Now that you have your compost bins, what do you do with it? D and I keep a small lidded trash can and fill it during the week. You could also use a bucket – our dogs became fascinated with it, so we had to use something with a lid! If it gets full we dump it on the compost. When we have time on the weekend, we flip it to incorporate the new material.
Good things to put in a compost
- Fruit and vegetable peelings and leaves
- tea leaves/ tea bags and coffee grounds
- leaves
- grass clippings
- soft prunings (not the hardwood kind because it takes forever to compost)
- young weeds (those with seed, or about to set seed, should be disposed of in the garbage)
- cow and horse manures
- ash (from open fireplaces)
- hair and nails
- vacuum cleaner contents (however, synthetic carpet will not break down)
- shredded newspapers/paper/mail, paper towels/napkins/tissues, and cardboard
- if you want to speed up the composting process, you can add a fertilizer high in nitrogen
- For some interesting things to put in your compost, visit the WebEcoist’s article on composting
- For 163 things you can compost, see PlanTea’s list
- The below photo is what our compost bins look like before we flip them.
Do not put this stuff in a compost bin
- Animal products – meat, fish, chicken, bones, dairy products & cooking oils
- Non-living things such as plastics, bottle tops, food wrappers, metals etc
- Diseased plants
- Fruit fly infested fruit
- Pet and human droppings – if you’re interested in composting this stuff, look for the Pet Poo Converter (or make a poo composter) or get a composting toilet.
Ratio for fastest composting
- 1 part greens to 2 parts browns
- Browns are those things that are dry to the touch – crunchy autumn leaves, paper products
- Greens are those things that are fresh or have a higher moisture content – grass clippings, kitchen scraps
An added bonus!
- When flipping the compost, you’ll notice a lot of worms! I still get a little squeamish around them, but they do very good things for the soil. They break down the compost and then spread nutrient rich castings (worm poo) wherever they go!
It’s very interesting to know the compost bin with pallet. It’s really upcycling and and saving money. Thank you for your sharing!
Comment by harri pao — July 9, 2009 @ 1:15 PM
You’re welcome! Saving money – yes. Otherwise we’d have to pay extra to get rid of grass clippings. It’s really very easy too. We just throw everything in the bin and stir it when we have time!
Comment by K — July 10, 2009 @ 2:38 AM