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Making a compost bin, not sure if this will work?

8 replies

Pannacotta · 24/05/2008 17:18

Will a compost bin with three solid sides (three brick walls) and slatted wood front work ok?
Would this leave enough space for air to circulate?
Also one of the walls belongs to a neighbour and am bit worried that the process of rotting down might have an effect on her wall, causing damp maybe?
Any composting experts out there?

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UniS · 24/05/2008 20:00

could cause a problem for neighbour if their wall isn't a good double skin cavity wall. if there are ties across the cavity or if its single skin brick or stone or your compost crosses their damp proof course.
If you can avoid composting agaist someone elses property its best to do so. Could you put a wooden back in to leave an air gap at the back?

Pannacotta · 24/05/2008 21:29

Thanks UniS, the neighbour's wall (on the side) is rendered with a gap at the bottom, presume for DPC.
We could make a wooden side, woudl this help?
Just wondering if I'm better off trying to re-use my plastic recycling bin from the council....
Never found these bins much good but did just read somewhere they work better if you drill holes in them.

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Madlentileater · 25/05/2008 19:37

we have 3 compost bins from the council, they work fine, not v easy to empty though. Not a good idea to build against your nehighbours wall, I'm sure.

UniS · 25/05/2008 20:48

we run two bins- a cold heap plastic bin from council, tricky to empty but copes with the grass cuttings weeding and old straw mulch etc and a hot worm bin for kitchen waste. worm bin is made from a black plastic bin with a tap added and a sump of stone bits in teh bottom, also not easy to empty but I'm now used to spreading a plastic tarp on lawn and digging it out by hand ( with gloves on) till I get to teh good suff, removing what I want and loading teh rest back into cook some more.
dh does the cold heap, he tends to go in through the tiny hatch with a trowel.
personally I like the fitted lidness of both bins with a curious 2 year old on the loose.

KatyMac · 25/05/2008 20:51

I don't think you can build up to your neighbours wall without a party wall agreement

I would be careful tbh

ByTheSea · 25/05/2008 20:54

DH (aka mr compost) thinks you'll be fine if your neighbour's wall is brick. He says make sure to remove the slatted door and turn it every so often.

ByTheSea · 25/05/2008 20:54

DH (aka mr compost) thinks you'll be fine if your neighbour's wall is brick. He says make sure to remove the slatted door and turn it every so often.

Pannacotta · 25/05/2008 21:05

mmm, now am not sure what to do!
The wall is rendered brick - the render finishes about a foot from the ground, I thought it was an outhouse but she came round the other day to introduce herself (as we are new), this was after we'd planned the compost bin but before we started making it and told me it's a bedroom (separate to her house).
It's bit hard to describe as the building juts right into our garden, the land must have been sold off from our plot, so it's quite hard to avoid fixing anything to that wall as it has become our boundary but am keen not to cause any probs/ishoos...
Does rotting compost creat damp/mould etc?

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