Compost bins

Marttinen et al. [17] Compost bins Raw municipal DEHP (60 pg/g 58% after... 

Weighing up your choices A compost bin is an organic essential—but what is yours made from Use scrap or recycled lumber if possible, such as old wooden pallets, and avoid the use of wood preservatives. 

Compost bins can be purchased or homemade, and are preferably made from recycled or reused materials. As long as it fulfills the basic criteria right), the design choice is yours. Choose one that suits your needs and garden. Place it in an accessible spot, directly on bare ground. It can have a fixed site or, depending on the model, it can be moved to different parts of the garden between batches. 

Clockwise from top left) A variety ef compost bins... 

If you fill the compost bin all at once with a good mixture of materials, the pile should get hot, speeding the process and killing weed seeds. 

One of the easiest wooden bins to construct, the beehive type of compost bin has the advantage of looking neat in a garden setting. 

If you have a fair-sized garden, and especially if you grow vegetables, two compost bins side by side is a much better option than one large pile. Onee you have filled one of the bins, use a fork to transfer the contents into the adjaeent bin, mixing it up as you go. By the time you have filled the first bin again, the eompost in the other bin should be ready to use, so you can empty it and repeat the process, or you can add another bin. 

The common earthworms seen in soil are not suitable for use in worm composting bins. 

A worm compost bin is, typically, used to process kitchen and vegetable scraps, which are usually available "little and often." This suits the worms, which cannot process large quantities at once. Remember that they are, in effect, livestock, with limited appetites Excess food will spoil before they can process it, resulting in an unpleasant smell. The worms will not process... 

Tiny biack fruit files may appear in a worm bin, especially in summer. They are not a health hazard, but can be annoying. Burying waste as you add it may cut down their numbers. Alternatively, they can be caught in a trap an open jar of orange juice, wine, or vinegar works well, or you can buy lobster-pot-style flytraps. Never use pesticides on a worm compost bin. 

The key problem with buying lumber for use in the yard is that so much of it—posts for outdoor use, fence panels, and compost bins, for example—is routinely treated with some sort of preservative before sale. Organic gardeners should, if possible, avoid treated lumber and products, unless a relatively environmentally friendly product has been used. 

Think about the use to which the wood is to be put before deciding that you really need to have wood treated with preservatives. Consider how long the lumber needs to last. Tree stakes generally need only be in place for a couple of years, so using a treated stake that will survive for 25 years is totally unnecessary. Nonstructural lumber, such as bed edging and wood for a compost bin, could simply be left untreated. It will of course rot eventually, but you can then simply replace it. 

Odor-free backyard compost bins are easy to build and maintain. 

In June 2005, Mater-Bi polymers were issued with the OK home compost certificate from Belgium s AIB Vincotte international certification institute meaning that it can be used in bags for the recycling of biodegradable organic waste in home compost bins. 

HOPE high density polyethylene milk bottles, detergent bottles, mixing bowls, toys, plastic bags compost bins, detergent bottles, curbside recycling bins... 

PP polypropylene yogurt containers, grocery bags, carpet fiber, food wrap, luggage compost bins, curbside recycling bins... 

Odors that form in composting bins can be controlled using magnesium peroxide, as well as supplying oxygen to the aerobic bacteria, which can speed up the composting process. 

The easiest, neatest way to make compost in a small space is in a ready-made compost bin. Most are made from recycled plastic, but if the bin has to be positioned in view, there are also attractive wooden bins available, which can be painted or stained any color you want. Most come without a base so that they can stand on top of the soil—this allows the microorganisms in the soil and larger composting worms and beetles to move up through the material in the bin, composting as they go. If you do not have access to soil, choose a bin with a base and start off with a layer of soil, adding some more if you can as your heap builds up. 

Shipping envelopes, garbage can liners, floor tile, furniture, film and sheet, compost bins, paneling, trash cans, landscape timber, lumber... 

An antidote to most things, for most people, is to get outside and dig a hole, or plant a tree, or ride a horse, or walk your dog, or stir your compost bin, etc. 

In this study prepared by COMPOSTO [8] for the Kompostforum Schweiz, various types of options for the collection of organic household waste were compared, among them three bags made from biodegradable materials, one PE bag and finally cleaning of the compost bin instead of the use of a bag. The five options studied are ... 

Functional unit Bags for compost bins with a volumetric content Bags for compost bins with a volumetric content of... 

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