Plastic Compost Bin (Green)

renedescartes

Hi,
Has anyone out there got compost from this type of bin? Its the cone type that are purchased from the local council. I have one and have tried to manage what I put into it i.e., mixing the different types of waste, only organic and no cooked food, bones etc, but no sucess. The books say that composting needs air but these bins are plastic, so no air! anybody help?

Descartes

bmaxi

renedescartes wrote:

Hi,
Has anyone out there got compost from this type of bin? Its the cone type that are purchased from the local council. I have one and have tried to manage what I put into it i.e., mixing the different types of waste, only organic and no cooked food, bones etc, but no sucess. The books say that composting needs air but these bins are plastic, so no air! anybody help?

Descartes

I have used these quite successfully. When you say no success do you mean you are getting a wet sludge? If so, you are probably using too much green stuff like grass mowings. When you add stuff to the bin just stick a garden fork in and give it a mix, this should be enough to add air. The air is so the micro organisms can thrive. Compost also needs heat and protection from rain so these plastic cones are ideal. BTW have you placed the bin on soil as you will need to get some worms in there as well? Also, if you've only recently started using the cone, composting is much slower in winter.

morgana

No problems using one of those here either - I try not to put too much of the same kind of stuff in at the same time and add brown waste (hedge clippings etc. as well) but really all non-cooked organic kitchen waste goes in plus some of the grass cuttings without much regard to correct mix etc. The compost is quite wet but otherwise ok - the bin has been going for 2 1/2 years and I took out compost the first time last spring.

renedescartes

Thanks for reply,
When you say the bin is on the ground, mine has a plastic base with holes in it. Also thanks for the tip about mixing it as you go. I did not do this and I suppose this is the reason for not working. Al I have got todate is a slimey mess. My neighbour has the same problem and she now empty the bin during the year. Very messy job. I'll try your trick of mixing it.
thanks
Michael

old boy

you can get an acellerator for a few euro in lidil

Qwerty?

I had been using one for a few years with little success.

But last August I set it up a new one (with the plastic base and holes in it) and I am been careful with using it. I mix it every time i put kitchen waste in, using one of those garden claws, I don't put much grass in, and if it's wet I put sawdust into it. It's now 1/3 full of really nice compost, which will be used this summer.

dubtom

I have mine over a year now but haven't checked to see any results yet. Mine is the type with no bottom, but I do recall in the manual it saying to lay some pebbles under the rim to let a little air circulate. I didn't realise that you could use sawdust,which I have loads of.

Lex Luthor

I have one and have attributed the rats I found in my back garden to it. I found a bana skin I threw in outside it with holes underneath the side where they dug in to get out the waste food. Now I just leave it there and dont bother with it any more. Its out of sight so I dont care if it grows legs

hobie

dubtom wrote:

I have mine over a year now but haven't checked to see any results yet. Mine is the type with no bottom, but I do recall in the manual it saying to lay some pebbles under the rim to let a little air circulate. I didn't realise that you could use sawdust,which I have loads of.

Straw ..... leaves ..... shreaded garden material, can also be used ....

mad m

I have mine over a year and a half now and I cant seem to fill it...I do get a lot of flies and have done everything in book to minimise this but the buggers are still there. Well the spiders are fairly fat at that end of garden:D .

I havent even used the compost yet.

bmaxi

dubtom wrote:

I didn't realise that you could use sawdust,which I have loads of.

I'd be careful using sawdust unless it has been standing outdoors for a while in the rain, sawdust can contain chemicals which are toxic to plants, particularly if the timber was treated with preservative. Use only small quantities at any one time.

Lex Luthor wrote:

I have one and have attributed the rats I found in my back garden to it. I found a bana skin I threw in outside it with holes underneath the side where they dug in to get out the waste food. Now I just leave it there and dont bother with it any more. Its out of sight so I dont care if it grows legs

Rats and mice will rarely enter compost bins unless food scraps are present, e.g. meat or fats. If you don't put these in your bin you shouldn't have any trouble with them.

Lex Luthor

bmaxi wrote:

Rats and mice will rarely enter compost bins unless food scraps are present, e.g. meat or fats. If you don't put these in your bin you shouldn't have any trouble with them.

they seemed to like the banana skins in there

Keeks

old boy wrote:

you can get an acellerator for a few euro in lidil

Accelerator powers are like "snake oils"....they add nothing to the bin. If it is not breaking sown for you then there is a structural problem.

Here is a little some taken from some notes of mine

Home Composting is primarily a biological process so you must feed your micro-organisms to keep them happy. Microbes need both carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) , food sources to function. All materials contain both C and N. The ratio of carbon to nitrogen within a material is called the carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N).

Materials with favourable proportions of carbon and nitrogen (C:N) offer the decomposer micro-organisms a "completely balanced meal"

"Greens" - Nitrogen Sources – Materials that are a good source of nitrogen are called "Greens" and are characterised as having a low C:N ratio (C:N ratio less than 31:1) and are generally high in moisture and fast to decompose. Examples of "Greens" include manure, inorganic fertiliser, vegetable kitchen scraps, green leaves, and grass clippings. Not all "greens" are green in colour. For example, coffee grounds are a nitrogen source.

"Browns" - Carbon Source – Materials that are high in carbon relative to nitrogen (i.e., C:N greater than 30:1) are called "Browns", and are generally dry and slow to decompose. They are generally brownish or darker in colour. Examples of "browns" include straw, leaves, chipped branches and tree trimmings, paper and sawdust. Browns decompose at low temperatures unless combined with a source of nitrogen.

