Compost Discussion Thread (Merged Threads)

Kazonline

Oh - got all excited.... but my council isn't taking part. No suprises there really though. Thanks for the info - I'm sure there'll be lots of takers on here!
Kaz x

finc

Kazonline wrote:

Oh - got all excited.... but my council isn't taking part. No suprises there really though. Thanks for the info - I'm sure there'll be lots of takers on here!
Kaz x

Oh sorry, I forgot to mention that bit . I tried a few different postcodes that I know and they were included so assumed most places would be.

Kazonline

It's probably because I'm in Wales - most things tend to take longer to filter through to here! I have emailed the council tho asking if they operate a similar scheme and included a link to the site you provided - thanks. Hopefully they'll then give it some consideration - particularly as they now can't accept any fruit/vege waste unless it 'comes from your garden' (something to do with a new legislation)
Thanks again for the link,
Kaz x

Gingham_Ribbon

Good spot. Mine was that price too.

I think there are a few threads on composters in the green board, so I'll move it over there for you.

Sybarite

Kazonline wrote:

Oh - got all excited.... but my council isn't taking part. No suprises there really though.
Kaz x

Kaz you can always make one from old pallets, it'll be virtually free (except for the nails), you're re-using wood that would otherwise be landfill & that's already cut to a suitable size.

You will have to skip dive or talk sweetly to builders carring out work near to you. Just a thought.

middleman_2

Have recently moved house and have a big composting bin in the garden. What can I put in it and how long does it take to compost?

madcow_2

Thanks finc, my hubby has just ordered 2 for his allotment, he was going to make some from pallets but at that price its just not worth the hassle!

Cheers.

tawnyowls

middleman wrote:

Have recently moved house and have a big composting bin in the garden. What can I put in it and how long does it take to compost?

Useful info here, both on what to compost, and what not to compost:
http://www.compost.org.uk/content/view/32/75/
http://www.recyclenow.com/home_composting/composting/index.html

In general, anything with water is referred to as 'green' waste (fruit/veg peelings, grass clippings etc) and anything without is referred to as 'brown' waste (paper, cardboard, vacuum cleaner dust). You need to try to get a balance of both, but especially not too much 'green' in a big lump, otherwise it turns into a stinky slimy mess, whereas if you've got too much 'brown', it'll just take longer to rot down.

How long is a piece of string? Depends on the makeup of the heap, the type of container, temperature outside, amount of water etc - 6-12 months usually. I would always suggest having at least 2, preferably 3 bins if you've got room. Use one bin at a time - when that's full, use the other one, and by the time bin 2 is full, bin 1 should be ready to use. If you have 3 bins, then you can be using the compost from one, have one in current use, and the other composting down - that way, you'll get even better compost. Need to turn the compost at least a few times during the year - if using a bin, knock it over, dig out the compost, mix it up and shovel back in again.

middleman_2

Thanks tawnyowls. Didn't realise you could put paper in it. Think ours is a bit over full with garden waste at the moment. Will try to balance it out a bit.

franr43

I have a 5 top notch food composters - and they lay fresh eggs each day!we've only a small city garden which they love wandering around but in the main they live in an enclosure built with reused wood, metal mesh with a brick fox proof floor, quite happily.