You Just Composted WHAT? – part 2

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIJDQXAhkkk It's been a long time since I've thrown all those questionable items in the compost tumbler...so how are they doing? In short, the only stuff that composted properly were the paper/cardboard products that I had ripped up into pieces.  Unknown to you, after I made the first video I took the ice cream carton out and ripped it up...same with the socks.  Whaddya know, they're gone!  As for the untouched soymilk carton, it's still lurking around. The latex condoms and Sun Chips bag are definitely still here.  You need high temperatures above 130 degrees for an extended period of time in order to make a dent in their decomposition...not to mention a LOT of material in your compost pile (at least 3'x3'x3'). So there you have it: Break up…

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Envirocycle comes through again!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UobVCWYUoJg You may remember back in the Fall that I reviewed the Envirocycle compost tumbler, which of course remains an important part of my composting projects. As the months got colder, my material was degrading at a slower rate and I continued to add to it as normal. The instructions mention not filling it beyond 3/4ths of the way, and they weren't kidding. When January rolled around, it was about full and my material was rather frozen when I decided to try tumbling it. The result: The latch bent out of shape. Whoops! That was my lone complaint about the product: lack of non-plastic parts. A metal door hinge and a metal latch would both make the product even better. I wrote Envirocycle with these suggestions, and they happened to…

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Pedal Powered Compost Turner (Youtube)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FlKln5wGuA Pretty cool video.  Being a bike nerd, this actually seems feasible to me in some weird way. While I don't expect the average person to gut an old bike and build a frame to turn a massive amount of waste, be sure to keep this in mind.  I think pedal-powered gadgets are the wave of the future, to be honest...whether for turning compost or more likely used in applications for generating electricity, it's going to gain momentum. Check out my favorite pedal powered peeps here: http://www.wheelygoodsmoothies.com/

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