Compost Guru Compost Bin Reviews and Comparisons
You may have heard the term thrown around before, but just what is a compost bin? A compost bin, in the simplest terms, is a container built to contain compost. Compost is made out of waste that builds up in your kitchen and yard, and it is a key ingredient in many aspects of organic farming.
Compost bins can either be dead simple or highly complicated, and can be made at home or purchased online or at a store. The many types of compost bins will be explained here, to help you make the best purchase decision.
Many Types
The most simple compost bin is simply a black garbage bag made of plastic, where a lot of leaves are thrown inside – that when left there for long periods of time (couple weeks to couple months), eventually turn into compost through decay. It’s not the quickest way for you to make compost, but it’s proven to work to produce results time and time again.
The more complicated compost bins are shaped like tumblers. They are structures built like barrels, that are placed atop a sold frame, and are frequently turned over the side and above repeatedly. This turning the compost bin around and around begins the process of aeration, which then transforms the matter stored in the compost bin into compost that can be taken out for immediate use much faster.
The next type of compost bins are bins that are designed professionally, and are sold, marketed, and made available for purchase commercially on a wider scale. There are a variety of brands to choose from, which you can check out over at Amazon.com.
Most compost bins are made of black-colored plastic – this kind of material allows for heat to be absorbed faster. This way, the compost gets hotter and hotter and it decays much quicker, making it available for use sooner.
The primary purpose of the bin is to store the compost in a single location, which starts the process of aeration quicker and makes it easier to access ready-to-use compost. You can find bins that were produced with drawers, which make it convenient to turn the compost over, and where you can take out the processed compost from the bottom drawer.
Size
The size of most compost bins might be an issue for a few buyers. The regular-sized compost bin is an excellent option for most people, who are only going to gather waste from the kitchen and the lawn, but it’d be harder for people with much larger volumes of waste. If your house has a smaller yard and your goal is to recycle the waste from your kitchen, the regular compost bin is the perfect option.
Homemade Compost Bins
For homemade compost bins, you can make this out of any material you choose. However, the compost bin should be built in such a way so as to store a sizable amount of compost, allows air to flow in, and turning over the compost is convenient and easily accessible.
You can make the frame of your homemade compost bin with material like pallets that you get broken down in advance, lumber scraps, chicken wire, fence slats, a rebar, and from many other materials that you may have around your yard.
A quick way to build your own compost bin is is to set up four (4) posts, that are around four (4) feet tall and are spaced apart three (3) feet from each other. You can use the old fence slats you’ve gathered, or chicken wire, on the sides to make sure your compost bin contains the compost just right.
When the compost pile you have contained in your compost bin gets taller and heavier, you can put up slats on the front of the bin, that you can remove later when the time comes to turn the pile over.
Benefits of Using a Compost Bin
There are many benefits and gains to be had when you start using compost bins yourself. Besides having a readily available and quality source of fertilizer for your garden, vegetables, and decorative plants, you will eventually also lower the amount of waste that gathers in your kitchen and yard over time.
By merely having a compost bin that you set up in your home, all the clipped up stuff from your yard, all the leaves, the scraps that come from the food you make, the paper you dispose of, and the peeled-off skins of fruits – will not only all be gone in a very easy and quick way, but will also benefit you too, when they turn into compost that you can use for your gardening and other home projects.
People dispose of ever-growing amounts of waste nowadays. It’s hard to believe that the majority of the waste that gets stored in the landfills come from our own homes. This is the reason why you should get your very own compost bin, if you have a vegetable garden or are planning to build one soon or in the future. When you get your own compost bin, you will not only be helping the environment, you will also get all the benefits of having free compost for garden fertilizer and getting rid of your waste, and more.
If you think you don’t have enough space in your home, then worry not. Compost bin manufacturers produce models that are intended to suit the basic needs of all kinds of homes, including apartments and houses for rent, and many other dwelling places where space is limited.
Many people may say that they wouldn’t need a compost bin in their home, because they don’t have a garden or any plants at all. The fact remains that even if you don’t have your own garden, having a compost bin still goes a long way – it allows you to recycle all the biodegradable waste you have in your house. This way, you play your own little part in saving Mother Earth.