How to Make an Indoor Compost Bin
To help reduce your impact on the environment and help out your garden and flower beds at the same time, start composting. Composting is the natural process in which food and certain other waste products break down into a rich, soil-like material that provides nutrients to help plants grow. One form of indoor composting, called vermicomposting, encourages worms to consume food waste, such as scraps of fruit and vegetables, and transform it into a valuable garden additive. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Plastic bin with cover, 24 inches wide by 24 inches long and 12 to 18 inches tall
- Power drill or utility knife
- Newspapers
- Water
- Redworms
- Kitchen scraps
Instructions
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Drill or punch holes about two-thirds of the way from the bottom of the container with a power drill or utility knife. Make the holes about 1/8 inch wide, with one hole every 3 inches along the sides of the bin and on the cover.
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Tear the newspapers into strips 1 to 2 inches wide.
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Soak the strips of newspaper in water. Squeeze the excess water out like you would with a sponge.
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Pour the strips of damp newspaper into the bottom of the bin until the bin is about half full.
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Spread the worms out over the strips of newspaper, then add another layer of damp strips about 2 inches deep. Give the worms about a week to get acclimated to their new environment.
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Add waste to the bin as you accumulate it after the first week. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1 lb. of mature redworms can eat 1/2 lb. of waste each day, so for every pound of worms you have in your bin, you can place 3 to 4 lbs. of scraps a week. The compost should be ready after about three months.
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Tips & Warnings
Add to your compost bin fruit and vegetable waste such as peels, skins and cores; egg shells rinsed off to remove inner residues; used coffee grounds; used tea bags; and used paper towels that have not touched bio-hazardous material or chemical cleaners.
Use redworms in your compost bin, not earthworms. Redworms are well suited to the warm conditions in a compost bin, while night crawlers and other earthworms need cooler temperatures to survive than they would get in a compost bin.
Do not add meat to your compost bin. It will turn rancid, attract flies and smell. It may also cause dangerous bacteria to grow in the bin.
Remove seeds from any fruit or vegetable waste you add to your worm bin. They can actually begin to grow in its warm, dark conditions.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit apples image by Marek Kosmal from Fotolia.com
