OK, SO HOW DO YOU STORE HOUSEHOLD FOOD FOR COMPOSTING?

[Garden Gal]

We keep a small plastic container on the sink. Hold about 2 cups of household cooking garbage such as banana peels, orange peels, fresh herb stems, egg shells, etc. When that's full, we move it to a container on the patio that holds about two quarts. When that is full, we move it to a Styrofoam ice chest that is covered and kept on the back porch (it's getting closer to the compost pile now.) Once that is about 3/4 full (I toss in shredded paper, and other browns in between dumping the 2 qt container.) I take it to the compost pile and add it as a layer. It's usually very wet when I add it so i haven't worried about it being too dry.

I just started composting and hope this is ok to do this way. I didn't realize I needed to check my pile for moisture and heat so soon until I started reading the threads here. I just started it about two weeks ago. It's uncovered and we've had a lot of rain. It's about 3' diameter x 3' high. Made from very heavy black plastic that has holes all around it. Looks like the wire fencing cylinders I've seen in threads here, except made from a very heavy gauge plastic held by screws where the ends overlap. got it free from my county . I could probably get a second one to start a new transfer bin.

Any thoughts?

[rainbowgardener]

Wow, that's a lot of moving garbage, which is probably getting fairly nasty by the time it is getting moved from the 3rd to the 4th location!

I'm not sure why you are doing all that or why store your kitchen scraps.

I have a bucket that kitty litter came in, plastic with a tight fighting lid. It is maybe 2 gallon size. It just fits in the space under my kitchen sink (actually I have two, one on each side, the other one holds all the recyclable glass, aluminum, etc). All the kitchen scraps go in there. Once a week, I dump it from there directly in to the compost pile. Once on the pile it gets covered with a good layer of weeds/ leaves or whatever I have.

Lots of people have a two or three bin system, where they have a pile that is building and a pile that is settling (and maybe a pile that is finished). Sounds like what you need to avoid all that moving/storing.

The second pile wouldn't be transfer, in the sense that once it goes in there, it's not going anywhere else. But it would be your building pile, where you would be accumulating stuff until appropriately full. And you would put your scraps directly in it, without storing.

[rkunsaw]

We have a Vita-Mix on the counter.We grind all the waste,peels and eggshells in it then put that in a covered plastic trash bucket along with coffee grounds.When that is full it goes to the compost pile.

[Halfway]

we have a few tall folgers plastic "cans" used for the kitchen waste. Usually gets emptied every other day. When one is emptied, we wash that out and let dry while another is in use. That way we avoid mold.

[Garden Gal]

Hi Rainbowgardner, the main reason for all the steps is that we don't have space for a big container inside the kitchen. The patio, outside the kitchen door is kind of a sitting area too, so we don't really want a big container sitting there, we have enough stuff out there. The main pile is not within easy distance, so it's easier to keep a small container on the sink, move it to the patio until someone heads for the back yard where the "holding" container is, as I have far more green than brown. Then to the pile when i have brown. to mix in. But if it's not a problem to add everything to the pile no matter what order as opposed to layering brown/green/brown/green, then I can eliminate the holding container on the back porch and use it instead for vermicomposting! Would styrofoam work for that?

[rot]

..
We have cookie jars. They hold about a weeks worth. Fill one, empty into bin, cover, wash out cookie jar, start on the second.

What works best is what works for you.

to sense
..

[Garden Gal]

OK after reading your reply to sense, I went in search of cookie jars. I liked the idea that they could be decorative, and user friendly. (One hand operation--lol) Went to Target but found nothing in that realm that was suitable, BUT a visit to the bathroom aisle led me to a small stanless steel trash can with attached lid that pops open when a lever is pressed with one's foot. It now has a home right next to the stainless dog bowls in my kitchen, right by the door, where we can all do hands free garbage tossing. It has a nice little pail inside with a handle that just lifts out for taking out the bin. It will hold enough for about a week, and it will save two steps (no pun intended) in my composting routine. THANKS TO SENSE!

[rot]

..
A pail in a bucket, a cookie jar, a cat litter bucket. What works best is what works for you. Look for solutions that answer your needs and don't try to adjust things to answer the needs of the compost process.

Thinking about it. I kind of like these open ended survey type questions just to get ideas. Sometimes I'll steal those ideas outright and sometimes I'll apply them with a twist for my circumstances.

Thanks to you all for sharing.

What's a vita-mix?

to sense
..

[rainbowgardener]

Vita-mix is like a super powerful blender/grinder/processor.

It's another unnecessary step. Stuff will break down faster ground up, but to me it breaks down quite fast enough anyway. My kitchen scraps have all disappeared in about 8-10 weeks in warm weather; who needs faster than that? To me speed beyond that isn't worth having to do the processing and look at my kitchen garbage being poured out as garbage puree and clean the blender. Ugh!

But to each their own. As rot says, what ever works for you.

[gixxerific]

How do I store mine. I use either an oblong Tupperware or a freezer bag in the fridge. That way it doesn't rot under the sink. when they are full I take them out. Pretty easy.

[VeggieGrower]

I'm cheap er.. frugal , I have a stack of about 5 of the gallon size ice cream buckets with lids. I keep one on the counter and it takes about a week to fill up, give or take. Once it's full it goes by the door to be taken out to the pile on my next trip. The only time I actually use all 5 is in the winter when I can't get to the pile, or during harvest time when I have all the scraps from canning to contend with.

[Thomas CA]

same as most above...

I have one of those cheap $2 Home Depot buckets with a lid sitting next to my trash bin in the kitchen. Anytime I take the trash out, I take the bucket with me to dump in the compost pile.

[LindsayArthurRTR]

Line that metal garbage bin with a 2 ply brown paper bag and you can just take the whole thing out, bag, waste, and all! AND, you won't have to wash your trash can out as much! Woo hoo! Anything to keep from actually touching the slimy remnants of the slop bucket

[farmerlon]

I use large (gallon size) glass pickle jars.
I use that because it's free (after we ate the pickles).

I keep the lid screwed on, so there is never any odor problem. I don't worry about the scraps getting air while in the jar, because it won't be long until it's dumped outside in the compost anyway.

[Garden Gal]

all great ideas! Love the brown bag liner idea, except i don't get them that size, only grocery store size. ANY WAY, great idea. As for anything with a screw on lid or anything requiring two-hand operation cuts down my chances of the "LAZY ONE" in my house actually using the container instead of the easier trash can. It's usually his meal in one hand, and the other hand for a beverage. Hence . . . the foot lever was the perfect solution. He can quickly toss into the container without much effort.