A mini compost bin for home

The other day during a dinner date, a friend of mine managed to plant an idea in my head - since I am so into planting herbs and other edibles, why not start composting too? Having my own compost soil makes it clear the kind of nutrients I am feeding my plants. 

All you need to make your mini compost bin.

Like many people, I knew what composting involved but had many misunderstandings about the actual process. One of the biggest being that it will stink real bad...

I have to admit my first encounter with compost was back during my university days. My landlord had a big compost out at the side of his house and as tenants, we were encouraged to try recycling bits of food that we normally just discard. It helped that he had this nice big sink that captured a lot of stray food. It made it easier to dump our veggie peels in and take it out to the good old compost. It was my first real encounter with the recycling of raw materials and I was quite happy to learn more about how I can help stay green. 

The kitten is optional. 

The only issue I had with composting was the stench. I am not sure how many delicate noses there are out there, but I am sure that the last thing we want in our homes is a permanent stench of rotting food... So before I plunged headlong into my own compost project, I made the effort to do a bit of research.

I found that there are many other like-minded people who started their composting projects long before I did and have been really doing their part to help get others on their way. One such group is composting in Singapore. They share ways we can make our own large compost bins and tips on how to de-stench them so the bins can sit nicely out along the corridor.  

For my project, I wanted to go small. Sometimes, we don't have corridors for large compost bins or simply find it too troublesome to get the leftovers out of the house and into the compost. I know I certainly find composting less appealing if I need to bring my damp food or tea out. So I figured a bin that fits my kitchen counter top would probably work best for someone like me. 

My idea for the bin came primarily from the tips on ehow.com, How to make an apartment composter, but with a few modifications. The items needed to make the compost bin are as follows: 

Plan where to drill on the bin cover.

-- A small bin in the color you love best and a size that will fit your kitchen countertop

-- Plastic cat spikes (that don't work at preventing my kitten from trampling all over my plants)

-- Multi-purpose mesh & wire

-- Wire cutter, an electric drill, and a pair of scissors

After the drilling. 

 First you will want to drill enough holes in your bin so that the air can circulate well. This is quite important because if your compost stays cooped up, chances are the stench will really build up and get released in a big puff of toxic cloud.

Ok, maybe I am exaggerating. Anyway, for my project, I've decided not to drill holes in the base of my bin because I want the liquid to be trapped in it and not dripping out. This makes it necessary to go on to the next step, which is to prepare the cat spikes. They go in the base of the bin and help drain the compost while making sure it gets sufficient air.

Placing the spikes at the base of the bin.

The last thing I do is build a net using the multi-purpose mesh and wire. I decided to go with a square net because the bin I am using has short spikes at the spine of the cover to support the net. The making of the net is actually the most tedious part of the project but I am glad I tried! The end product is a net that can be lifted out of the bin so that we can easily rinse the liquid that gets trapped at the base of the bin whenever we feel it necessary.

There is obviously so much more to improve on but I think for a first try, this was not too bad. I guess what's more important to me is, have I succeeded at making composting more appealing to you?

In my next entry, I shall be sharing more on what goes into your compost and also, what NOT to place in it...