Whet is the best way of doing this, so as no to attract vermin? As it
seems the powers that be are going to bring in bins for kitchen waste I
wouldlike to avoid them.

In article ,
Broadback wrote:
Whet is the best way of doing this, so as no to attract vermin? As it
seems the powers that be are going to bring in bins for kitchen waste I
wouldlike to avoid them.

I compost all our kitchen waste, have done for 40 years, and it rarely
attracts vermin. The exception is when I throw out fish heads or bones
with some meat on (which is rare), when it is raided by the neighbour's
cats. I don't even bother to cover it up, except in those cases. Also,
I run a traditional cold heap, which is not protected against vermin
at all.

When we DO get rats, the reason they come is for shelter, because my
heap is in one of the few places in the area well away from houses.
I have blocked off access to under my shed, to help with that, but can
do nothing about the neighbour's shed. The compost heap is raided for
worms, but otherwise is not often occupied - and the solution there is
to turn it over.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
says...

On Sun, 16 Dec 2018 12:15:44 +0000, Broadback
wrote:

Whet is the best way of doing this, so as no to attract vermin? As it
seems the powers that be are going to bring in bins for kitchen waste I
wouldlike to avoid them.

Before I moved house, when I had space for a couple of cold heaps, all
vegetable waste went onto the current compost heap. Sometimes holes
would appear in them where I presume rats from the neighbouring
farmyard had burrowed in, but they presented no particular problem and
were always in the area from said farmyard.

But there's more to kitchen waste than compostable vegetable matter,
such as 'dirty' plastic that wasn't the right type to be accepted for
recycling but IMO would qualify as 'kitchen waste' (the inner sealed
covers of yogurt pots, or polythene bags that had contained yucky
stuff, or bloody meat trays, for example).

ATM I don't have room for a compost heap, or even a Dalek, so all the
vegetable waste and the dirty un-recyclable plastic goes into the
pedal bin and then out with the non-recyclable rubbish.

Different local councils have different recycling schemes, so I think
we'll all have to wait to see what precisely our own local councils
define as 'kitchen waste'.

Our council provides "Food waste" bins, which it collects
weekly. All our cooked waste (not that there is much) goes in
them and we are allowed "small" bones - with typically no
formal definition. Uncooked food waste peelings etc go in the
dalek - the exception being potato pelings, which go in the
food waste. This goes back many years to my parents who
insisted that potato peelings would potentially grow if put on
the compost - and this has just stuck with me without a fully
logical reason

--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

On 16 Dec 2018 16:44, Roger Tonkin wrote:
In article ,
says...

On Sun, 16 Dec 2018 12:15:44 +0000, Broadback
wrote:

Whet is the best way of doing this, so as no to attract vermin? As it
seems the powers that be are going to bring in bins for kitchen waste I
wouldlike to avoid them.

Before I moved house, when I had space for a couple of cold heaps, all
vegetable waste went onto the current compost heap. Sometimes holes
would appear in them where I presume rats from the neighbouring
farmyard had burrowed in, but they presented no particular problem and
were always in the area from said farmyard.

But there's more to kitchen waste than compostable vegetable matter,
such as 'dirty' plastic that wasn't the right type to be accepted for
recycling but IMO would qualify as 'kitchen waste' (the inner sealed
covers of yogurt pots, or polythene bags that had contained yucky
stuff, or bloody meat trays, for example).

ATM I don't have room for a compost heap, or even a Dalek, so all the
vegetable waste and the dirty un-recyclable plastic goes into the
pedal bin and then out with the non-recyclable rubbish.

Different local councils have different recycling schemes, so I think
we'll all have to wait to see what precisely our own local councils
define as 'kitchen waste'.

Our council provides "Food waste" bins, which it collects
weekly. All our cooked waste (not that there is much) goes in
them and we are allowed "small" bones - with typically no
formal definition. Uncooked food waste peelings etc go in the
dalek - the exception being potato pelings, which go in the
food waste. This goes back many years to my parents who
insisted that potato peelings would potentially grow if put on
the compost - and this has just stuck with me without a fully
logical reason

Our Council collect kitchen waste (in our case cooked food) weekly, we
compost everything else, orange skins, veg prep waste, including potato
peelings (no they do not grow) etc.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

On 16/12/2018 12:15, Broadback wrote:
Whet is the best way of doing this, so as no to attract vermin? As it
seems the powers that be are going to bring in bins for kitchen waste I
wouldlike to avoid them.

Just get a dalek.
Depending on an arrangement with your council you may get a subsidised
bin from:

https://getcomposting.com/profile/login

Enter your postcode and press "GO"

I compost kitchen waste, shredded paper, torn up cardboard and garden
waste albeit the latter 3 items form the bulk of my composting.

