NEEPS

Townie · Moderator Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 2723 Location: Fife

Perfect, thanks everyone...

I'll contact my local council and buy a couple of the hexagonal bins with the lids I think..

So is chicken/rabbit Poo/sawdust and straw classed as brown waste?

Diana · Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 7:01 am Post subject:

Straw and sawdust - yes

Not sure about the poo - it's high in nitrogen so technically I think it's classed as green waste (but will need watering as will the brown)
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Townie · Moderator Joined: 04 Jul 2007 Posts: 2723 Location: Fife

Thanks Diana

mastercomposter

How did I miss this thread?

Your compost bins no longer come from your local authority - they have all signed up to support the national scheme run by WRAP. Go to wasteawarescotland.org.uk to see the selection of compost bins. If you have large volumes of garden and kitchen waste I would advise the 800 litre KOMP compost bin. Though the smaller ones are quite capable of composting large volumes.
Pete was right (thankfully as he is one of my Master Composter volunteers) - you need to balance out the "green" material - garden waste like grass, or kitchen waste like peelings and fruit, which is full of water, with equal volumes of brown material - such as cardboard, shredded paper, egg boxes etc... If yu don't want to turn the material too often, then add egg boxes (closed - to provide pockets of air), toilet roll tubes, or kitchen roll tubes - all add browns and more importantly air, which the bacteria need to feed off, to break the rest of the material down.

There are other things on the market now, one of the more expensive but effective items is called a green johanna, which takes 2 parts kitchen waste to one part garden waste, and is genuine hot composting. Trouble is, it is expensive at around £100!!

Best of luck with the composting, remember it will take awhile to get the compost.

As a foot note, anyone living in Aberdeen, or Aberdeenshire interested in spreading the composting message, please consider volunteering for the Master Composter Project. You can contact me on my work email mcnorth@tiscali.co.uk

Thanks.

peppercat · Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:02 am Post subject:

Has anyone any experience of rotating bins as I find it very hard to turn my compost and tend never to do it so it takes ages to be usable and still full of weed seeds. An (even more) elderly friend has a rotating drum composter which he reckons gets his compost to a state usable as mulch in 2 weeks - certainly when he opened it to show me steam came forth indicating much more heat than I ever get - and it was very easy to turn, however vastly expensive at well over £200.
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mastercomposter · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 8:44 am Post subject: Tumblers

I haven't had personal experience of them, but several of my volunteers have had them. My only concern for them is they can be hard work once full. The best thing about them is you get compost really quickly.

I would say - if you don't want to turn compost - then put lots of egg boxes (closed) and toilet tubes and kitchen roll tubes - as these will provide prockets of air at source. They add "brown" material as well which is good to mix with the greens.

I guess it all boils down to how much work you can do, and how quick you want the compost.

Master Composter (Chris)

Maria · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:22 am Post subject:

Remember a good post about how to make a great compost tumbler (from buzz lightale i think) will try and find the link for you.
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Forget-me-Not · Neepster Joined: 25 Jan 2008 Posts: 1031 Location: Insch

I was thinking of his tumbler too

Did you find it?

Also could I get a green cone at the Sept thing too please MC?

Beth
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mastercomposter · Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 12:14 pm Post subject: Green Cones

Hi,

I am getting forgetful - what Sept thing? I can arrange to get you a green cone - or you could get one from where I would get it from - Aberdeenshire Council. They are still £10 (retail price is around £60). I can get an order form to you, or you can get one from their website.

All the best Chris (Master Composter)

Forget-me-Not · Neepster Joined: 25 Jan 2008 Posts: 1031 Location: Insch

Sorry I'm probably getting confused about a different post!!!!

I'll get one from the concil.

Beth

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