Dustbin for garden waste?

Maureen43

Hello All

Please can you wise people give me some ideas on how to dispose of my garden waste (mainly grass cuttings, leaves, and fuscia cuttings once a year).

I don't need compost and anyway, years ago I had a compost bin and it got infested with rodents. Put me right off!

I don't want to pay for a garden waste bin from the council.

Could I just use a normal dustbin (with lid and bottom), let it rot down then dispose of it somehow?

andrewf75

ideally you want the bottom open so that worms and other things can get in.
Why don’t you need compost? If you have a garden then your plants will appreciate some nice compost every now and then. Add veg peelings, torn up cardboard, teabags, coffee grounds as well.
Every garden should have a compost heap IMO. But if it is really too small then just chuck the cuttings in the normal waste bin.

madjackslam

If you don't cut the bottom off the bin you will end up with a foul smelling goop unless you only put in very dry waste (and then you'll just have a bin full of very dry waste that won't rot down). If you cut the bottom off the bin to stop it being a foul smelling goop you've got yourself a compost bin.

To avoid rodents, don't put in any food waste, particularly meat, cheese, etc.

However, if you try to rot down garden waste it will get warm and cosy and make a nice home for visiting creatures, whether worms, slugs, or larger fur-covered mammals. If you turn out the bin regularly this will make it less attractive to them, but it's not 100%.

Alternatively, you could cut the grass more frequently, and simply leave the cuttings on the surface to rot down there. You could do similar for leaves - leave them on the surface and make sure they don't clump anywhere. Which just leaves you with fuschia cuttings to get rid off.

System

Alternatively, you could cut the grass more frequently, and simply leave the cuttings on the surface to rot down there. You could do similar for leaves - leave them on the surface and make sure they don't clump anywhere.

This in a nutshell. The grassed field at the back of my house is owned by the council and during the growing period they send a man in a cutting machine to mow it but he never collects the cuttings. It soon rots and the field is always green and lush. Its a sod to walk through mind.

Farway

madjackslam wrote: »

Alternatively, you could cut the grass more frequently, and simply leave the cuttings on the surface to rot down there. You could do similar for leaves - leave them on the surface and make sure they don't clump anywhere. Which just leaves you with fuschia cuttings to get rid off.

As above, plus if you put the leaves on the grass and then mow it will chop the leaves up, then just sit back and wait for it to rot away

It will rot away, which is why the world is not under 20 feet of fallen leaves

forgotmyname

Bag it up and take it to the refuse tip/ recycling centre. they have bins for garden waste which they turn into compost themselves and sell on.

Davesnave

Judi wrote: »

This in a nutshell. The grassed field at the back of my house is owned by the council and during the growing period they send a man in a cutting machine to mow it but he never collects the cuttings. It soon rots and the field is always green and lush. Its a sod to walk through mind.

And of course the field isn't in your back garden, which means you're not treading all the cuttings into your house.

Although I have over 1/2 an acre to mow, I always try to pick up near the house or I'll just have to do it with the hoover instead.

OP if you drill some 10mm holes in the base of a standard dustbin, it will drain and no rodents will get in, although worms and woodlice etc probably will. Then you can rot stuff down and transport less often to the recycling centre, which isn't eco if you have to make a special trip.

If you have more grass cuttings than anything else, then you are bound to end up with sludgy stuff in there. The same stuff we used to drag any 'clean' kids through after rugby at school! :rotfl:

Enterprise_1701C

Why do you not want compost?

I have a large compost bin, it is at the bottom of my garden. Yes, we get mice in it, but they do not tend to come in the house. It is a good trade off for some of the best compost I have ever seen and felt, and I know what is in it. And my garden absolutely loves it My only problem is sometimes it is too strong for parts of the garden.

savemoney

I only have a small front and back garden and I have 3 compost bins, 2 daleks one a bigger version and a normal size wheelie bin not the small version I bought from council, but later they decided to charge for garden waste.

Only think I dont compost much is branches and large twigs as it would take forever, I do compost small twigs and break them down. I got 3 full compost bins which I will use soon.

I also have 3 bins at allotment, two daleks and one 800 litre compost again all full to be used soon on my raised beds.

I rarely throw anything away even used compost I bought

Enterprise_1701C

savemoney wrote: »

I only have a small front and back garden and I have 3 compost bins, 2 daleks one a bigger version and a normal size wheelie bin not the small version I bought from council, but later they decided to charge for garden waste.

Only think I dont compost much is branches and large twigs as it would take forever, I do compost small twigs and break them down. I got 3 full compost bins which I will use soon.

I also have 3 bins at allotment, two daleks and one 800 litre compost again all full to be used soon on my raised beds.

I rarely throw anything away even used compost I bought

I burn off woody waste and then put the ashes that in the compost bin

savemoney

I add some ash and I have a woodburner but wont burn wet wood