Does Your HOTBIN Smell of Cabbage or Rotten Eggs?

[HotBin]

Every composting process will create some form of odour some of which can be very unpleasant.

Odours are produced from the chemicals released during the decomposition process. Bacteria cannot digest complex sugars and cellulose without breaking them down into smaller chemical compounds first, many of which are volatile organic chemicals (VOCs).

Different smells are produced from different chemicals being broken down.

Putrid / Rotten Odour | Cause: Mainly produced by lack of oxygen in the waste.
Ammonia / Urine Odour | Cause: Excess nitrogen in the waste.
Cabbage / Fruity Odour | Cause: Normal in all composting.
Musky / Earthy Odour | Cause: Normal – compost is ready.

How does your HOTBIN smell?

[longden lass]

I find that the smell is only apparent when i open the lid and is not unpleasant, even when it smells like cabbage. I do, however, sort it out if it begins to smell a bit yucky and it is OK. Maybe i have a good nose!!!

[Andrew Ridsdale]

I have just emptied my hot bin. The mulch looked and felt ok but it smells like vinegar. Why could this be?

[Annemiek van Moorst]

Is it vinegar or sauerkraut? Same smell as kobashi. Some people on this site refer to kobashi as that stinking mess. But then they did something wrong. It should smell like sauerkraut, very nice. So maybe you had some aerial problems that were resolved and/or some anaerobic microorganisms added this to your compost. Which is I think fine! EM is very beneficial. The putric odour you referred before, I had with my bin. That is the odour of anaerobic gone wrong. I posted somewhere else my problem. I emptied the bin completely. Maybe you can help me there.

[brianallison]

Annemiek, thank you for you really useful answer. It helped me too