Composting household food

[riser4]

I would think that it beats sending organic waste to a landfill where it produces methane. But I'm too lazy to look up numbers.

How about neither one? I can't argue about the landfill. That's definitely bad.

[skaredshtles]

Have one like this. It's kinda cool how much shit you can put in it and it never really gets full...

Managed to fill this sucker up this past winter. It has settled back down, but it's really time to empty the bottom portion and dump it in the garden.

[bodywhomper]

There are plenty of analyses in reviews (where they show their work) comparing emissions from use of the home e-composters vs municipal green waste. E-composters seem to win.

I’ve had successful worm bins, various aerobic compost systems, and one short-lived anaerobic system. The material that you can put into the e-composters is awesome, and it includes stuff that’s tough to compost by other means at home, such as meat, citrus peels, avo skin. It’s so fast. Plus, bears, skunks, raccoons, and coyotes are messing it up.

[riser4]

I'm not completely convinced that electricity is as green as claimed. There are certain assumptions made,; including that a certain percentage of electricity is renewable and that renewable equates with lower or no emissions.

I'm all for zero emissions and firmly believe humans fuct the planet with their activities. Electricity can play a role in the solution. Of that I am certain. It just seems premature to be loading the grid with more and more consumption without being certain it's actually reducing emissions. Especially once you account for manufacturing and distribution of devices.

The electric waste disposal units seem like they are too good to be true. Especially since shouldn't we be returning nutrients and moisture to the ground? Maybe I'm missing something. Feel free to point out what I'm missing.

[bodywhomper]

My compost is definitely going back into the ground on my property. Where I live, there’s no kitchen waste option from the waste management mafia.

[MiddleOfNight]

years ago i built a 3-tier open air outdoor composter.
scraps go in the top chamber, each spring everything moves down a chamber. long side hinges open to make shoveling easy. birds tax it a little, but I still get plenty of compost. no smell, no energy. just time.

for stuff that might attract critters? hens.
put their poop in the top chamber (it's pretty hot)

[riser4]

years ago i built a 3-tier open air outdoor composter.
scraps go in the top chamber, each spring everything moves down a chamber. long side hinges open to make shoveling easy. birds tax it a little, but I still get plenty of compost. no smell, no energy. just time.

for stuff that might attract critters? hens.
put their poop in the top chamber (it's pretty hot)

Not exactly sure what your system is based on this description.

[MiddleOfNight]

fair.
i'm no wordsmith, like eveyone else can't post a picture :-/

shoulnta said 'top' .. so it's 10' long. maybe 3' high 3 feet deep, framed with 2x4, sides are all welded wire. like a 10' square twinkie with an open top, laying on a hill in the fall line. it's separated into 3 chambers by the same welded wire.
i dump scraps into the skiers left chamber, it piles up all year. next year it does to the middle chamber, year after the right chamber - by the end, it's rich compost. slow prcess.
i doubt that helps.

[XXX-er]

I didnt have a very big compost it was just 8x8 made out of landscape ties so I would give it a helping hand by turning it/ layer with soil/ don't let it dry out and the compost which was all grass clippings broke down amazingly quick

[MiddleOfNight]

Not exactly sure what your system is based on this description.

now that pics are back:
raw food scraps go in the bay lookers left. add some manure (chx/cow). stir/water it every so often. every spring, the contents shift one bay to the right. by then end it's ready. takes a few years to get going, but i'm pretty patient.
the long side hinges to make shoveling easy.

[riser4]

now that pics are back:
raw food scraps go in the bay lookers left. add some manure (chx/cow). stir/water it every so often. every spring, the contents shift one bay to the right. by then end it's ready. takes a few years to get going, but i'm pretty patient.
the long side hinges to make shoveling easy.

That's cool.

[XXX-er]

Yeah the ^^ mesh gives the venting and the hinged side panel make it easy to get the compost out

my 8x8 crib was a pain to get stuff out but otoh the construction was bomber

[Tele 'til You're Smelly]

We have two tumblers- after 6 months we switch over and the stuff from the one that has composted scraps from 6-12 months ago goes in the garden. We have a big bear-garbage problem here in our town but for some reason neither they nor the raccoons have ever touched them. No meat but we do put eggshells into them, and those animals like all food so I don't get it but of course glad- maybe they know to stay away from decaying stuff?