Where to waste?

cormie

Hi,
Just like to hear suggestions as to where the best place to dispose of every day waste is. We have a green Oxigen wheely bin which is full every month going out, we recycle as much as we can, we have an open fire which is handy for disposing of wood (which we rarely accumulate anyway). Unfortunately Oxigen do not take plastic so we have a big pile of bags in the kitchen full of plastics waiting to go to Ballyogan for recycling. Really the only thing you would find in our dustbin is food waste, potato peels etc. Would be interested to know the best method for disposing of this. I've read a bit about the green cone compost device. Can this be used for all food waste including the likes of eggshells, fruit, meat, bread etc? I read that they recommend not to put meat in it for fear of foxes/rats etc, but how likely is this to be a problem? It's also unable to take grass cuttings/twigs/leaves etc, what is best to dispose of these?

Also, if anyone has switched to compost/greencone, what have your savings in waste disposal been like?

Any feedback appreciated:)

Alun

We've got a wormery for our vegetable waste. It works OK, but isn't quite as easy and maintenance free as the proponents of them would like to have you believe.

I know about the greencone thing, and am a bit confused, as I was always led to believe that because it's kind of installed into a hole in the ground that you could put meat products into it, because animals couldn't get to it. On the website of www.ecoshop.ie they say you can, anyway. BTW the Ecoshop is on the N11 behind the Garden Centre just before the Glen of the Downs. They have most things in the composting line on display, and are quite knowledgeable too.

cormie

Even on the greencone.ie FAQ it says:

Why can't I put everything on the compost heap?
Compost heaps are excellent for leaves, grass cuttings and some food waste, such as vegetables. However it is unwise to put meat, bones, etc on compost heaps as these will attract foxes, rats, etc.

then it says:

Why should I use the Green Cone?
The Green Cone is designed to take all food waste, including meat, bones, fish, dairy products, etc. Some food waste cannot be put on compost heaps as it attracts vermin and does not decay very rapidly. Therefore, historically such rubbish has been collected by Councils on a regular basis - usually weekly. By putting all food waste in the Green Cone, the remaining rubbish to be collected is clean and dry which greatly facilates recycling and it could be collected less frequently without creating a health hazard. Furthermore there is far less to actually collect

then it also says:

What goes in The Green Cone?
All food waste. Collect all your cooked and uncooked food waste (meat, fish, bones, bread, dairy products, vegetables and fruit) into the kitchen caddy in the kitchen. Empty every day into your Green Cone, and remember to shake in some Green Cone accelerator powder.

and then..

Why shouldn't I use a garden composter for all food waste?
Garden compost bins have air holes to stop the waste becoming slimy and smelly. If you put cooked food, fish, meat or bread in garden bins, these holes will let out smells that attract vermin and let blow in flies. Use compost bins for garden waste. Use The Green Cone System for all organic and household kitchen waste.

Ok, I just realised now actually, that they are talking about different things when mentioning the compost heap and then the greencone:rolleyes: So the greencone can take anything I think:)

Owie, €135 for a greencone:eek: I saw on another thread someone mention they got one from their local council for €40

Still though, worth the investment over the long run I'd say.

cuckoo

I'd also be interested to hear of anyone's experiences with the green cone. What's the outlay like for the activating powder? And, does it fill up or does the food waste break down very quickly?

Also, does it work well in colder months? I have a green compost bin that i got from the council into which we put mostly grass cuttings and vegetable peelings - at this time of year it's a good thing that the grass isn't getting cut as the volume isn't shrinking as fast as it does in summer.

WILKEL

cormie wrote:

Even on the greencone.ie FAQ it says:



then it says:



then it also says:



and then..



Ok, I just realised now actually, that they are talking about different things when mentioning the compost heap and then the greencone:rolleyes: So the greencone can take anything I think:)

Owie, €135 for a greencone:eek: I saw on another thread someone mention they got one from their local council for €40

Still though, worth the investment over the long run I'd say.

I got the green cone from Mayo County Council last May (€40.00) - I think they have some left. It worked excellent during the summer when temperatures were good but it is not so good once september came. During the summer it was amazing to see the level of waste dissappear into the ground but unfortunately it got cronically infested with fruit flies in august and they started to even get into the house!
I have now stopped using it and I might try again next spring and try and avoid putting fruit into it and try and stay on top of the fly population with flyco (non chemical fly killer) .
If this is a failure then i wont use it anymore. So I personally would not buy one for €135 unless someone here as a better experience than me, and to be frank someone is taking the piss charging €135 for what is essentially a double skinned plastic bin. The accelerator powder is €5 per sachet which is good value in fairness.
One other word of warning - when you dig the hole to put it into the ground , leave the hole exposed a few days until you have heavy rain (never long in Ireland !) and make sure that the hole does not fill with water due to poor drainage or you will be looking at your first few containers of waste floating at the top of the greencone after rain which means that it will not work ( then you can spend another two hours digging another hole like me :mad: )
hope this helps.

