Compost Discussion Thread (Merged Threads)

System

cjalynch wrote:

When we moved into our house two years ago, the previous owner left a compost bin at the back of the (small) garden...

It is like very fine topsoil with bits of mulchy looking twigs and "broken down" leaves etc. No liquid and it doesn't smell at all...

By the way, there are several ear-wig type creatures crawling around in there too......

cjalynch - take it all out the bin, give it a quick turning to mix the ingredients up, and then spread it over the soil around established shrubs or dig it into the soil if you're preparing any empty beds for planting.

Your garden will love you for it!

Don't worry about the earwigs!

HappySad

Can you compost http://www.mothercare.com/gp/product/B000MMU8DA/ref=ord_cart_active/203-0541760-2637535?ie=UTF8&m=A2LBKNDJ2KZUGQ&mcb=core nappies. I thought that the gel inside meant that you could not.http://www.ecobaby.ie/composting/vermicompost01.htm

HappySad

Can you also compost the biodegradable nappy sacks? http://www.mothercare.com/gp/product/B000M8CETA/ref=pd_accessories/203-0541760-2637535?ie=UTF8&mcb=core

Solomon_Broad

According to the website, the products are made with "a compostable biological maize film". So it looks like you can. I wouldn't put human excrement in a compost bin that will ultimately be used for food crops, though.

larissa156_2

My view would be that they can't be composted successfully. I haven't seen anything about the Nature nappies specifically although I have read reports about composting the Moltex Oko nappies (although, of course, I can't find where now!) As far as I can remember they did break down eventually, but only after about 12 months and there are still elements of the nappy that will never break down - like the tabs for fastening. The other thing to consider is that if you were planning to do this on a full-time basis you would need a huge amount of composting space (and, probably, some way of masking the smell!)

I think the bags would be OK and would probably break down quicker. Of course, if you were planning to bag the nappies before composting them, this would slow down the rate of decomposition of the nappies.

HTH.

fifi29

Fraid not! Their website states that 70% of the nappy is biodegradable, therefore 30% is not. As someone else said, an experiment with Moltex showed that it took forever for the things to biodegrade and in the meantime they were left with hundreds of composters!

HappySad

Thanks for all your feed back.. once again a company is working hard to make you believe that their products can easily be composted. Well as least they can compost 70% while in the landfill which is better than nothing..Cheers

MarkyMarkD

I don't think that it's good at all for things to compost whilst in landfill. If they are going to reuse the land, it is prone to subsidence; whilst composting it releases methane which is a global warming gas, etc. etc.

Better to use re-usables that "pretend green" disposables IMHO.

larissa156_2

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

Better to use re-usables that "pretend green" disposables IMHO.

I agree - at the end of the day using 'green' disposables have exactly the same effect in landfill as regular disposables - they are just produced in a more ethical way and with less chemical gels etc.

I read somewhere that the 70% biodegradable claim once these nappies are in landfill actually refers to the human waste which they contain. Yuck.

Also, it is actually very difficult for anything to compost properly in landfill - whether this would be desirable or not. Air is needed for composting and the quantity of material in landfill (and nappies being wrapped in little plastic bags) means that air getting to them is limited = no composting. Some landfill sites are concrete enclosed pits in the ground where no air is ever getting in!

Right - off soap box now .....!

gritts

I did a test last year. I threw a used Nature nappy, soiled with number ones, on to my heap and left it. It largely disappeared although not enitirely. After about 8 months I binned the bit that wanted to hang around.

Findings = You could more or less compost a Nature nappy on the garden heap. Please note: 'a' nappy ie one.