I live in a rental property but wish to compost kitchen and some garden waste. I don't want to spend big money on a 'proper' compost bin (we will eventually be returning to Oz!) but we are in posession of a lidded plastic wheelie bin (orig. council issue). Can I convert this? My idea is to cut out the bottom and replace it with an old oven rack, cut out a 12" square hole at the front bottom and cover this with a wire hinged old oven rack (for compost access) and to park the whole thing against a wall over soil. Mainly I want to know- will this work and should I drill or nail holes all over the container for ventilation? Thanks.

"miljee" wrote in message
...

I live in a rental property but wish to compost kitchen and some garden
waste. I don't want to spend big money on a 'proper' compost bin (we
will eventually be returning to Oz!) but we are in posession of a
lidded plastic wheelie bin (orig. council issue). Can I convert this?
My idea is to cut out the bottom and replace it with an old oven rack,
cut out a 12" square hole at the front bottom and cover this with a
wire hinged old oven rack (for compost access) and to park the whole
thing against a wall over soil. Mainly I want to know- will this work
and should I drill or nail holes all over the container for
ventilation? Thanks.


--
miljee
Won't you get into trouble with the council? Why not build one from 4 old
pallets nailed together.

PammyT wrote:
"miljee" wrote in message
...

I live in a rental property but wish to compost kitchen and some
garden waste. I don't want to spend big money on a 'proper'
compost
bin (we will eventually be returning to Oz!) but we are in
posession
of a lidded plastic wheelie bin (orig. council issue). Can I
convert
this? My idea is to cut out the bottom and replace it with an old
oven rack, cut out a 12" square hole at the front bottom and cover
this with a wire hinged old oven rack (for compost access) and to
park the whole thing against a wall over soil. Mainly I want to
know- will this work and should I drill or nail holes all over the
container for ventilation? Thanks.


--
miljee
Won't you get into trouble with the council? Why not build one
from
4 old pallets nailed together.

I'd be inclined to vandalise the bin big-time. Saw off (an ordinary
panel saw does plastic containers perfectly) and chuck away (not in
the Council bin!) bottom and wheels; set on bare earth; forget about
cute little doorway -- they're plain pointless. I'm not a fan,
though: these plastic bins make it impossible to turn the compost,
and they don't let in enough air for my taste. So you're right to
want to bore ventilation holes all over the thing; they want to be at
least an inch in diameter, as smaller ones will just clog up. This
may be unrealistic. It'll work without, of course, but it'll be
slower and could be smellier.

To make it easier to get at the compost, you could also remove the
lid, and turn the whole thing upside-down. You could use the lid on
the other end if you like, weighed down with a couple of bricks.

Having said all that, I actually agree with Pammy: unfair to the
local taxpayers, and a traditional compost enclosure will work
better -- and may even look better.

OT: I once read that somebody had found a London Borough wheelie-bin
floating disconsolately in the Sea of Galilee. I'd love to know why:
as another Aussie, I refuse to believe it was dumped by a
homeward-bound compatriot.

--
Mike.

"miljee" wrote in message
...

I live in a rental property but wish to compost kitchen and some garden
waste. I don't want to spend big money on a 'proper' compost bin (we
will eventually be returning to Oz!) but we are in posession of a
lidded plastic wheelie bin (orig. council issue). Can I convert this?
My idea is to cut out the bottom and replace it with an old oven rack,
cut out a 12" square hole at the front bottom and cover this with a
wire hinged old oven rack (for compost access) and to park the whole
thing against a wall over soil. Mainly I want to know- will this work
and should I drill or nail holes all over the container for
ventilation? Thanks.

What are you going to put your rubbish in when you have stolen the
wheeliebin?

Alan



--
miljee

Dear fellow posters.

For your information, my local council WANT us, the householders to come up with other uses for our soon-to-be-defunct bins. They have INVITED us to keep them and use them for other purposes on the basis that if we don't, they, the council have to collect them from us and will then chop them up- and chuck them in landfill. That is EXACTLY the fate of my bin as indicated in the literature from my local council. Do you consider that preferable?

I did not make this clear in my original post as I thought I was posting a practical question in search of a practical answer on a gardening forum not on 'Moral Dilemma! Please Guide Me!' thus did not feel the need to explain myself. I obviously have not been a memeber of this forum long enough to realise this prerequisite.

Thankyou to those who did attempt to stick to the point and not get all moral and superior about this.

"miljee" wrote in message
...

I live in a rental property but wish to compost kitchen and some garden
waste. I don't want to spend big money on a 'proper' compost bin (we
will eventually be returning to Oz!) but we are in posession of a
lidded plastic wheelie bin (orig. council issue). Can I convert this?
My idea is to cut out the bottom and replace it with an old oven rack,
cut out a 12" square hole at the front bottom and cover this with a
wire hinged old oven rack (for compost access) and to park the whole
thing against a wall over soil. Mainly I want to know- will this work
and should I drill or nail holes all over the container for
ventilation? Thanks.