Card packaging I leave in the rain to get wet which make removing
plastic tape etc. easy. The only thing to watch with packaging is some
card has a thin plastic film and some other seems to be practically
waterproof. Packaging with a smooth coloured surface is often the
plastic coated stuff and cases such as those used by Coke/Pepsi are the
waterproof types of card. The latter is usually difficult to tear.
Neither are ideally suitable for composting however if you do put them
in the bin the card will rot down leaving the plastic untouched.
Although a PITA it is fairly easy to remove the plastic from te finished
compost.

Hot composting requires bulk so just using kitchen your waste will
result in cold composting which is a relatively slow process. Just keep
add ing to the contents of the dalek and the bottom layers will slowly
rot down.



--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 16/12/2018 12:15, Broadback wrote:
Whet is the best way of doing this, so as no to attract vermin? As it
seems the powers that be are going to bring in bins for kitchen waste I
wouldlike to avoid them.


https://getcomposting.com/composting-guide#making

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 16/12/2018 16:44, Roger Tonkin wrote:
In article ,
says...

On Sun, 16 Dec 2018 12:15:44 +0000, Broadback
wrote:

Whet is the best way of doing this, so as no to attract vermin? As it
seems the powers that be are going to bring in bins for kitchen waste I
wouldlike to avoid them.

Before I moved house, when I had space for a couple of cold heaps, all
vegetable waste went onto the current compost heap. Sometimes holes
would appear in them where I presume rats from the neighbouring
farmyard had burrowed in, but they presented no particular problem and
were always in the area from said farmyard.

But there's more to kitchen waste than compostable vegetable matter,
such as 'dirty' plastic that wasn't the right type to be accepted for
recycling but IMO would qualify as 'kitchen waste' (the inner sealed
covers of yogurt pots, or polythene bags that had contained yucky
stuff, or bloody meat trays, for example).

ATM I don't have room for a compost heap, or even a Dalek, so all the
vegetable waste and the dirty un-recyclable plastic goes into the
pedal bin and then out with the non-recyclable rubbish.

Different local councils have different recycling schemes, so I think
we'll all have to wait to see what precisely our own local councils
define as 'kitchen waste'.

Our council provides "Food waste" bins, which it collects
weekly. All our cooked waste (not that there is much) goes in
them and we are allowed "small" bones - with typically no
formal definition. Uncooked food waste peelings etc go in the
dalek - the exception being potato pelings, which go in the
food waste. This goes back many years to my parents who
insisted that potato peelings would potentially grow if put on
the compost - and this has just stuck with me without a fully
logical reason

As an aside to Roger's post. My grandparents, who like most working
class people in those days, were very poor, saved potato peelings and
planted them to raise potatoes. It worked but the crop was meagre.

snip

Our council provides "Food waste" bins, which it collects
weekly. All our cooked waste (not that there is much) goes in
them and we are allowed "small" bones - with typically no
formal definition. Uncooked food waste peelings etc go in the
dalek - the exception being potato pelings, which go in the
food waste. This goes back many years to my parents who
insisted that potato peelings would potentially grow if put on
the compost - and this has just stuck with me without a fully
logical reason

As an aside to Roger's post. My grandparents, who like most working
class people in those days, were very poor, saved potato peelings and
planted them to raise potatoes. It worked but the crop was meagre.


Now they deep fry them and sell them as a starter in Italian (and other)
restaurants. That's what they call progress.

--
Jim S

On Sun, 16 Dec 2018 12:15:44 +0000, Broadback
wrote:

seems the powers that be are going to bring in bins for kitchen waste I
wouldlike to avoid them.

I am on an allotment facebook site, thousands of users, and this topic
is often debated
Many will say never put on your compost meat or cooked veg, now I can
see the vermin loving the meat but cooked veg? But that is trotted out
by many every time.
So putting veg in water, boiling, then adding to the compost heap
attracts rats?
Yet another urban myth, unless you can prove differntyl , I can't

On 18/12/2018 08:45, Derek wrote:
On Sun, 16 Dec 2018 12:15:44 +0000, Broadback
wrote:

seems the powers that be are going to bring in bins for kitchen waste I
wouldlike to avoid them.

I am on an allotment facebook site, thousands of users, and this topic
is often debated
Many will say never put on your compost meat or cooked veg, now I can
see the vermin loving the meat but cooked veg? But that is trotted out
by many every time.
So putting veg in water, boiling, then adding to the compost heap
attracts rats?
Yet another urban myth, unless you can prove differntyl , I can't


Meat - no unless it's a very hot pile or bin.

Cooked veg, I don't see a problem - a hot bin or pile will cook stuff
anyway.

