Comments on: Outdoor Compost Bin http://one-change.com/blog/2006/04/outdoor-compost-bin/ making one change at a time Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:22:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: One/Change » Blog Archive » The trash in my freezer http://one-change.com/blog/2006/04/outdoor-compost-bin/#comment-24581 One/Change » Blog Archive » The trash in my freezer Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:30:12 +0000 http://one-change.com/blog/?p=54#comment-24581 [...] A lot of what I learn is done as I go. I read, I research, and I experiment. I tend to get enough information to get me started and then go after it. This is something that I love. I love diving into new projects and figuring it out as I go along. However, while there are SO many aspects about self-education that I love, there is a inherent tendency to make a lot of mistakes. Making mistakes is part of the learning process for us all and I like it so much because I tend to find a fuller understanding as I problem solve. My indoor, turned outdoor, compost bin is a classic example of how self-educating can go terribly wrong and in the end become a really positive experience. [...] [...] A lot of what I learn is done as I go. I read, I research, and I experiment. I tend to get enough information to get me started and then go after it. This is something that I love. I love diving into new projects and figuring it out as I go along. However, while there are SO many aspects about self-education that I love, there is a inherent tendency to make a lot of mistakes. Making mistakes is part of the learning process for us all and I like it so much because I tend to find a fuller understanding as I problem solve. My indoor, turned outdoor, compost bin is a classic example of how self-educating can go terribly wrong and in the end become a really positive experience. [...]

]]> By: Mollie http://one-change.com/blog/2006/04/outdoor-compost-bin/#comment-21738 Mollie Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:34:32 +0000 http://one-change.com/blog/?p=54#comment-21738 Brita, Thank you for your questions. The number one concern with human feces (or the feces of any meat eating animal) is bacteria. The other concerns you have with human feces are heavy metals and possibly antibiotics. The bacteria would be killed in the burning process, but the heavy metals and antibiotics probably would still remain after the burning, but I don\'t know that either one of those would be a huge problem. So, I think that would be fine to do. I wouldn\'t use any sort of lighter fluid or chemicals to burn it though. As for burying it, if you are going to be burying your food scraps or the feces you would want to dig a hole that is about 1 foot deep. You can add about 2-3 inches of the food scraps and then cover it with at least 8 inches of soil to keep pests out. You will want to check for signs of digging and I probably wouldn\'t burying the food scraps and the feces in the same pile. I hope this helps.  Let me know if you have any other questions. Brita,

Thank you for your questions.

The number one concern with human feces (or the feces of any meat eating animal) is bacteria. The other concerns you have with human feces are heavy metals and possibly antibiotics. The bacteria would be killed in the burning process, but the heavy metals and antibiotics probably would still remain after the burning, but I don\’t know that either one of those would be a huge problem. So, I think that would be fine to do. I wouldn\’t use any sort of lighter fluid or chemicals to burn it though.

As for burying it, if you are going to be burying your food scraps or the feces you would want to dig a hole that is about 1 foot deep. You can add about 2-3 inches of the food scraps and then cover it with at least 8 inches of soil to keep pests out. You will want to check for signs of digging and I probably wouldn\’t burying the food scraps and the feces in the same pile.

I hope this helps.  Let me know if you have any other questions.

]]> By: brita http://one-change.com/blog/2006/04/outdoor-compost-bin/#comment-20318 brita Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:20:54 +0000 http://one-change.com/blog/?p=54#comment-20318 what if human feces were burned in cans first? How deep in the ground is proper? what if human feces were burned in cans first? How deep in the ground is proper?

