Building your own COMPOST BIN

 

Compost FAQ

Common Compost Problems

 

See Pictures Of Our Last Compost Event: Oaks Park, September 29th 2007

 

You don’t necessarily need to have a compost bin to start composting. It can be as easy as starting a pile on a spare area of ground. However to look neater and preserve its heat, we recommend using a compost bin to house it.

Compost bins can be bought, but it’s more fun, and rewarding to make your own, and re-use what we’ve got.

 

This guide will show you how to make a compost bin using old, discarded wooden pallets; however composters can be made in a number of other ways.

 

    Using wire mesh with wooden stakes in each corner, which you can line with cardboard and top with old carpet to maintain heat.

    An old dustbin – cut the bottom out, turn upside down and replace the lid

    Breeze blocks with a slatted wood front

    Using an old coal bunker

    Using a stack of old tyres, building it as high as required. However be careful not to build it so high, it could fall over.

 

Building a compost bin using pallets

 

1. Gather together as many pallets as you’ll need to build as many bins as you would like. (It takes no more than 4 pallets to build each bin). You will need 1 pallet for a back, and 1 for each side. The additional pallet and off cuts can be used to further enhance your compost bin.

 

 

2. Decide how big you want to make your compost bin

 

Garden and allotment sizes vary. You may want to build one bin, you may want three, and the size you choose to build is entirely up to you.

 

3. Find a suitable location for positioning the bin

  

Compost does well sitting on soil, enabling worms and microbes to enter the compost pile from underneath and begin the composting processes. This is also good for drainage, so the pile does not become a thick sludge.

 

4. Saw the pallets to suit. It should be noted that pallets have support beams across the middle. Cut beyond these beams to ensure stability across your construction.

 

 

5. Having cut your backs and sides to specification, align the pallets, with the side of slats facing inwards.

 

 

6. Find suitable joining points and nail or screw them into place. You may want to use a drill to start the process of creating the hole

 

The compost bin is built, and you can start using it as soon as you can. However, there are some additional things you can consider adding to the process.

 

 

The compost bin is built, and you can start using it as soon as you can. However, there are some additional things you can consider adding to the process.

Try to locate your composter on soil, loosening the soil beneath beforehand if possible. This will help drainage and make it easier for worms and microbes to enter. Additionally, locating where there is some partial sunlight will aid to prolong the season

 

Lining your pallets with old carpet will help to retain heat within the compost. Use a Hessian backed carpet, as a foam backed carpet will disintegrate into the compost.

Use any additional pieces left to create a front to the compost bin. This can be easily moved to gain access to the compost as and when needed to help turn the piles

 

Use the short pieces of pallet left (if any) for additional structural support. For example, by joining top and/or bottom corners together

 

NOTE: Please be careful when dealing with wooden pallets. They can splinter if attempting to prise the wooden slats off the pallet. Also be aware of smaller splinters upon the wood itself.

 

Also, be careful of nails – as they are sharp and often rusty – when using the pallets. Where possible, pull them out fully and dispose of carefully. If the wood is thick enough, and the nail can’t be taken out, hammer the nail fully back into the wood.