Drum Garbage Can Composter

Step 3 Prepare the garbage can

This is mostly simple with one tricky part. First, you'll need to use little metal nuts and bolts to permanently attach the lid to the can. Make sure you buy a can that has a lid that hangs over the top of the can enough so that you can drill a hole through both and attach them with a nut and bolt.

Then drill lots of holes all over the garbage can to provide aeration to the bacteria that will be composting your waste.

Finally, and this is the slightly tricky part, you'll need to cut a 'door' into the body of the garbage can into which you'll place waste and out of which you'll hopefully extract usable compost. If you're using a jigsaw, I suggest setting the bevel to 45 degrees so that the blade is tilted towards the center of the door. This will help to form a tight seal and not let compost spill out when you're spinning it around later. After you've made the cut, attach hinges to one side and some mechanism for keeping it closed on the other. I also attached some little metal plates on the top and bottom sides of the door just to keep it nice and secure.

Comments

[chuckymonkey]

Really great job on this, I'm going to build one this spring. Just a couple of thoughts that may make it a little simpler even. Instead of using a door on the side, just put four hasps on the lid. Then for simple transport and removal you just notch the upright 2x4's. This will let you lift the can off and just pull the rod out. Take off the lid, tip the can over and voila!

[Justine61]

Bravo! These are the creative,innovative and imaginative ideas and projects that moved mankind up the evolution ladder. You have an idea, you think it will work, and you sit down and think about how to put it together. Love it! Love this website! Glad I found it.