Fun And Easy Ways To Building A Compost Bin!

By: Candy Tyler

Building a compost bin can be a fantastic way to bond with your children. In addition, you can educate them about saving the environment and preservation. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Let’s start with a simple definition of a compost bin. It is simply a “container” for turning waste organic material such as peelings (fruits or vegetables), leaves and grass clippings into compost so that they can be used to improve soil quality.

Fundamentally, there are two popular bin systems. One is the three bin system where the bins are either connected or individually lined up. This allows for using bins for different types of composts such as regular compost, slow compost like woody plants or leaves collected in fall.

Yet another purpose of the three bin system is to move the compost from one bin to the next, allowing it to turn. Each bin is for compost at a different stage of decay. And, when the compost makes it to the third bin, it is ready for use.

The other bin system is the simple one bin system where you dump everything in!

Common materials for building a compost bin include a 16-guage plastic-coated wire mesh and hardware cloth. Other materials of choice include the old cinder blocks or bricks, wooden pallets, hog wire spoiled hay bales, snow fencing, and a discarded rabbit hutch. It is a bad idea to use pressure-treated wood, as it has toxic levels of copper and chromium. This will probably poison your compost.

Building a compost bin from wooden pallets is probably the most economic and efficient way. You can easily get pallets from grocery, hardware stores, and warehouses. Use plastic ties to hold four pallets together in a box formation. If you are going for a 3 bin system, simply add another bin by attaching 3 more pallets using one side of the already made bin to complete another box.

Generally, a compost bin built using wooden pallets will decompose in two years’ time. When that comes, it is fun time again – it’s time for building a compost bin again!

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For even more FREE compost bins information, go to How to Build a Compost Bin. For a compost bin design, check out Compost Bin Design.