--
miljee


You needn't waste money on a proper compost bin. Which IMHO are a
bit of a ripoff. The green plastic ones certainly. You can buy suitable
a plastic dustibin or tote bin for under a tenner at most DIY sheds.
For short term use you can possibly also scavenge old plastic dustbins
from all sorts of places.

But be warned before you go cutting it up. A lot of plastic things
are moulded on such a way that they have structural integrity which
can be destroyed if you cut too much off. In a thing designed to take
a lid, the bottom is necessary to maintain the shape. So leave all
the bottom corners on with a good bottom margin al round. But drilling
plenty of air holes in the sides should be no problem.

If you're not generating that much waste - rather than having one
large bin and tearing your hair out trying to devise ways of getting
stuff out, have two or more smaller ones. Fill one up - with plenty of
airgaps etc. and cover it with old sacking or carpets to conserve the
heat maybe. And then by the time you've filled up the other one, the
material in the first one will be broken down and can be tipped out or
forked out ready for use. Taking care to look out for and remove any
brandlings - compost worms - which can then be put back in the other
bin to continue their work.


michael adams

....

miljee wrote:
I live in a rental property but wish to compost kitchen and some
garden waste. I don't want to spend big money on a 'proper' compost
bin (we will eventually be returning to Oz!) but we are in posession
of a lidded plastic wheelie bin (orig. council issue). Can I convert
this? My idea is to cut out the bottom and replace it with an old
oven rack, cut out a 12" square hole at the front bottom and cover
this with a wire hinged old oven rack (for compost access) and to
park the whole thing against a wall over soil. Mainly I want to know-
will this work and should I drill or nail holes all over the
container for ventilation? Thanks.

DON'T vandalise the coucil issue Wheelie bin,

DO phone your coucil, or (as here in Wimbledon) go to the council recyclig
depot and collect a free or nominal charge purpose designed compost bin

pk

In article ,
miljee wrote:

For your information, my local council WANT us, the householders to
come up with other uses for our soon-to-be-defunct bins. ...

101 uses for a dead wheelie bin, including:

A place to store your dead cats
Mobile traffic-calming measures, to replace cyclists
Places to hide in and jump out at passers by
Cheap scaffolding when painting the house
....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Thanks, and in reply to you and pk. I think you're right about the structural aspect of the bin- I will have to look at that carefully. Our council do sell compost bins but they're around 18 pounds which is a tad steep seeing as, in reality, what I'm looking for is somewhere sensible to put organic kitchen waste seeing as the council are in the process of slashing their waste collection services, household and recyclables (in the interests of saving money and meeting targets!) hence the 'left over' bins. Whilst I indulge in as many 'green' activities as are practical, spending out a lot to buy a 'proper bin' which we will have to leave here in the UK in 15 months time hurts a bit (esp on NHS wages!) and the urge to make compost for a garden which will almost certainly be neglected beyond a quick mow now and then once we leave here isn't that great! Hence the idea to 'make do and mend'.

miljee wrote:
Dear fellow posters.

For your information, my local council WANT us, the householders to
come up with other uses for our soon-to-be-defunct bins. They have
INVITED us to keep them

In that case wheel it round to my house and save me the money I am about to
spend buying one!

As a matter of interest, why are the council moving away from wheelie bins?

pk

"miljee" wrote in message
...

Dear fellow posters.

For your information, my local council WANT us, the householders to
come up with other uses for our soon-to-be-defunct bins. They have
INVITED us to keep them and use them for other purposes on the basis
that if we don't, they, the council have to collect them from us and
will then chop them up- and chuck them in landfill. That is EXACTLY the
fate of my bin as indicated in the literature from my local council. Do
you consider that preferable?

I did not make this clear in my original post as I thought I was
posting a practical question in search of a practical answer on a
gardening forum not on 'Moral Dilemma! Please Guide Me!' thus did not
feel the need to explain myself. I obviously have not been a memeber of
this forum long enough to realise this prerequisite.

Thankyou to those who did attempt to stick to the point and not get all
moral and superior about this.
Stroppy get. Since you didn't post the info, it is perfectly reasonable to
expect that you, a foreigner here, might not realise the legal impluications
of destroying council property. There will be plenty of people willing to
give a good home to these bins if the council doesn't want them. I doubt
very much theey'll end up in landfill. No doubt they will be chopped up and
recycled.
In future to save you aggro, when you ask a question, give us multi choice
selections of answers which are acceptable to you just in case any of us
reply in a manner you don't want.

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

"miljee" wrote in message
...

