Any Hotbin experts around?

[BeanpoleMalfunction]

I've just emptied my hotbin after 4 months as it was leeching loads. It's very wet and claggy, what do I do next? Can I dry it out and pop it back in again or do I need to bin it?

Hmm, not sure. I'd put it back in. do you have any dry stuff you can add? shredded newspaper? shredded wood from pruning trees / bushes?

I have 2 hot bins and I just chuck stuff in rather randomly. they don't always get properly hot but they do OK. If I open it up & it seems not ready, I just chuck it back in the top & try again a few months later.

Another Hotbin owner here. I've sufffered from the same - no matter how much dry material I put in, there is far more liquid than the Q&A and instructions suggest. The added challenge is that my bin itself leaks and, as it is on a deck, I get leachate spreading down the decking grooves. Nice

But in answer to your question, when this happened to us I took the whole lot out and spread it out on large trays in the sun until it dried out. I then broke it up (put back anything not composted) and used it as mulch on the garden. It was fine. If yours really smells that might be different - they do have some info on their site about this. Since then I've tried to put in far more brown material but as mentioned I still get a fair bit of liquid which I make sure I empty each week.

I have to say I regret the purchase. It was expensive and, given that the only reason I bought it was because of the explicit claim that it is 'sealed', I feel misled. (I have had this conversation with the company who say it is sealed but that the nature of the material is that some air pockets may allow liquid to escape...)

Sorry for hijacking your thread for a rant. Good luck with it. It does compost quickly which is obviously a great thing.