--
Email does not work

In article ,
Derek wrote:

I am on an allotment facebook site, thousands of users, and this topic
is often debated
Many will say never put on your compost meat or cooked veg, now I can
see the vermin loving the meat but cooked veg? But that is trotted out
by many every time.
So putting veg in water, boiling, then adding to the compost heap
attracts rats?
Yet another urban myth, unless you can prove differntyl , I can't

It's an urban myth. Meat is a problem only if you put large amounts
of it on the heap, and have foxes (or cats) - bones etc. aren't and
burying it quite shallowly protects it from cats. Despite claims,
rats are NOT preferential carnivores and will ignore meat if there
is anything better to eat.

I have no idea where the delusion about cooked vegetables came from,
but it shows a complete lack of contact with reality.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 18/12/2018 09:48, Tim Watts wrote:
On 18/12/2018 08:45, Derek wrote:
On Sun, 16 Dec 2018 12:15:44 +0000, Broadback
wrote:

seems the powers that be are going to bring in bins for kitchen waste I
wouldlike to avoid them.

I am on an allotment facebook site, thousands of users, and this topic
is often debated
Many will say never put on your compost meat or cooked veg, now I can
see the vermin loving the meat but cooked veg? But that is trotted out
by many every time.
So putting veg in water, boiling, then adding to the compost heap
attracts rats?
Yet another urban myth, unless you can prove differntyl , I can't


Meat - no unless it's a very hot pile or bin.

I don't put cooked meat on mine nor any waste from bought onions because
I don't want to get white rot introduced to my garden. I do sometimes
put dead creatures in the compost heap - mostly the remains of pigeons
that have been fairly well stripped of good meat by a hawk or falcoln.

Cooked veg, I don't see a problem - a hot bin or pile will cook stuff
anyway.

Mine certainly does. It has been know to get to smouldering internally a
couple of times. Mostly it tops out at about 70C more than enough to
cook or denature most proteins.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 18/12/2018 11:02, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Derek wrote:

I am on an allotment facebook site, thousands of users, and this topic
is often debated
Many will say never put on your compost meat or cooked veg, now I can
see the vermin loving the meat but cooked veg? But that is trotted out
by many every time.
So putting veg in water, boiling, then adding to the compost heap
attracts rats?
Yet another urban myth, unless you can prove differntyl , I can't

It's an urban myth. Meat is a problem only if you put large amounts
of it on the heap, and have foxes (or cats) - bones etc. aren't and
burying it quite shallowly protects it from cats. Despite claims,
rats are NOT preferential carnivores and will ignore meat if there
is anything better to eat.

If the composer has a tight fitting lid the chances of any large
carnivore entering is vanishingly small. Anything burrowing in from
below is likely to aerate the heap thus doing some good

I wonder if many of the gardening myths have come down through our
Victorian heritage when books written on gardening assumed that you
employed a head gardener with at least 6 under-gardeners who all had to
be given mundane tasks to undertake during the slack winter months?

It's much like old advice on pruning roses. You can spend hours with
secateurs or you can spend 5 minutes with a hedge trimmer! The
difference, especially for a local council short of man-power, is the
short term cosmetic look until the plant quickly recovers.

Plants in the wild survive quite well without the human intervention
suggested in many gardening books and without the wisdom of many urban
gardening myths.

I have no idea where the delusion about cooked vegetables came from,
but it shows a complete lack of contact with reality.

All my cooked vegetable waste goes on my compost heap. I too fail to see
why there any advice against doing so.


--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On Sun, 16 Dec 2018 12:15:44 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Whet is the best way of doing this, so as no to attract vermin? As it
seems the powers that be are going to bring in bins for kitchen waste I
wouldlike to avoid them.


I have a simple wormery making compost : only vegetable matter goes in,
no meat. We have no problem with vermin though this could be due to
living in the city.

Much better to make your own, I used to get B&Q compost but their quality
has gone down - bits of polythlene and wood (and some with mould on it).

On 22/12/2018 19:47, Judith in England wrote:
On Sun, 16 Dec 2018 12:15:44 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Whet is the best way of doing this, so as no to attract vermin? As it
seems the powers that be are going to bring in bins for kitchen waste I
wouldlike to avoid them.


I have a simple wormery making compost : only vegetable matter goes in,
no meat. We have no problem with vermin though this could be due to
living in the city.

Much better to make your own, I used to get B&Q compost but their quality
has gone down - bits of polythlene and wood (and some with mould on it).

Hi Fake Judith,

I would have thought living in the city would result in more problems
with vermin, not less. Country mice, as we all know, like seeds and
such, while Town Mice like domestic leavings.

We get mice every harvest time. There's a field at the end of the garden.

Andy