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It’s the first Wednesday of the month, and that means it is a themed Works for Me Wednesday this week! The theme for this week is “Best Tips.” So, I picked one of my favorite money saving tips that I have posted about before (but not with so much detail), and help all of you out there who are hoping to start your own composting bin this year! advertisement
About a year ago, I was frustrated that I couldn’t find an inexpensive composting bin on the Internet or at local stores, I set out to make my own. This project ended up running me around $15, and was completed in less than five minutes!
I will be the first to admit that it probably doesn’t work as well as a $150 composter that you can buy. But, for a tenth of the money, I’m willing to have a less efficient composter.
Materials Needed:
· Large trash can with lid that locks on
· Platform of some sort (I used a wooden plant stand on wheels)
· Screws (to attach platform to trash can)
· Drill with large drill bit
Directions:
1. Using your drill, make holes along the sides of your trash can, as well as on the lid and on the bottom of the trash can. Our trash can turned composting bin has approximately 20 – 25 holes total.
2. Again using your drill, attach the platform to the bottom of your bin. Make sure that you do not cover up the holes that you 
have made on the bottom of the bin. (Or, if you need to, just drill a few more holes in the bottom.) This platform will help to allow drainage from the composting bin, as well as to save the grass underneath your bin.
3. Collect some of the items on the Environmental Protection Agency’s approved list for composting, and start composting!
4. Every couple of days, go out to the yard and put your trash can on its side. Roll it around the yard for a couple of minutes.
5. Add more items from the approved list, as you produce them.
6. When desired, use the rich, dark soil that has been produced! By the end of summer, we were able to supplement a new portion of our garden with the summer’s worth of “trash” that would have found itself in the landfill, if it hadn’t been for our $15 investment!
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This is great! We have a compost bin on our balcony (we have NO yard) – no holes, so it’s not even that efficient, but it definitely works and it’s better than nothing! Right now, we’re working on putting a garden onto our balcony – in plastic bins. I’d love to get away from plastic altogether, but it’s what we have so we’re using it!
.-= Jessica´s last blog ..Unintended Consequences =-.
I LOVE the idea of putting it in a round trash can so you can roll it! Right now my compost is in an old boat that needed a purpose. It’s doubling as a worm bin and looks good near the pond – but it is NOT easy to turn it holding a baby and reaching in over the edge of the boat. I could kick around a trash can holding both of the kids – or let the oldest one do it 😉