cormie

Thanks for that. I think you were the chap I was quoting who got it for €40. Them fruit flies are strange indeed. I once had a nest in my room. I left fruit a bit too long in my room bin and they nested in a shoe box. Does the lid on the greencone not solve the problem of the fruit flies though? How far away is the cone situated from your home that they managed to enter your home too? Thanks for the tips anyway:) I doubt I'd get one off Mayo if I'm in Wicklow unfortunately:(

WILKEL

cormie wrote:

Thanks for that. I think you were the chap I was quoting who got it for €40. Them fruit flies are strange indeed. I once had a nest in my room. I left fruit a bit too long in my room bin and they nested in a shoe box. Does the lid on the greencone not solve the problem of the fruit flies though? How far away is the cone situated from your home that they managed to enter your home too? Thanks for the tips anyway:) I doubt I'd get one off Mayo if I'm in Wicklow unfortunately:(

Id say you would have no problem - they never asked me where I was from.
the lid does not solve the problem because the fruit flies are coming from the fruit you put in it - yes their larve is in the fruit you buy - they are not coming from an outside source. I probably put the cone too near the house but if you put it too far away it does not encourage less commited members of the household to use it. !!!:p

cormie

Ahh, so that's where the little lads come from!! Scary!! :eek: Do you know what fruit they are most prominant in? I suppose it's just as much hassle as putting a bag out into the wheely bin so it's got to be done so distance wont be a problem really. Unless your garden is a 100M long or something;) The only problem, besides the flies, is trying to get a spot suitable that will also be hit by the sun the most. For €40 I think it's worth a go, €135 seems a bit steep. Did you collect it from them? Maybe my local CC has some, must check.

WILKEL

cormie wrote:

Ahh, so that's where the little lads come from!! Scary!! :eek: Do you know what fruit they are most prominant in? I suppose it's just as much hassle as putting a bag out into the wheely bin so it's got to be done so distance wont be a problem really. Unless your garden is a 100M long or something;) The only problem, besides the flies, is trying to get a spot suitable that will also be hit by the sun the most. For €40 I think it's worth a go, €135 seems a bit steep. Did you collect it from them? Maybe my local CC has some, must check.

You have to collect them in person unfortunately.
I intend to put in no fruit next year at all.
One other thing - when I had it in full swing, you would not believe the lack of weight in my "dirty" bin - it was nothing but plastic wrapping and stuff i could not recycle which was good as we pay for the non recycleable rubbish by weight - so even if the green cone worked good for 6 months it would be worth it.

cormie

yeah that's the thing, the only thing I can think of off hand that would go in the normal dustbin is ashes from the fire and those cat foot sachets, butter/cheese wrappers, yoghurt lids and a few other things:) We have a golf course right behind us which is always a good place to throw rotten fruit into the ditch of too:)

samb

Putting a layer of green garden waste (cut grass usually)over all your veggies should help with the fruit flies. Anyone with any garden should really have one, I think.

cormie

Cool, so is that just a sprinkle of cut grass or say an inch or so thick? Problem is, I wont always have cut grass handy. What else would suffice? I think I'll get one anyway:)

Keeks

Put a layer of damps paper over the food waste will also work. This will stop the flies from laying more eggs.

You could also microwave or freeze the waste fruit before you put it in the bin to kill any eggs that maybe in the fruit. Also hanging a fly bock will kill any flies that do make it into the bin.

Also the accelator power is a gimmick. As it adding yeast or other such nonsence. It is supposed to be a natural bacteria to help break down the waste, but the soil in your garden has all the bacteria you need to break it down.

cormie

yes but would the powder not be necessary if you were producing a lot of waste and needed to break it down faster from the top of the pile? Thanks for the fly tips:)

Keeks

thats the thing. adding the accelerator power does make it go "faster".

Bioactivators
These bacteria-laden powders and liquids are the snake oil of composting. While they do contain "cultured" strains of bacteria and other additives, the fact is that special innoculants are unnecessary. Recent studies suggest that there are approximately 10 trillion bacteria in a spoonful of garden soil. Every fallen leaf and blade of grass you add to your pile is already covered with hundreds of thousands of bacteria — more than enough to do the job.

Yeast, Elixirs, and Worms
There are a number of recommended additives for boosting compost performance, most of which are unsubstantiated or silly. Adding yeast is the most common, which is expensive and useless. Some practitioners suggest pouring Coca Cola into the pile to increase biological activity, which will take place, though mostly in the form of yellow jackets and ants. Adding worms or worm cocoons has grown in popularity due to some confusion with vermicomposting.

cormie

Ok, what are they actually saying there??