Finding a mix of greens and browns that is in balance can be important. The optimum C:N ratio for rapid composting is about 30:1

Hope it helps

bmaxi

Lex Luthor wrote:

they seemed to like the banana skins in there

Maybe you have vegetarian rats:D

Mellor

Keeks wrote:

Accelerator powers are like "snake oils"....they add nothing to the bin. If it is not breaking sown for you then there is a structural problem.

Here is a little some taken from some notes of mine



Hope it helps

i wouldn't of thought nitrogen sources were required, as it is in the air

Lex Luthor

bmaxi wrote:

Maybe you have vegetarian rats:D

well they were very fond of the nutella I put on the trap that crushed his brain in half :cool:

magicbastarder

pour urine into the bin, it helps.

bmaxi

magicbastarder wrote:

pour urine into the bin, it helps.

The best accelerator of all. I was unsure of the sex of the OP until his first reply, so I thought it might be " indelicate" to suggest he pee in the bin, now I say go for it. (I've heard it said that female pee is not as effective, something to do with oestregen or pheromones or just plain bloody mindedness, this of course could just be a rumour started by women because we can do it and they can't.)

magicbastarder

i was at a bob flowerdew talk recently. he was effusive about the benefits of urine.

bmaxi

magicbastarder wrote:

i was at a bob flowerdew talk recently. he was effusive about the benefits of urine.

Saw your carpet tip on another thread, you're obviously a fan of "Hippie Bob"

dubtom

bmaxi wrote:

I'd be careful using sawdust unless it has been standing outdoors for a while in the rain, sawdust can contain chemicals which are toxic to plants, particularly if the timber was treated with preservative. Use only small quantities at any one time.

In the manual it said if using grass cuttings that have weed killer on them the compost must not be used for a year (thought it would take that long to decompose anyway) does the same rule not apply to sawdust?

bmaxi

dubtom wrote:

In the manual it said if using grass cuttings that have weed killer on them the compost must not be used for a year (thought it would take that long to decompose anyway) does the same rule not apply to sawdust?

Theoretically compost can be made in six weeks, though I've never come anyway close to that. The difference between grass and sawdust is, grass is nitrogen rich and will break down quickly whereas sawdust is carbon rich and will break down much more slowly.

Qwerty?

I only use the sawdust if it's wet and needs drying out a bit. I also only use white/red deal sawdust, which has no preservative and no chemicals in it. Don't use MDF sawdust etc as they contain glues etc.

magicbastarder

bmaxi wrote:

Saw your carpet tip on another thread, you're obviously a fan of "Hippie Bob"

he's far less creepy in person than he comes across on telly.

another of his tips: if you've a big enough garden to hide it, an old freezer is good for composting - the thermal insulation 'cooks' the material really quickly.

bmaxi

Qwerty? wrote:

I only use the sawdust if it's wet and needs drying out a bit. I also only use white/red deal sawdust, which has no preservative and no chemicals in it. Don't use MDF sawdust etc as they contain glues etc.

As long as you are sure of the source of your sawdust it shouldn't be a problem. I agree 100% on the MDF thing, pure poison and this is where the danger lies when you use sawdust without knowing it's content.

bmaxi

magicbastarder wrote:

he's far less creepy in person than he comes across on telly.

another of his tips: if you've a big enough garden to hide it, an old freezer is good for composting - the thermal insulation 'cooks' the material really quickly.

What with freezers, carpets, tyres and whatever you'd need the Phoenix Park outside your back door to do everything Bob suggests.

eamon234

renedescartes wrote:

Thanks for reply,
When you say the bin is on the ground, mine has a plastic base with holes in it. Also thanks for the tip about mixing it as you go. I did not do this and I suppose this is the reason for not working. Al I have got todate is a slimey mess. My neighbour has the same problem and she now empty the bin during the year. Very messy job. I'll try your trick of mixing it.
thanks
Michael

Oh dear - methinks you've bought a Green Cone which isn't actually a composter they wouldn't have holes in the base - it's for getting rid of food waste - you're supposed to put it in the ground that sludge is the end product see here

littlebug

My first compost looks ok but is a little bit sludgy. Too much grass I'd say after reading this thread. Is it still ok to use it? I was about to spread some of it on my new flower beds... with some regular bagged compost over the top.
On the wee issue... small children who use potties greatly add to the composting process.:D

magicbastarder

i wonder is it possible to make alcoholic drink from grass; having smelled grass which has been poured into compost bins, it sure smells like it's fermenting.

bmaxi

eamon234 wrote:

Oh dear - methinks you've bought a Green Cone which isn't actually a composter they wouldn't have holes in the base - it's for getting rid of food waste - you're supposed to put it in the ground that sludge is the end product see here

I think it would be hard to confuse the two, a composter would have holes in the base, to let water out and worms in. A green cone comes in several pieces, the basket, which goes in to the ground, an inner cone and an outer cone.It is only about 2 ft high when installed.

GreeBo

littlebug wrote:

My first compost looks ok but is a little bit sludgy. Too much grass I'd say after reading this thread. Is it still ok to use it? I was about to spread some of it on my new flower beds... with some regular bagged compost over the top.
On the wee issue... small children who use potties greatly add to the composting process.:D

Im guessing you can fork in some existing compost/soil/peat (though you shouldnt really be using peat) to help the process and also dry it out a bit its its too wet.