Why buy compost bins?
With the growing concerns about the environment, global warming, and conserving the earth’s resources, people are looking for ways they can help as individuals. Buying and using a compost bin is one means of recycling and reusing scraps that otherwise would be trash. Throwing away potato peels, apple cores and other plant based scraps is wasteful.
Many people just put all the scraps in the trash, which then goes to the landfill. Although they are biodegradable, they don’t help the planet by decomposing inside plastic trash bags at a dump. Other well-meaning people put this type of garbage down a garbage disposal. This overworks the sewage system and water treatment plants.
The only cost involved in composting is the initial purchase of the compost bin. Everything you add, with the exception of accelerator powders, which are not required, would be thrown away if not composted. You can save a lot of money on buying fertilizers for your garden by using your own rich compost.
Is it better to buy or make a compost bin?
For a person who is handy and has the skills, making a compost bin is feasible. For most people, purchasing one of the many good models available is the best option. Commercial compost bins are compact, reduce odor, and enable the user to turn the compost in an almost effortless way. Home constructed bins are unwieldy, almost impossible to relocate to a new spot if desired, and more difficult to turn and maintain.
What features are offered?
When choosing a bin, the first feature to consider is the right size for your needs. Commercial compost bins vary greatly in size. A big family with an acre of ground will need a larger capacity bin than a couple with a townhouse.
There are many types of compost bins. Look at the various models offered, and think how they would work with your available space and environment. Are you in a rural, suburban, or urban area? Do you want to compost garden waste, or just kitchen waste? Do you want a compact unit for a patio, or a large bin out in the back yard?
Features you may want to consider include:
- Made of recycled materials (good for the environment)
- Wheeled base (easily portable)
- Low-profile container (good for windy areas)
- Removable side panel(s) (easy to remove finished compost)
- Rotating barrel (easy to turn compost)
- Ventilated sides (oxygen increases decomposition)
- Raised bottom (increases air flow)
- Open bottom set directly on garden dirt (allows micro-organisms access)
- Solar powered unit (heat helps the micro-organisms do their job)
- Uses accelerator powder (to hasten the process)
- Black or dark green color (absorbs more heat from sun)
- Corresponding kitchen caddy (for collecting daily scraps, make one trip a day to bin)
Buy Compost Bins
What can I compost?
Use all kinds of fruit and vegetable scraps, such as:
- Apple cores
- Potato peels
- Citrus peels
- Celery ends
- Carrot scrapings
- Banana peels
Add garden waste:
- Chopped leaves (run them over with the lawn mower)
- Hedge trimmings
- Rotting or damaged vegetables from the garden
Extras:
- Shredded newspaper
- Shredded junk mail
- Ashes from a wood fire
- Water
Your materials will compost faster if they are cut or chopped into small pieces.
The more variety of plant waste you add, the more nutrient rich your finished product will be. Master gardeners know that compost, often called “black gold”, is one of the best additives you can use in your garden for beautiful flowers, and healthy, abundant vegetables. Buy a compost bin today, and watch your garden grow.
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