Leachate,seepage or just plain leakage

[stevebowtie]

I put a lot of grass into my bin and the "compost" for a while was an horrendous, slimy, stinky mess, even with corrugated cardboard, shredded paper, bark chips etc. The problem with these is that they soak up the moisture, but they hang on to it, so it's still there in the finished (or unfinished) product. The excess moisture must go! I put a plastic tray with a ridge around the edge under the front of the bin and a piece of wood under the back of the bin so the bin tips slightly forwards and the mesh-covered hole at the front is at the lowest point. Bingo! The brown liquid runs into the tray and I collect it with a turkey baster and use it as liquid fertiliser. I don't know if it does any good but it doesn't seem to do any harm. I still use the bulking stuff in the bin, of course, but most of the liquid runs away and the compost is much better.
Hope this helps.
Steve
P.S. If you do this don't forget to buy a new turkey baster before Christmas Day!