"David W.E. Roberts" wrote in message
...
X-posting. Yes, I know I am a bad person :-)

I was just about to order a couple of plastic compost bins from the
council
(or at least, the firm that does a discount deal via the council) when my
eyes alighted on a white plastic 1cu metre bag which was used to deliver
sand. I have another one somewhere as well.

Now, with a stout post driven down through each inside corner, a few
drainage holes in the bottom, and the plastic stapled to the stakes, I
should have two nice (well glaring mucky white) containers in which to
pile
lawn mowings, prunings, weeds, old container compost etc.

AFAIKT these should be significantly larger than the 330l bins at £16 a
pop
(plus £4 delivery in total which makes the bins effectivley £18 delivered
to
me).

Not as pretty, and would need a decent cover to keep moist/dry but perhaps
an effecient use of resources?

These bag things are supposed to bio-degrade, so only a solution for a
year
or so.

The challenge now is to get 4 stout stakes which will not rot quickly for
under £4 each (which may not be as easy as it first seems, having seen the
prices they charge in the sheds).

So:

(1) any drawbacks to this cunning plan apart from the hideous whiteness? I
do plan to make holes to allow drainage and ingress of earthworms.

(2) suggestions for the best place to obtain 4 * (at least 4' high) 2*2
rot
resistant posts for under £16? Or will just filling the bags (which will
not
result in such a neat shape) be an acceptable solution?

I think you'll fin they'll last longer than you think, but nowadays there's
no deposit on them, so you can easily get more.

As for supports, I would just get two uprights of the relevant height with
horizontal pieces on the ground like a couple of mini gallows, and a
crosspiece across both of these and threaded through the handles. that will
hold it up and you can throw a bit of old carpet over the top. Pallets are
also not deposit payable nowadays, and therefore easily obtained, and a bit
of carpet from a skip and there you go. Cost = Zero, if you discount your
time and petrol to the local industrial estate. If you come across good
stuff in the skips, you may even make a profit. :-))

Steve