]]> By: One/Change » Blog Archive » A list with some information. http://one-change.com/blog/2006/04/outdoor-compost-bin/#comment-16960 One/Change » Blog Archive » A list with some information. Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:21:15 +0000 http://one-change.com/blog/?p=54#comment-16960 [...] Start an indoor or outdoor compost bin. Info: “The landfill is not designed to help things biodegrade, which requires contact with air and water. Instead, landfills hermetically seal their contents away from the environment to protect it from the toxic things in the landfill that aren’t biodegradable. What this means, is that organic things like apple cores and yesterdays newspapers and cornstarch cups, when dumped in the landfill, either don’t break down at all—and certainly don’t end up returning nutrients to the earth—or they break down anaerobically, which means they produce methane, a worse greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.”2 [...] [...] Start an indoor or outdoor compost bin. Info: “The landfill is not designed to help things biodegrade, which requires contact with air and water. Instead, landfills hermetically seal their contents away from the environment to protect it from the toxic things in the landfill that aren’t biodegradable. What this means, is that organic things like apple cores and yesterdays newspapers and cornstarch cups, when dumped in the landfill, either don’t break down at all—and certainly don’t end up returning nutrients to the earth—or they break down anaerobically, which means they produce methane, a worse greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.”2 [...]

]]> By: One/Change » Blog Archive » Troubleshooting your compost http://one-change.com/blog/2006/04/outdoor-compost-bin/#comment-14365 One/Change » Blog Archive » Troubleshooting your compost Wed, 06 Jun 2007 02:02:25 +0000 http://one-change.com/blog/?p=54#comment-14365 [...] Any sort of overpowering foul odor is a sign that something is not quite right with your indoor or outdoor composts. [...] [...] Any sort of overpowering foul odor is a sign that something is not quite right with your indoor or outdoor composts. [...]

]]> By: One/Change » Blog Archive » Hello Spring! http://one-change.com/blog/2006/04/outdoor-compost-bin/#comment-6868 One/Change » Blog Archive » Hello Spring! Wed, 28 Mar 2007 16:32:53 +0000 http://one-change.com/blog/?p=54#comment-6868 [...] Now that Spring is here I want to encourage all of you that can to do two things: 1) Buy a share in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)/any local sustainable organic farm or grow your own food; 2) start either an indoor or outdoor compost bin/pile. [...] [...] Now that Spring is here I want to encourage all of you that can to do two things: 1) Buy a share in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)/any local sustainable organic farm or grow your own food; 2) start either an indoor or outdoor compost bin/pile. [...]

]]> By: James Barnard http://one-change.com/blog/2006/04/outdoor-compost-bin/#comment-2162 James Barnard Sun, 19 Nov 2006 06:17:32 +0000 http://one-change.com/blog/?p=54#comment-2162 The author of the book "The Humanure Handbook" points out that his family has been composting not only vegetable and yard scraps, but meats, oils and even human feces, all the stuff one is not "supposed" to compost. Apparently he's been doing it succesfully for 20 years! The key (according to him) seems to be covering each new addition of "wet" compost (meat, scraps, feces, etc.) very well with dry compost (straw, sawdust, leaves, etc.) Apparently this prevents odors, bugs, or wetness and allows the proper Carbon/Nitrogen ratio to trigger the thermophillic bacteria which break down the compost much faster and kill off any nasty bugs in the human waste. Then he lets the compost sit for a year and then uses it in food production! The author of the book “The Humanure Handbook” points out that his family has been composting not only vegetable and yard scraps, but meats, oils and even human feces, all the stuff one is not “supposed” to compost. Apparently he’s been doing it succesfully for 20 years! The key (according to him) seems to be covering each new addition of “wet” compost (meat, scraps, feces, etc.) very well with dry compost (straw, sawdust, leaves, etc.) Apparently this prevents odors, bugs, or wetness and allows the proper Carbon/Nitrogen ratio to trigger the thermophillic bacteria which break down the compost much faster and kill off any nasty bugs in the human waste. Then he lets the compost sit for a year and then uses it in food production!

]]> By: One/Change » Blog Archive » Getting off to a good start. http://one-change.com/blog/2006/04/outdoor-compost-bin/#comment-174 One/Change » Blog Archive » Getting off to a good start. Tue, 06 Jun 2006 20:57:16 +0000 http://one-change.com/blog/?p=54#comment-174 [...] So, I headed out to the hardware store, bought the needed fencing material, pulled up the Outdoor Compost Bin post for any additional directions and got started on construction. I put i [...] [...] So, I headed out to the hardware store, bought the needed fencing material, pulled up the Outdoor Compost Bin post for any additional directions and got started on construction. I put i [...]

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