Allotments 4 All
General => Top Tips => Topic started by: Svea on February 13, 2005, 21:55:56
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hey,
i thought i'd ask what you guys and gals use as a bin in the kitchen to collect your tea bags, veg shavings and peel etc.
although i do live virtually next door to the allotment, i don't think that i will take my compostables there every day (not in winter anyways). what would be a good small (hopefully even attractive) bin that keeps any smells in...
has anyone got any recommendations? size = small, it's only two of us in the household :)
thanks
svea
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http://tinyurl.com/6hhy4
We use one of these. I don't know if they are available elsewhere but we did get replacement filters from Lakeland. It works really well and the tall thin one doesn't take up too much room.
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Mine goes into a bucket outside the back door. Then about once a week I put it in the compost bin. Mind you, all my household waste goes in the garden compost bins, and the allotment waste goes in the bin there.
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I've got an enormous tin that held Roses chocolates at Christmas. It's ideal, as I take mine to the lottie in the car, so there's little chance of it falling over and leaking!
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Moggle you have given me an idea :o (That could be dangerous) ;D I have a small twin-bin in the kitchen that fills quite quickly and as you say transferring in bags to compost bin can be messy in transit. :P
I have resealable large plastic semi-rigid buckets that the chicken pellets come in, howza bout that for recycling. 8)
Thanks Moggle and I'll paint it green ;D
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I use the Lakeland Plastics compost carry too (see ptennisnet above for link). It's fantastic - I've got the bigger version, and as there are only two of us we only need to empty it once a week (or less, it goes with me whenever I head to the lottie) - but it never smells, despite the contents getting quite fragrant.
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I use a little kitchen compost caddy, same as in picture, free from council.
Easy to take to alottment. It is green and is in one of my kitchen cupboard.
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thanks for the suggestions. i will look into the 'fragrance' suppressing ones ;)
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I use old ice-cream cartons, partly to make me ditch the stuff quicker. Especially in the week we might not generate much compost as we're all out until supper-time and these fill up fairly quickly. Also the worms can't take too much at a time, a bucket full of slime would probably kill them off.
Jeremy
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Another ice-cream tub fan here. It gives me a great excuse to pop into the garden more regularly!
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I use a plastic bowl, I think it was a christmas pud basin :)
Then once it's overflowing (about 2 days) I empty it into the garden compost bin. Now my little garden composter is nearly full again I'm gonna have to rethink to take the bits to the lottie composter.
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I would limit their numbers and save the rest for detering slugs. Make sure you crush them well too, I recently turned my compost bin at home and everything in the bottom quater was just about broken down except for one potato that had sprouted, and several egg shells!
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I agree about breaking the egg shells up. We have a lot of ducks eggs and last year I bunged them in as they were, still there when I emptied the compost heap, clean and shiny...along with the mussel shells!
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how do you use them as a slug deterrent, btw?
currently using an older tupperware box to collect compostables, btw (just to keep this thread kinda on topic ;))
svea
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crush the egg shells roughly and place them in a wide ring around slugs fave plants. Apparently they don't like crossing it, but I bet if they were hungry enough for your prized hosta they would be over like a shot!
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Mine go in an old tray at the bottom of the oven, I let them cook for a few weeks, makes them easier to crumble for slug deterrent!
For my compost I use a bucket from the local cheapo shop which has a lid!
DP
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I use a small plastic bin intended for bathroom use and with a flip lid. It gets carted off to the compost heaps when full. I put empty eggshells back in the egg carton till they're all used then crush the whole thing and put it on the compost too. We have "super" slugs who are not deterred by supposed barriers but can be diverted by beer (mort subite) or picked off by torch light. The oats/bran to swell them up and immobilise them works too - as long as you go and pick them off early. Otherwise they will just do an enormous dump and are off again after the lettuces............
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I bake my egg shells in the oven (after Mrs Kew has finished making tea). Then I break 'em. They end up with very sharp jaggy edges...he he he!
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I tried the beer trap thingy, the only thing I caught was a shrew!
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I nuke mine in the microwave ( full power for 1 min) they crumble
beautifully after that.
Debs ;)
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Debs I hope you mean the shells not the slugs!
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Visions of exploding slugs and a very messy micro! :P I make my beer traps out of the top and bottoms of plastic litre bottles! The tube left behind protects individual plants from sluggies!
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doris,
do you slide the tops and bottoms together so the slugs have to come in through the hlole and cant find their way out again/drown?
trying to visualise there .....
