Hello

[vtk247]

Hi - I took delivery of my Hotbin yesterday and it is now set up and - I hope - running. This is the third kind of composting I now have in my small yarden. I already have a dalek bin and a wormery but I find them slow so thought I would give hotbinning a try as well to try and speed up the processing of waste. I am a vegetarian so get through a lot of vegetable peelings and I'm hoping the hotbin will keep up with me!
Any tips gratefully received.
Vivien

[Black Jasper]

Well you have come to the right place Vivien. Everything you could possibly want to know is contained within this forum! However I only discovered it after 7 months of hotbinning so I have made many rudimentary errors My tips would be
1.have a ready supply of cardboard. This provides browns of which you will need a plentiful supply to balance all your green veggie waste. If you can shred it first so much the better. I have one than shreds and dices which is a wonderful bit of kit and makes mixing very easy
2. Raise your bin on a plinth about 15 to 20 cm on bricks and a couple of planks. This makes it easy to open the drain to remove leachate which you should do regularly
3. Try to get a depth of at least 40 cm as soon as you can. Initially put a good mix of wood... ie the bulking agent supplied or broken up twigs off cuts etc say 5 L plus 20 L of shredded cardboard /paper. Mix this in with your existing compost veg waste leaf mould etc. Heat it up for a couple of days using the hot water bottle provided. It should soon get up to speed and you'll be amazed!
4. When you empty it probably after about 6 to 8 weeks depending on how often you feed it and the volume of waste make sure you empty the bin completely. Wear suitable clothing as it's a messy job! Place a groundsheet in front. Use the well rotted down dark brown stuff place this in a handy receptacle I tend to use old black compost bag. the residue which has not rotted down like bits of wood recognisable things like fruit peel undecomposed peelings etc put in another container and pop it back in the bin,,,starting the whole process as in the beginning. But before you refill give the bin a good scrape with a plastic trowel, make sure all air vents and holes are clear of debris. Wipe all the joints with a cloth and ensure a snug fit on reassembly to prevent leakages.
5. One of the greatest joys is watching the thermometer climb inexorably towards the red zone, and steam coming from the lid on a cool day! Before the bin is more than half full it's worth popping the little loose thermometer in to check the temp it usually reads 10 C high than the lid . If it's a bit low add more cardboard plus a handful of chicken pellets or blood fish and bone or similar. Always give it a good stir with the handle supplied which appears to have come from a paint roller kit!
It would be good to hear how you get on....welcome to the club...life will never be quite the same again!

[vtk247]

Wow - thanks for all that. I did wonder about raising it up a bit to help with access to the leachate, good to know that is recommended. Looking forward to getting to know my bin!