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Sun, Jan 13, 13 at 23:01
| I just started my first compost pile and was wondering if anyone sees any potential problems with using a pail that my cat litter came in...I am a big fan of reusing items and thought I could drill holes in the top for airflow, and attach charcoal filters without much trouble...does anyone think think this would be a bad idea, if so, why?...I figured why spend 20+ dollars on a "compost" buck/pail when this is just as handy> |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by mustard_seeds 4 -Onalaska Wisconsi (My Page) on Mon, Jan 14, 13 at 13:35
| The intact pail from kitty litter could be used to hold waste from the kitchen until it goes out to the main pile/heap/bin. But if you really want to make a significant amount of compost you need to create a larger collection of the browns and greens, moisten it, let it compost. The FAQs here can really get you started. You do not need to spend a lot of money on a composting bin, in fact many people simply have a big pile if they are in a more rural area. Using a bin or some wire mesh to create an enclosure helps build up the ingredients so they "cook" more if you are interested in getting to the "end result" faster. If you do want a large structure for cheap, many people build one out of recycled wood pallets (free!). You will be amazed at home much less garbage you throw away after you start composting! Have a great start!! |
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| I use kitty litter buckets to store to-be-composted items all the time. I've built self-watering planters out of them, too. |
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| I bought a 2 gallon white plastic bucket at Home Depot. It looks like 5 gallon buckets but smaller. It is plain white with no labels. Looks pretty good and works great! Also, it was only about $3 or $4. I keep it on the corner of the kitchen counter. |
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- Posted by Angeline84 2b (My Page) on Tue, Jan 15, 13 at 9:38
| I also use kitty litter buckets to store things until they go into my bins. In fact, during the winter I simply fill up the buckets and place them outside to freeze and then when things start to thaw out, I dump the compost-popsicles into my bin with a bunch of leaves. |
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- Posted by toxcrusadr 5 (My Page) on Tue, Jan 15, 13 at 12:28
| Kudos for reuse and repurposing! And if you empty it into the pile every couple of days, you won't need charcoal filters on it for odor control. I just use a 1-gal ice cream pail with a snap lid. |
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| Margarita mix bucket here. It needs to be emptied a couple of times a week or it begins to smell unpleasantly :-) |
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- Posted by nevermore44 6b (My Page) on Wed, Jan 16, 13 at 12:33
| I might have to upgrade to a slightly larger kitty litter container. I ended up getting some of the fairly cheap compostable bio-bags that are 2 gallon bin size. They make it so you don't have to scrub out or dish wash the bin quite as often when the goo starts to build on the sides and smell. Makes the DW happy too! |
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- Posted by SarcasticWit (My Page) on Thu, Jan 17, 13 at 0:55
| Thanks all for the feedback...and sorry for any confusion, I only meant to use this as a staging bucket/pail, to be used to hold items until taken to the actual compost pile...particularly during weather like we have had here the last couple of days...ice and freezing rain... Leira, how do you turn them into self watering planters?...are they similar to the EarthTainers featured at the link below? |
Here is a link that might be useful: EarthTainer
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- Posted by tn_gardening (My Page) on Sat, Jan 19, 13 at 8:39
| SarcasticWit (My Page)....Leira, how do you turn them into self watering planters?...are they similar to the EarthTainers featured at the link below? Here is a link that might be useful: EarthTainer =============== Yes. Very similar. Some call em growbuckets |
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- Posted by nancyjane_gardener USDA 8ish No CA (My Page) on Sat, Jan 19, 13 at 20:18
| Can you explain further on how to make the growbuckets? |
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- Posted by toxcrusadr 5 (My Page) on Tue, Jan 22, 13 at 12:59
| Re: compostable bags - I'm not trashing the idea (no pun intended) but if you want to save the expense, here's an alternative: keep a yucky old dish brush (the last one you retired from dish duty) under the sink and use it to swish out the bucket. Once in awhile I fill the bucket with hot water and a couple tablespoons of bleach (a dab'll do ya) and let it soak awhile. It kills off the microbes and bleaches out stains at the same time. |
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- Posted by nevermore44 6b (My Page) on Tue, Jan 22, 13 at 17:36
| That's what we use to do.. but we throw everything under the sun into the compost bucket... so when you take the scraps of a misc casserole dinner, mixed with a side of... misc side... mixed with used bread crumbs and egg shells.... and then throw in misc old leftovers from the fridge of unknown orgin... and wait a day to two.. it became a pain to clean. It is plastic though.. which stains easier.... i bet stainless steel is a but easier to clean. |
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- Posted by toxcrusadr 5 (My Page) on Wed, Jan 23, 13 at 18:36
| Yes it is. Or ceramic. Someone gave us a cute ceramic one last year that looks like a little green garbage can with holes in the lid and a steel bail handle. Nice but too small most of the time. |
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