I live in a rental property but wish to compost kitchen and some garden
waste. I don't want to spend big money on a 'proper' compost bin (we
will eventually be returning to Oz!) but we are in posession of a
lidded plastic wheelie bin (orig. council issue). Can I convert this?
My idea is to cut out the bottom and replace it with an old oven rack,
cut out a 12" square hole at the front bottom and cover this with a
wire hinged old oven rack (for compost access) and to park the whole
thing against a wall over soil. Mainly I want to know- will this work
and should I drill or nail holes all over the container for
ventilation? Thanks.

What are you going to put your rubbish in when you have stolen the
wheeliebin?

Alan

*************
He uses the same one which he is using now. So he looks elsewhere.
In my small town of 60,000 souls you can go round to the Council rubbish
yard any old time and take your choice of about five, up to ten. They have
slight problems but who cares?, - as long as there's a lid and not too much
damage.
B.T.W., A compost bin needs heat or the stuff won't rot properly. So
against a wall on the north side is a good place for them. Take the lid off
when it's raining to make sure they have a certain amount of moisture in the
heap, - microbes can't live on dry straw.
In the rare event of your compost heap steaming, shout for joy!. Them there
microbes are working double shifts. I have only had any of mine do this
about twice in my lifetime. Also, the bigger the volume of compost the
better chance of a good ole rot-down into
fibrous goody-stuff. Left too long without "turning over" and you get a
mush underneath that's no good to anyone.
Get shovelling, - all you rotters!!.
Doug.
*************

"michael adams" wrote in message
...

"miljee" wrote in message
...

I live in a rental property but wish to compost kitchen and some garden
waste. I don't want to spend big money on a 'proper' compost bin (we
will eventually be returning to Oz!) but we are in posession of a
lidded plastic wheelie bin (orig. council issue). Can I convert this?
My idea is to cut out the bottom and replace it with an old oven rack,
cut out a 12" square hole at the front bottom and cover this with a
wire hinged old oven rack (for compost access) and to park the whole
thing against a wall over soil. Mainly I want to know- will this work
and should I drill or nail holes all over the container for
ventilation? Thanks.


--
miljee


You needn't waste money on a proper compost bin. Which IMHO are a
bit of a ripoff. The green plastic ones certainly. You can buy suitable
a plastic dustibin or tote bin for under a tenner at most DIY sheds.
For short term use you can possibly also scavenge old plastic dustbins
from all sorts of places.

But be warned before you go cutting it up. A lot of plastic things
are moulded on such a way that they have structural integrity which
can be destroyed if you cut too much off. In a thing designed to take
a lid, the bottom is necessary to maintain the shape. So leave all
the bottom corners on with a good bottom margin al round. But drilling
plenty of air holes in the sides should be no problem.

If you're not generating that much waste - rather than having one
large bin and tearing your hair out trying to devise ways of getting
stuff out, have two or more smaller ones. Fill one up - with plenty of
airgaps etc. and cover it with old sacking or carpets to conserve the
heat maybe. And then by the time you've filled up the other one, the
material in the first one will be broken down and can be tipped out or
forked out ready for use. Taking care to look out for and remove any
brandlings - compost worms - which can then be put back in the other
bin to continue their work.


michael adams

**********
Yes!, in my previous dissertation I forgot to mention that you need three
bins.
And rotate the use of their contents, i.e. - the contents of the 'this year'
one, is for use hence, in two years time - and so on.. This means that each
binful has been stewing away to itself for two years.
Mind you, - in a warmer area, ....I'll have to think about that, - I'm in
Cumbria!.
Doug.

**********

PammyT wrote:
[...]
Stroppy get. Since you didn't post the info, it is perfectly
reasonable to expect that you, a foreigner here, might not realise
the legal impluications of destroying council property. [...]

Ah, for a hard and sun-baked land, where a man can spit on the
carpet, and nobody's heard of Council property! Really, Pammy! You
know, we've even got piped water in a couple of places: people walk
in for days just to see it. But, yes, Miljee, don't get snakey!

--
Mike.

"miljee" wrote in message
...

Dear fellow posters.

For your information, my local council WANT us, the householders to
come up with other uses for our soon-to-be-defunct bins. They have
INVITED us to keep them and use them for other purposes on the basis
that if we don't, they, the council have to collect them from us and
will then chop them up- and chuck them in landfill. That is EXACTLY the
fate of my bin as indicated in the literature from my local council. Do
you consider that preferable?

Reusing them as you have suggested, but if the council are going to withdraw
them what do they propose replacing them with?

Or are they going back to plastic bags which are not exactly the best way to
deal with waste?

I did not make this clear in my original post as I thought I was
posting a practical question in search of a practical answer on a
gardening forum not on 'Moral Dilemma! Please Guide Me!' thus did not
feel the need to explain myself. I obviously have not been a memeber of
this forum long enough to realise this prerequisite.

If you had put more informaton in the original post it might have helped, we
are all concerned about the effect on the planet of unnecessary waste.

Thankyou to those who did attempt to stick to the point and not get all
moral and superior about this.

Alan




--
miljee