately havent been able to make either of the classes over the last two years. They are having another one soon but I don't know if I will be able to attend. I think they are for an hour but I would have to take my two children with me and that might be difficult to get them to behave since one is 4 and one is 18 months. I have a tiny bucket with a lid on it right now. Its been composting for about 2 years lol but no soil yet. Its to small to stir it up and layer it properly so I would just throw in whatever food scraps I had. If I got one of the big compost bins like they are giving out at the classes then I could do the composting correclty and have nice soil to use for my garden and plants.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
23 Apr 09
My goats eats my compost...:( I hope to get a tumble composter for Christmas or something that I can keep the side of the fence where the goats are NOT! Especially Pickles who is a gutz. I can collect an amount of their pooh for fertiliser but it takes a while to break down.
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23 Apr 09
I am reliably informed that any ruminant manure is good fertilser and is at its best when there is no more smell from it.
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@Wizzywig (7847)
22 Apr 09
Until I can reclaim my vegetable patch from the dog, I put all the stuff i would use for compost in the big brown bin that the council provides. They apparently compost it in one of the neighbouring counties. I tear up the toilet roll middles and other uncoated cardboard to put in.
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@thezone (9394)
• Ireland
21 Apr 09
Hi MichaelJay. We do have a compost bin as the local council provides them. We have three bins in total. A black one for general waste. a green one for the recycling of cans, paper and such and a brown one for composting of garden waste and food waste. It is all very good and a great way to help the environment
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@GreenMoo (11834)
2 May 09
Lots of councils these days provide compost bins, or provide them at a subsidised cost. It's a good idea.
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@thezone (9394)
• Ireland
2 May 09
Hi GreenMoo Yes I agree it is a good idea and always good to be Green in this day and age
@blue65packer (11826)
• United States
21 Apr 09
I don't have a compost heap or bin myself. Where I work we do have one! We have a big rubbermaid container we put fruit and vegetable scraps in. We also put in egg shells after boiled eggs are peeled. I take the container down the frieght elevator before I leave work and leave in the recieving area. In the morning some one from the landscaping crew picks up the compost and puts in in a field on college campus where I work. The compost from the kitchen,grass clippings,and stuff like twigs will be used for planting flowers and other things soon as winter stops being around! This compost idea was started about 2 months ago.
1 person likes this
21 Apr 09
apparently eggshells don't break down but eventually turn to fine powder and they add minerals like calcium to the compost soil produced.
• United States
20 Apr 09
That would be nice, but I don't have any personal outside space and I definitely wouldn't put this inside my indoor apartment. So, there's no way I could do it.
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• Canada
20 Sep 09
Here in Guelph our system is a little different. Instead of heaps, we have bags. Everyone sorts into different bags. Blue for paper, metal, glass, cardboard Green for commpostable stuff Clear for everything else We put all the bags outside for the garbage truck to pick up, and they take them to the dumps and put them in their places. There is a big compost heap at the dump, and the other stuff gets recycled.
• United States
21 Apr 09
yea,i have a homemade bin in back.kind of had to anyway,my yard was producing way more clippings and stuff then the city would take away (they have their own local composting program).all of it hasn't broken down yet,but it will eventually. we aren't allowed to compost food matter..they made it against the law because of the non-composters screaming about "potential rats".
@bayernfan (1430)
• Canada
21 Apr 09
The city where I live has a composting system. It's just like recycling or garbage pick-up. We are given a green bin where we can put our organic waste and compostable materials for collection. It's great for the environment, saves the city on landfill and the program pays for itself. Apparently there is good money in compost. Go figure.
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@angelican (195)
• United States
20 Apr 09
My kids started on and they think it is cool watching it turn into dirt. It takes longer than they think it should and almost gave up but after a few incouraging words they kept with it and now have dirt! I havn't heard of putting cardboard in it but I do know that egg shells are great for it. Happy gardening.
• United States
20 Apr 09
No i do not haea bin or a compost, but i do know they work wonders. IF i did have one i would put anything and everything in it that i think is waste. And i think also its good for the evirment to use those. Makes less polution.
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