T – Page 217 – Crazy About Compost

Can You Compost Play Doh?

I get asked somewhat often about composting play doh...so can you? Probably. The homemade stuff? Oil, salt, flour and water, right? That sounds fine. I doubt you'll have enough salt or oil to cause a serious imbalance in a compost pile. But how about Play Doh brand stuff? I dunno. Check out their FAQ: http://www.hasbro.com/playdoh/en_US/faq.cfm I can't stand it when companies say their product's makeup is proprietary. Maybe I don't want to put my trust in a product that won't say how it's made. The company states "non-toxic", and it also names all the ingredients you need based on the homemade recipe...so why would I buy their crap then? Here's a recipe for play doh that you can definitely compost: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Playdough-Play-doh/

FAQ: Do I need more than one tumbler to make compost?

I've received a lot of emails asking me if I need two compost tumblers to make composting work. The answer: No way. I totally understand that the cost of a compost tumbler can be prohibitive for some, and I agree that they're not cheap. It really depends on the situation to know what works best. In some instances, tumblers are perfect, in others they're not practical at all. Factors such as space, aesthetics, and amount of material all weigh heavily. If you do decide to go with a tumbler, you can always fill it 3/4s of the way, then all further waste for the next 12 weeks or so divide up into other composting efforts. For example, I put portions of my waste in my worm composting system, and the…

Humanure Soil Making (video)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXUEAQHoyks Although they don't talk about the specifics of the process, the video is cute all around. I'm not surprised the bags they're using aren't breaking down so easily. They mention that they're made of potato, but who knows what else? If you're going to purchase a biodegradable bag for your waste and you want it to actually work the way you're imagining, ensure that it meets U.S. Composting Council standard ASTM D6400. Otherwise, it's just a plastic bag with a spray-on coating...in other words it never breaks down fully and was a waste of your time and extra money. "Oxo biodegradable" bags in stores are huge culprits of this, amongst others. Back to the video! Nicely done.