I realized that after I made my balcony composting videos, that I was shortchanging people in a sense- if you have the space to use a garbage can instead of a kitty litter container or a 5 gallon bucket, please do so!
I received the above picture from a crazy composter named Marilee, and I had to share it with you. Great job, Marilee!
One of the most important factors for composting is VOLUME. Therefore, the more volume you have, the better your results will be, given your materials added are appropriate.
I tend to do that a lot- when my pile is just hovering at the 100F mark, I’ll go clean up the block and shred a few bags’ worth of leaves, soak them and add to the pile.
Anyway, trash can composting is simple. Here’s all you need to do it:
-Drill holes in the sides and in the bottom.
-Add 6″ of shredded leaves/hay/straw first. This is your “sponge” to help absorb runoff.
-Add a handful of dirt, and perhaps some finished compost if you have it.
-Add food scraps. Each time you do so, add an equal amount of brown materials.
-Collect the leachate underneath in a pan or bucket. Dump it back in through the top.
-Watch how useless your trash can becomes.