First season issues

[NewFifer]

Hi, I’m Dean Nelson, live in Culross, Fife and bough the HotBin last May. Managed to get it hot, 60c plus, and kept it going for about four months, then l, I’m afraid, let it go a bit. Just had a look at the contents and it’s like this below. Wet and gunky. Should I throw it and start again or is it salvageable? Cheers, Dean

[HotBinDjinn]

Hi, I’m Dean Nelson, live in Culross, Fife and bough the HotBin last May. Managed to get it hot, 60c plus, and kept it going for about four months, then l, I’m afraid, let it go a bit. Just had a look at the contents and it’s like this below. Wet and gunky. Should I throw it and start again or is it salvageable? Cheers, Dean

Hi, I wouldn't write it off just yet. For the most part, it looks mostly composted. There has either not been enough bulking agent (though I can clearly see it in the bottom half) or not enough shredded paper and cardboard. Its also possible that if its been sitting a while, rain has leaked in through the front panel and the compost has absorbed it. If you have one of the Dalek bins that's in contact with the soil, just dump it into that and come back to it in a few months, it will have drained and the worms will have eaten a lot of the less digested material. If you have a veg bed you can dig a trench and cover it with soil. What I wouldn't do is try and mix it with fresh material and try to get it going again. Start from afresh once the bin has been cleaned out.