http://www.care2.com/greenliving/build-your-own-recycled-pallet-compost-bin.html
Build Your Own Recycled Pallet Compost Bin
By Brian Liloia, Green Options
Do you want to limit the amount of trash you produce and help make your backyard soil healthy and productive? One of the easiest solutions to these problems is to compost your food waste. It requires little personal energy, and you will benefit from the rich compost that’s created from the breakdown of your kitchen scraps.
The only thing you really need to do is create a suitable bin for your soon-to-be compost. There are alternatives to the overpriced, plastic compost containers that some garden supply stores sell to customers. You can make your own bin using recycled shipping pallets for less than 20 dollars, or even free if you have some of the few necessary supplies.
Why to build with shipping pallets?
-Approximately 40 percent of all hardwood harvested in the U.S. is used for making shipping pallets.
-About two-thirds of pallets are used only once before being thrown out.
-1/4 of all wood in landfills is from used pallets.
Why not put some of those shipping pallets headed to the landfill to good use? You can easily find shipping pallets around your town or city; try contacting supermarkets, warehouses, and other businesses that regularly receive large shipments.
Click on either of the links below to find instructions for building a recycled pallet compost bin, or scroll down to the minute-long video from simplegiftsfarm.com, which suggests an easy and quick way to build a bin using pallets and wire hanger.
How to build a $15 shipping pallet compost bin
Pallet compost bin
Scraps suitable for composting include fruit and vegetable matter, egg shells, coffee grinds, tea bags, and most food scraps (except meat products, which can attract unwanted critters).
Happy composting!
Green Options Media is a network of environmentally-focused blogs providing users with the information needed to make sustainable choices. Written by experienced professionals, Green Options Media’s blogs engage visitors with authoritative content, compelling discussions, and actionable advice. We invite anyone with questions, or simply curiosity, to add their voices to the community, and share their approaches to achieving abundance.
More from Megan, selected from Green Options (43 articles available)
related stories
-
(104 comments)
-
(1 comment)
-
(19 comments)
Robyn
Melissa
Deepak
Eric
Dave
Dr. Brent
Isha
Susan
Delia
Michelle
Wendy
Megan
Hilary
Ann
Judi
Ronnie
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Betsy
Cait
Andrew
Jana
Annie B.
Veronica
5 comments
add your comment »What about composting alternatives for those of us without lawns?
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
...but these pallets are full of pesticides!!!!!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Looking at this compost bin brings me back almost 35yrs ago when my husband, now deceased, always had a huge vegetable garden; we had everything! He started composting when it wasn't really mentioned too much; in the beginning, it was a bit of mess trying to keep egg shells, coffee grounds, even fish that at first I thought was crazy doing that..you name it, it was composted. I put it in a big container under the sink, but for obvious reasons, it had to go outside soon; anyway, we had a broken washer in a corner of the backyard, and, that is where all the compost went; when it was time to plant, he added all the leaves from Fall that my sons and I had raked and had to keep (there was leaf pick up in my town by the way); it would have been much easier to rake into the street like everyone else did..and all the compost from the washing machine went into the tilled soil...we had beautiful veggies; my youngest son, when he was about 7 or 8, planted a tomato that he was hoping to bring to our hometowns annual country fair--he won a blue ribbon! I feel strongly that all that composting produced such bounty..nobody in our lives that we knew was doing that so I feel that my husband was way ahead of the gang in doing all he did--by the way, we had many black-rasberry bushes around the yard, so the washing machine wasn't that prominent..so, people, start composting!!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
We already do that. We have one at home and 2 at our allotment (rented land for growing veg)
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
This is a great ideal. I have been using old tires as small compost bins because as we have cleaned out close to 70 years of accumulated junk we have had a abundance of tires which you can't get rid of without paying someone to take them,which we cant afford. However they make nice little compost bins and are easy to put here and there.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Facebook account: