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| I recently decided to trade in my ten year old city-issued Earth Machine compost bins. I'm an urban gardener/composter with very little (@ 500 sq. ft) outdoor space. In order to maintain the aesthetics of my garden, I've opted for enclosed bins rather than an open pile or pallet/wire type bins.
I searched to web for replacements, and came across the Thermoquick bins pictured below. Since I have a small space, these bins seemed perfect, and they were not any less attractive than any others I saw, and the price was right. I looked at reviews, but most of the reviews appeared to be written by folks who had never composted before "it took months to make compost", "there's no bottom on these bins!", "it attracted flies", etc. I decided to buy them. Once I got them home & assembled, I recycled the packaging and transfered my putresceables from the Earth Machines to the new Exaco Thermoquick bins. All was fine until, a few days later, I brought out my garden fork to turn the compost. The sides split apart on bin #1. I decided that I must have assembled it incorrectly and went on to bin #2, same thing. I am going to call the manufacturer (they have limited business hours) to see if they'll provide me with an exchange or some devices to hold the bins together. If that gets me nowhere, I'll call BJ's (the Online seller) and see if I can return them w/o packaging & even though I've technically used them. So, my questions: 1) what would you do? and 2) Do you have good experience w/ any particular type of commercial bin, given that I may very well be exchanging these two new bins? Thanks, Carrie
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| I'd try to return them, if they didn't take them back, I'd post pictures with an explanation of my experience with them on forums just like this and email the link to the manufacturer as well as the seller. If I was stuck with them, I'd try to use a strap around the unit to give it a bit more strength to see if that helped. Lloyd P.S. The carrieb from alfiestock? Pink shirt, green pants, holding a wine bottle? |
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- Posted by borderbarb (My Page) on Wed, Jun 30, 10 at 9:38
| I agree that this composter should not fall apart as it has. But when I went on the website, I note that they claim there is no need to turn the compost in this system. Maybe it was not designed for the stress of turning? |
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- Posted by darth_weeder z7 NY (My Page) on Wed, Jun 30, 10 at 9:48
| Hello Carrie I think the problem is that most plastic bins are not built strong enough to withstand sticking a fork in it and turning the compost. I think they were made for more passive cold composting, hence the comments about it taking months to make a batch. Personally what I would do is try and return them and if I couldn't ,I would strap them up like Lloyd said and just use them as passive cold composters. They were not built to handle the pressure of turning. If I could return them, I would build, or hire someone to make, an aesthetically pleasing bin made of sturdier and in my oppinion, much nicer looking materials. A 4'x4' bin would only take up a touch more space than the two bins you have now. |
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| The exact same thing happened w/ my commercial tumbler. I had it less than 2 months. It was the biggest waste of $70 I'd ever spent. I transferred it to an outdoor plastic trashcan and it is doing well. Never again... |
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| The exact same thing happened w/ my commercial tumbler. I had it less than 2 months. It was the biggest waste of $70 I'd ever spent. I transferred it to an outdoor plastic trashcan and it is doing well. Never again... |
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| I have two plastic bins that I have been using for years. I too have a small urban yard. I have beaten the crap out these things repeatedly and literally! I turn the compost wihtin them - or at least move it from side to side - it's not easy to "turn" compost within these types of bins. Mine have held up very well. I have no idea who makes them. Our county haz waste office has them and sells them at a discounted rate. I could call them and ask what type they are? |
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| I tried a plastic one this year also---it came with zip ties for the corners, top and btm---so far holding up great! I do turn it with a pitch fork also. |
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| Grrrrr... Update! Just got a call back from Exaco, the manufacturer. Here's what she had to say "you put a fork in them to turn the compost? they're not made for rough turning. Definitely not defective. You could drill a hole in the panels & use a twist tie to attach the panels to each other." pt03/Lloyd - yup. That's me! Now, were you there? Or did you see photos? I'm trying to remember a Lloyd... only Canadians I remember being there were Sarah & Patrick! Borderbarb - hmmm. No need to turn compost, eh? I suppose, if you're willing to wait years for the finished product... oy. Clearly, you're right, though. Not designed for turning (probably not designed for wind or heavy rain, either). I can't afford the space of 4' x 4' bins, though I'd love to have more space for composting, and I certainly can't afford custom made bins! darth_weeder - You know, the Earth Machine compost bins held up well for years of active composting, but I wanted to switch them out for bins that looked a little less Darth-Vader-ish. ally99 - I've heard that tumblers are a waste of $, but who knew a receptacle wouldn't work. I'm trying to decide between seeing if BJ's will take them back, and drilling holes in the panels & using zip ties (the strong plastic ones, though) to hold them together. mean - I wonder if you have the same Earth Machine bins that my old ones are? They held up really well (a few cracks after almost 10 years), but I don't like the look of them in my little garden. *sigh* Sophie - what brand bin did you get? If I use zip ties, I'll have to drill holes in the bottom of my bins - eight per bin, so a total of 16. |
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| I bought a 'Soilsaver" bin from Sam's a few years ago then bought one for my Dad last year. They are both holding up well. I saw Sam's down here is selling them again this year for about $40. They have little doors on two sides at the bottom...the doors aren't worth a whole lot but you can shovel a little out and throw it back on top. I use a fork stuck straight down in the compost then just turn it a few times to mix the top several inches. |
