Tuesday, August 22, 2006

compost







This past weekend we built a compost tumbler! The tumbler sits on a stand and has wheels on the bottom to help it roll. The tumbler itself is composed of a used drum. We drilled holes in the bottom and ends to help with air flow. There are handles on the sides as well, so that we can easily turn the drum. At this point, it is easy enough for even Gavin to turn it!

We put a door with a latch on the end. It is easy to open and put in kitchen scraps, grass, leaves, newsprint.... I cna't wait to see how this works.

The tumbler is based on directions that Jonathan found from a March/April 1979 article in Mother Earth News.

Compost is a great way to turn waste into something functional. Think about it, we are turning kitchen scraps and combining and heating it so that we can use it for our gardens. Wow. Functional waste - and it does not get into a land fill!

Speaking of waste (still not using paper towel), I just purchased biodegradeble garbage bags. I had no idea htat our garbage bags would not degrade and would sit for 100 years in a landfill. Wow. I do not want to have that.

So, our waste is being reduced through a number of means:

  1. compost
  2. fewer disposable items (I will cut more out every week)
  3. recycle and reuse
  4. buying in bulk and storing foods
My goal is to have very little waste. Reducing consumption is helping with this. One thing leads to the next!

4 comments:

James said...

I like your compost tumbler. Very innovative.

Now, if I could build one the size of a house then I could keep on top of my composting.

Emme said...

LOL! Isn't that the truth! I am certain that I will need at least 1-2 more!

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately, chances are good that the biodegradable bags won't decompose either, assuming they're sent to a landfill....

Emme said...

Anonymous,
I have found that out now as well. What is the use of biodegradable bags in a landfill? There isn't.... Reducing waste is the best solution!