Restarting a Hot Bin from Scratch

[mikeh]

I emptied my bin of good compost last year, and want to start it up again. I have dismantled,it, cleaned all the air-holes, re-assembled it, and added bulking agent and some cooked foor. But nothing seems to be happenening after several weeks. I rake it every few days. What should I do ??

[WiseOldBloak]

Hi there,

I always find that a patient start works best for me, adding waste little (half a caddy full, 3litres) and often. The first thing I do before I add any waste is to create a grid like layer of long, thin, twiggy prunings, only needs to be an inch or two deep, this helps to keep the air-holes free of any compost and maintain good aeration. On top of that I sprinkle in a couple of handful's of bulking agent, then I just chuck in my garden and food waste as I have it.

You'll probably find that the hotbin needs to be about 30 to 50% full before you start to see the really hot temperatures.

Just be a little careful, you don't really want to add cooked food waste until you are composting at 40°C plus, you might attracted unwanted visitors.

How full is your bin at the moment and do you know what the internal temperature is?

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Try dissolving a few teaspoons of ammonium sulphamate into a cup of water and sprinkle it throughout the waste in your bin. This will help kick-start things.

[stephen gage]

my bin runs at 39C is it ok to put in bread scraps?