Just a few photos of our weird and wonderful world of composting...
We're experimenting with several types of bins, a variety of aeration methods, and a handful of commercially-available home compost bins. We use a LOT of repurposed materials including pallets, fencing, and piping. There's a method that's right for everyone, and we're here to help you find yours! Please let us know if you have any questions!
After testing extremely well against other types and styles of home compost bins (at an elevation of over 8,000 ft), we've recently begun further testing on these Aerobins. Not all bins work in all environments, but there are options out there for your home. Home composting is the MOST sustainable option, as it allows you to use your waste in the same place that you create it, removing transportation impacts from the equation. That's why we dedicate a lot of time and effort to help people compost successfully on their own, and for us, it all starts here.
The bin below looks full but the level will drop significantly as the moisture drains into the base. The contents will continually shrink as the microbes do their thing. For those with an Aerobin at home, make sure to drain the liquid every couple of weeks in order to minimize odors AND to use as fertilizer. Dilute it with at least 10 parts water to 1 part liquid compost. For some plants, you may want to dilute even further, please use caution and add extra water if uncertain.
That's a toasty compost bin! This was taken on a 40 degree day in April.
Experiments with shredded cardboard! Cardboard is EVERYWHERE and comes with everything! Sure, it's recyclable, but it can also be reused for all sorts of other things, including as a carbon addition to your compost (if you tear or shred first). Do you have a business that ships goods? Ditch the plastic bubble wrap, which is EXTREMELY challenging to recycle and is just as often sent to the landfill. Use perforated cardboard pads instead. Let us know if you'd like us to convert your incoming cardboard boxes into outgoing packaging material, bedding for small animal cages, pads for your compost bin, or for any other use you can come up with!
Perforated cardboard pads that have been pulled to create netting make an easy carbon addition to your compost bin. Any cardboard that isn't shredded will need to be torn into small pieces prior to adding to the bin. Larger pieces of solid cardboard can create oxygen barriers within your bin, especially after getting wet. That reduction of oxygen will slow the composting process.
It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it! : )
Air drying in the mountain breeze.
More photos to come, but hopefully this gives you a glimpse into our glamorous world of grassroots composting! We look forward to growing into the organic waste solution that our community needs, and with your continued support, we're confident that every day will see more waste diverted away from the landfill than the day before! Thank you!
Don't forget to REACH OUT if we can help with your composting needs OR to repurpose your cardboard!
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