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- Posted by a-woodfield (My Page) on Thu, Jul 1, 10 at 6:55
| Not sure if it's of any use to you guys as we are a UK based company, but we offer this type of commercial compost bin at Woodfields Topsoil. Ours are a little more rigidly built and a lot cheaper, they should happily withstand turning though it isn't 100% necessary! Take a look over this section of the site - http://www.woodfieldstopsoil.co.uk/waste-recycling/ As i say, most of the information and services are only of real use to anyone here who lives in the UK, but we do offer collection services for any unwanted recyclable waste; alongside rolling waste collection skips. Just thought this may help out any British members as we work nationwide! Thanks for your time. |
Here is a link that might be useful: buy compost online
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- Posted by a-woodfield (My Page) on Thu, Jul 1, 10 at 7:00
| Not sure if it's of any use to you guys as we are a UK based company, but we offer this type of commercial compost bin at Woodfields Topsoil. Ours are a little more rigidly built and a lot cheaper, they should happily withstand turning though it isn't 100% necessary! Take a look over this section of the site - http://www.woodfieldstopsoil.co.uk/waste-recycling/ As i say, most of the information and services are only of real use to anyone here who lives in the UK, but we do offer collection services for any unwanted recyclable waste; alongside rolling waste collection skips. Just thought this may help out any British members as we work nationwide! Thanks for your time. |
Here is a link that might be useful: buy compost online
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- Posted by darth_weeder z7 NY (My Page) on Thu, Jul 1, 10 at 8:35
| Carrie, be a trooper and paint them white |
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| I bought a plastic bin and later a tumbler. Neither worked as well as a simple, large, and cheap mesh bin ($20). |
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| I wasn't there Carrie but I've seen the pictures and read Patrick's description over on the Froup site. It looks and sounds like it was one heck of a weekend! Lloyd P.S. Colleen, technically I'm not a member so I don't post. |
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| pjames - I wish I'd bought a Soil Saver! a-woodfield - your comments sounds an awful lot like advertising, which is not allowed on this site. Nevertheless, good luck w/ your company. darth - white!?! Oh, no. Not me! robertz6 - If I had plenty of space, I might just do that. But in a tiny garden, I want the composting process to be de-emphasized, and mesh shows it all. pt03 - It was a great weekend! Colleen? |
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| Colleen asked who I was over on the froup site, AP said I was a member but technically I am not. |
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I've had 2 Biostack bins for several years and I love them. They work great. They're black plastic, each has 3 bottomless tiers that stack. They make flipping the compost easy.  Karen |
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| pt03 - thanks. I didn't see a comment here by Colleen, so I was confused. (still kind of am, but less so) kqerna - thanks. Since I can't return the ones I bought, I'm going to try drilling the holes along the sides & using cable zip ties to hold them together... we'll see... |
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- Posted by borderbarb San Diego county (My Page) on Thu, Jul 1, 10 at 19:06
| Carrie .... I think that the force of opinion between non-turn 'cold' composting and the quicker turn-often 'hot' composting can be polarized on each side. Please don't dismiss 'cold' composting, based on some opinions expressed in these forums. My 'cold' pile is never turned, but does heat up somewhat. It does not even take a year for the bottome part to become lovely compost. That may be partially due to our climate. When I was still working, I didn't have time to pay much attention to my pile [s], now that I'm retired, my health issue make it not wise. Somewhere along the continuum of your gardening experiences, you may choose 'cold' composting. TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT. :) |
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| borderbarb - Ooooh. I'm totally NOT against cold composting! I'm sorry if anything I said may have seemed to imply that. I think cold composting is just fine and good. And certainly a better option for some, like you. Being a city gardener & composter, I find that fast/hot composting is the most efficient method for me. My tiny plot is intensely gardened, with very little bare dirt (and no mulch (other than top-dressing w/ compost whenever it's ready) because I did too often to have compost stay in place. If I had a large amount of space, I'd bet that I'd have a few big cold compost areas, and a few small hot compost bins/areas closer to the house. |
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| There's nothing wrong with cold composting. We all do what we are able to. I prefer hot composting because it gives me larger amounts of compost sooner. I harvest it usually 3 times a year, sometime 4 if I am ambitious. I'm 57 now, and I can see that I won't always be flipping compost. Then, yes, I will cold compost too. Karen |
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| Carrie, you might try a couple of those metal buckle/yank nylon straps that are often used to hold down stuff in the back of a truck - they cost a couple dollars each, and I'd think two on each bin would hold them together, and they're easy to un-do and re-put. I have the same straps holding together my wooden lawn cart after that unfortunate incident with the way-too-heavy tree stump. |
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| I have a black one that my hubby got at Lowes that looks similar to your silver ones Carrie. I've been wondering though, with so much concern about chemicals like BPA leaching out of plastic is it safe to use a plastic composter or am I just putting toxins into my garden?? |
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| Well, Recycling of food and other types of organic waste to compost improves our environment by reducing green house effects and other gas emissions and the need for commercial fertilizers also done. I found that commercial composters grand rapids is the best service provider in there region. |
Here is a link that might be useful: commercial composters grand rapids
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| The cheap fix.... duct tape. Rebuild them once, duct tape them bottom/ middle top..... Done. Repeat every 2 years or so? |
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