On 21/08/2020 14:54, Chris Hogg wrote:
Piggy-backing on this thread (apologies to the OP), since moving house
I don't have room for a compost heap, let alone the pair of
traditional bays I used to have, and I'm thinking of getting one of
these insulated bins to speed up the composting process.
https://tinyurl.com/y2o4rqm7

But I fill a 240 litre council bin every two weeks in the summer. The
insulated bin is 200 litres. From your experience of hot compost
heaps, how quickly will a mixture of grass cuttings, weeds and hedge
prunings rot down in one of these insulated bins, do you think, or
will I need half-a-dozen of them to cope with my output?

I have no experience at all of insulated composters but my instinct
would be that if it goes hot then it is more or less rotted down by the
next time I cut the grass. Early in the season when it is cold and slow
then it hangs around longer likewise if it gets too dry.

I do have a sort of calibration point for you though.

I have a green bin for cutting the village hall green and it was brim
full fresh cut yesterday. In 24 hours it is now 40C and 80% full so by
next week I expect it to be about 40% full and ponging a bit of ammonia.

The wind and rain today have taken too much heat out of my open compost
heap so it is nowhere near to going hot yet. Doesn't smell right.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown