In this article, I am going to show you how to make your own compost bin from a plastic dustbin. I’m also going to look at some of your frequently asked questions about composting.
Let us get started.
Let us face it, we love to save money when it comes to buying things that we can simply do it by yourselves or purchase somewhere else at a cheaper price.
And one of the wise decisions you can make to save some money is to recycle what we already have at home or in possession.
One of the good places to make such wise decisions is to repurpose your plastic dustbin and turn it into a compost bin if you want to make a compost bin.
This makes sense if you look at closely the price of a small compost bin even at offline stores and garden centers.
Read on to learn how to repurpose a plastic dustbin (that is considered a waste) to compost bin plus tips on how to make your compost.
Making Compost bin From A Plastic Dustbin
Materials you need
- knife
- Screwdriver
- Drill
- Plastic dustbin (18 gallons and above)
Method
Find a trash plastic dustbin or you can purchase a new one at 10-20 dollars if you do not have a used one.
The plastic dustbin should be at least 18 gallons or above, which is large enough to accommodate a reasonable amount of compost and allow proper aeration.
Create holes using a drill on the sides, top of the lid, and bottom of the plastic dustbin.
Use a screwdriver if you do not have a drill. You can also use a knife with a pointed end if you don’t have both a screwdriver and drill.
The holes should be spaced at least 2 inches apart. The size of the holes should also be small enough about the size of the middle finger or less.
The holes are made to allow air to pass in and out of the compost. The holes also allow excess water to drain out of the compost so that the compost will remain good unlike when the excess water is not drained.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Holes can you make in Compost Bin?
You can make up to 15-20 holes on the plastic dustbin if the container is small. However, if the container is large enough, 30-40 holes can be made also.
The holes should be arranged in rows that are along the sides of the container. 10 holes on the sides of the dustbin and 5 holes on the top of the lid while 5 holes on the bottom of the plastic dustbin.
However, if the plastic dustbin is large enough as I said earlier, you can create up to 30-40 holes. The holes should be arranged in rows, that is along with the aide of the plastic dustbin.
If you are creating 30 holes, you need to create 10 holes on side of the plastic dustbin. 5 holes on the near top while the remaining 5 holes on the near bottom of the plastic dustbin.
The other opposite side of the plastic dustbin should be drilled with 10 holes. 5 holes on the near top and 5 holes on the near bottom.
While the remaining 10 holes that left, you need to divide them into two 5s. The first 5 holes should be drilled on the top of the lid while the second 5 holes should be drilled on the bottom of the plastic dustbin.
While creating holes on the bottom and lid of the plastic dustbin, you need to create one hole on the center of both the bottom and lid of the plastic trash can and space the remaining 4 holes 2-6 inches apart on both the lid and bottom of the plastic dustbin.
Related: How To Make Liquid Fertilizer From Kitchen Waste
How to Make Compost
Making the compost is very simple, just start by collecting your kitchen waste, grass clippings, sawdust, dried leaves, and chopped cupboard.
Before adding the scraps for composting, find a suitable flat surface under a good sun direction and place the compost bin with three wooden support or bricks.
Now, add your kitchen waste and other organic household scraps to the compost bin.
But, before adding, you need to start by adding brown composting materials. Brown organic matters include dried leaves, shredded newspapers, and sawdust.
Then, follow the brown organic matters with green composting materials. The green composting materials include coffee grounds, fruits, vegetables, and eggshells.
Add these brown and green organic matters in alternate layers in the form of brown matters, green organic matters, brown organic matters, and so on.
Tip: You can learn more about composting from here
How to Turn Compost in a Plastic Compost bin
You can turn a compost in a plastic bin by either using a garden rake or fork. Just insert your aeration garden fork into the compost bin and turn from down to top. The turning should be done at least two times Every week.
Turning the compost can help increase aeration and heat within the compost, which on the other hand quicken the composting process.
How to Make a Compost bin from Wheelie Bin
Making a compost bin from a wheelie bin is also similar to the method you discussed above.
You need to create holes and place the wheelie bin in a suitable place as we discussed earlier.
Then, file up the brown and green organic matters in alternate layers of brown and green organic matters.
Give the compost time to finish decomposing, which usually takes two to three months.
How to Make a Compost bin from a Plastic Storage Container
The plastic storage container is an unspecified container. It can be a small container like a bucket (16 liters) to a large plastic container.
However, the method of composting is the same. The only difference is when it comes to creating holes.
The size of hopes on the 16 liters bucket should not be the same as the size of holes on the 18 gallons or more plastic container.
If you just want to compost for one for feeding one to two flowers, you can use a 16 liters plastic storage container with a lid as your compost bin.
To create holes, you can use a screwdriver and make some fine holes on the sides, bottom, and top of the lid of the 16 liters plastic storage container.
Related: How To Make Liquid Fertilizer From Dry Fertilizer
Making a Compost bin from Plastic Barrel
You can make a homemade Compost bin from a plastic barrel by simply creating an opening on one side with the jigsaw.
You are going to place all your compost waste through the opening while the lid should be from the removed part that is removed from the main plastic barrel.
Conclusion
Crafting your own compost bin is a good idea to save some money. In this post, I talked about making a compost bin from the plastic dustbin.
I hope that the article is helpful to you in understanding the steps to make a compost bin from a plastic dustbin. I will like to hear from you. So, do write to us in the comments section below.
Tip: Learn more about the importance of recycling waste from here