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I have a second small sink next to the main kitchen sink, I put a plastic supermarket carrier bag in and shape it to the sink and just chuck stuff in as I am preparing meals. I empty it each day either in the lottie compost or in the garden one....I usually add torn up newspaper so it stays reasonably dry.If it's a bit soggy I put another bag around it. It's my way of recycling the horrible bags.
I leave my eggshells on the kitchen windowsill to dry ,then crush them and put them around the plants; seems to work ok
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use as a bin in the kitchen to collect your tea bags, veg shavings and peel etc.
Mrs C has a rubbish bin attached to the back of the under-sink unit door. The lid opens as you open the unit door.
We bought another and attached it to the door on the other side of the under-sink unit.
Non-organic in one, compostable in the other. both are lined with binbags (Sainsbury carrier bags actually). Don't smell if we empty them often.
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Yeah,
a weetabix box 48 size. Divided by three a day lasts 16 days. In the begining I replaced the box after 16 days (the box living between the oven and sink unit) but when I was tiring of weetabix for brekkie and went to muesli or something that came in a plastic bag I stock piled the boxes and replaced them when necessary.
I cut off the narrow flaps and put them on the bottom of the box, then the wide flaps are fed one into the other via the slit. They go in the bottom of the box too for reinforcement incase soggy tea bags go in first. Evolved to drying teabags a bit first. My mrs. buys something that comes in a cardboard base, corn, or something, it's late and I can't remember... I put these in the base aswell. Oh yeah, similar to the top of a six pack of eggs, which I put in the bottom for reinforcement, stability and soakage quotient.
My garden is long and it saves me walking in and out, in and out. I have a dalek type outside and it takes forever to fill....and then it rots down again magically. I follow Dave dc Clark's advice from the bbc message board and put newspapers down first, then twigs to keep it slightly off the ground. I worked out well as I emptied it earlier on in the summer and it had a good consistency and was nice and black. Yeah. I was quite happy with it.
Ciaran
Oh yeah, my mother now lives in an apartment and has a small green caddy as mentioned. When it's full she brings it up to my house and empties it into the dalek. It's always wet and solid like a brick so I have to get my favourite stick and mix it up...
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There is a llittle kitchen compost bin you can get on queenswood products link is www.queenswood.co.uk The bags you put in it rot away in you compost too. Hope this helps.
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We use a mini swing bin - about a foot tall. Works brilliantly.
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Carrier bag hung in the back porch. Gets taken down every other day, no noticeable smell or insect activity.
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Nappy bucket!
Got a spare now the middle sprog is house trained. If it can contain the smell of nappies it can deal with any compost smells! Got mine from Little Green Earthlets.
BTW - interesting how you can save a stack of money if you can find suitable tackle in non-gardening shops e.g. nappy bucket instead of compost caddy...
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We use out Little Green Earthlets Bucket as a pee bucket when we go on holiday.
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Erm....may have mentioned this elsewhere, saw a suggestion about freezing kitchen bits til you have enough to make a decent layer for the heap. As there is only me it takes a while to get enough stuff together. Am trying this method.....will defrost before adding to heap obviously :) Will update on how successful this is in the future....altho at some point freezer will be full of lovely stuff from the lottie....fingers crossed!!
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I use a small pedal bin which has a bucket inside. I line the bucket with a carrier bag, but under the bag, and also inside it, I put a sheet of newspaper, folded, as a nappy. Twice a week, when I go to the allotment, I take the bag, full or not (sometimes I have several - do we eat a lot of fruit and veg?) The nappies are the key as I do not want compost juice all over the inside of my bike carriers!!
Love and compost
Linda
PS I use the 'mayo' type buckets too, to collect compostables from work. No-one on the bus on the way home would have any idea what is in that innocent looking bucket
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I am going to start collecting the banana skins that we get with the KS1 Fruit for Kids scheme as I have heard they are excellent for mulching runner beans.
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May be, but I heard that they also attract rats :o
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this site talks about BOKASHI to stop it going smelly
http://www.elcrp-recycling.com/bokashi.html
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Nappy bucket - no sprogs of nappiable age - so bought a real cheapo plastic version with lid from local store for about £1.25, empty it out about every two days and rinse it with water on the plot, works fine.
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Wardy - You've mentioned these mayo tubs before - sounds interesting. Is it a bakery chain (i.e. can you tell us who?) or your local baker?
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Thanks, wardy.
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I use an old teapot that is kept on the work surface in my kitchen. Doesn't half give guests a shock when they go to make a cuppa.