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This blog details what I did to make a compost bin from a disused wheelie bin. My motivation was wanting to recycle garden and vegetable waste but not wanting to spend money on an expensive compost bin from the hardware store. I happened to have an unused wheelie bin taking up space in the garage and it seemed like a fine vessel for the job.
The blog-post has step by step descriptions and photos showing the transformation from wheelie bin to compost bin. However, it is not a set of instructions because wheelie bin styles vary and personal preferences may dictate doing things a different way. You are encouraged to comment and share your ideas and experiences of your own wheelie bin composter experience. In time, I will add other posts about the results (the compost, hopefully) and it would be great to see yours too.
To be honest I don’t have a single green finger in any of the ten I possess, so, gardening, weeding and composting are all on a bit of a steep learning curve for me. Still I will persevere!
Now for the disclaimer:
This blog exists because I thought my experience may be of use to others. However, I take no responsibility for your interpretation of my experiences. If you do decide to make your own wheelie bin composter you should observe the following points:
Make sure you own the wheelie bin! The author of this blog does not condone using a wheelie bin provided for the collection of trash, or any other purpose, where the wheelie bin is, effectively, loaned to you.
It may be necessary for you to reuse or acquire additional parts for this project! Always use parts that are suited to the job they will be doing and do not imperil anybody or the correct functioning of other equipment by improper use or reuse of parts.
Safety first! If you undertake a project like this you will need to use a variety of tools and it is entirely your responsibility to ensure your own safety and that of others who may be involved, either passively or actively, in any way.
Now, thank you for visiting and, please, enjoy this blog.
The blog-post has step by step descriptions and photos showing the transformation from wheelie bin to compost bin. However, it is not a set of instructions because wheelie bin styles vary and personal preferences may dictate doing things a different way. You are encouraged to comment and share your ideas and experiences of your own wheelie bin composter experience. In time, I will add other posts about the results (the compost, hopefully) and it would be great to see yours too.
To be honest I don’t have a single green finger in any of the ten I possess, so, gardening, weeding and composting are all on a bit of a steep learning curve for me. Still I will persevere!
Now for the disclaimer:
This blog exists because I thought my experience may be of use to others. However, I take no responsibility for your interpretation of my experiences. If you do decide to make your own wheelie bin composter you should observe the following points:
Make sure you own the wheelie bin! The author of this blog does not condone using a wheelie bin provided for the collection of trash, or any other purpose, where the wheelie bin is, effectively, loaned to you.
It may be necessary for you to reuse or acquire additional parts for this project! Always use parts that are suited to the job they will be doing and do not imperil anybody or the correct functioning of other equipment by improper use or reuse of parts.
Safety first! If you undertake a project like this you will need to use a variety of tools and it is entirely your responsibility to ensure your own safety and that of others who may be involved, either passively or actively, in any way.
Now, thank you for visiting and, please, enjoy this blog.
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Signing UpStep 1The Parts List
Description:
Wheelie bin, metal grid, two cabinet hinges, nine air vents. The tap and the tube of adhesive were returned to the store as they were not used. Various nuts and bolts and a door knob (not shown).
Purpose:
The minimum requirements to make the composter.
Tip:
Design the composter first and obtain the parts you require before building as this saves time hunting down parts or going to the store multiple times.
Wheelie bin, metal grid, two cabinet hinges, nine air vents. The tap and the tube of adhesive were returned to the store as they were not used. Various nuts and bolts and a door knob (not shown).
Purpose:
The minimum requirements to make the composter.
Tip:
Design the composter first and obtain the parts you require before building as this saves time hunting down parts or going to the store multiple times.
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This could work however with a few design changes such as filling the bottom cavity up with a few rocks into a wormery, but then it couldn't be left out in the sun and would need to be in shade!
Good effort, perhaps in a few months you could show us the resulting compost and put me to shame if I'm wrong!
You might well be right. I am still trying to grow my green fingers.
I don't plan on any changes at this stage because I want to see what the results are like from this set up. If it is not very effective then I will make some changes. Yes, I will be adding an update on the compost results in time.
In the comments the author notes that it didn't get sludgy, but it did compress down and would work better upside down - but no mention of worms etc!