Growing Together: Open Forum

Does anyone have advice about compost bins for a school-wide composting program? I have had two large tumblers in the past, but they filled up quickly and the metal parts (hinges, locks) rusted out. Our chefs would like to compost their vegetable waste, plus I'd like to teach our students what they can compost from their lunches. We had a program several years ago and the kids loved it, but everything got put on hold with Covid, the tumblers rusted, and now we are back at square one.

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Jennifer Massengill
Hampton Roads Academy
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Jennifer,

We have about 700 students at our K-8 school. We have a small tumbler for our "Kinder Garden," but we built a 3 bin composter out of pallets in the main garden. Our kitchen staff gives us vegetable food scraps, and we compost a few hundred pounds every year.

If we were to go school-wide and capture all compostable material from breakfasts, lunches, and the kitchen, then I think we would need about 12 compost bins, and we would seriously need to consider using worms as well. 

I would recommend not using hinges and latches if you build compost bins. Instead, design it so the gate lifts in and out.

Right now, our compost bins fertilize our garden and orchard, and it is a really cool process to show students.

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Ben Curtiss
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I don't have idea about school-wide composting bin, but use this Food Cycler Platinum Indoor Food Recycler as my kitchen compost bin. It's an electric food recycler that reduces kitchen waste up to 90% of  its original volume in 3-hour cycle.

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Vincent Morton
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The very nice composting program would be great for every student. I am not sure about your capacity, how much capacity tumbler do you need? I think the Good ideas CW-2X will be perfect for this program. I am using this for the last 1 year. I think it is one of the best compost bin tumblers around with a capacity of 7 cubic feet 50galon. It is split into two chambers or sections, which come down to 3.5 cubic feet per each. It is extremely useful for those that want to start composting right away and do not want to spend hours on end trying to set up their complicated composter. Another feature is the twist lids that seal the bin and secure the compost. However, it is a ground-level model and may attract pests, which is a downside of this composter. That Comes fully assembled, BPA-free, and has Twist lids. If you want something bigger you can go for the Jora Compost Tumbler 270.

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Antoni Watson
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I love the compost bin in a drawer approach & have seen it work well with the SS pan without a lid (with a lid it got stinky too quickly).
I've been using an old soup pot and keeping it in the freezer. No smell! it makes it great organic fertilizer for my gardening plants. 

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garry berman
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-19-2022 10:04:53 PM
From: Antoni Watson
Subject: Compost Bin Advice

The very nice composting program would be great for every student. I am not sure about your capacity, how much capacity tumbler do you need? I think the Good ideas CW-2X will be perfect for this program. I am using this for the last 1 year. I think it is one of the best compost bin tumblers around with a capacity of 7 cubic feet 50galon. It is split into two chambers or sections, which come down to 3.5 cubic feet per each. It is extremely useful for those that want to start composting right away and do not want to spend hours on end trying to set up their complicated composter. Another feature is the twist lids that seal the bin and secure the compost. However, it is a ground-level model and may attract pests, which is a downside of this composter. That Comes fully assembled, BPA-free, and has Twist lids. If you want something bigger you can go for the Jora Compost Tumbler 270.

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Antoni Watson
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Jennifer,
The compost bins made by GEOBIN are economical, easy to use or store and efficient. Happy Composting!
Karen Creswell

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Karen D Creswell
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For compost making the compost bin is a nice thing but hard also. Compost is an essential way to add natural and organic nutrients to your flower or vegetable garden. That being said, creating an ongoing compost process can be hard work. To simplify the process, you should consider investing in a compost tumbler. I think by checking the compost tumbler some quality like capacity, construction material, and others things then selecting a compost tumbler in your budget is the best idea. I have seen a compost tumbler which is very nice. Except the two things are too small for extensive composting. With such a small capacity, it can be difficult for the compost to reach enough heat quickly. And the doors are also small, so it can be time-consuming to get waste in and compost out.
This has two chambers making it easy to process two loads of compost in different stages, The solid plastic construction feels durable and appears to be of good quality, I also like that this model can easily be rotated for small quantities of waste.

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jokitor eta
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Vincent Morton
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