Re:garbage and composting

[TromboneAl]

I'm in a small town in far northern California. All the figures are for the whole year. Our water is from a neighborhood well system that serves about 40 homes.

Garbage is even lower now, because we use "blue bags." Instead of weekly service, we buy the bags for a few dollars each, and take one out to the street when it is full. We can usually go 3-4 weeks before filling a bag.

[Sam]

3-4 weeks and only one bag?

I'd love to know how big that bag is. Got a picture with a reference object for size comparison? And how much does one bag cost?

[Nords]

Originally Posted by Sam

3-4 weeks and only one bag?

We only cough up one 33-gallon bag a month-- mostly pizza boxes, fat/grease, & plastic.

We recycle or compost the rest... and we're working on vermiposting in the kitchen instead of having to haul the mess "all the way" out to the compost pile.

[TromboneAl]

It fits in one 32 gallon standard garbage can. We can do it because we recycle and compost a lot of stuff. I can't remember the exact price because we bought a bunch a while ago. DW says $5.

[Brat]

There is just the two of us, we recycle everything appropriate and compost grass and flower cuttings a lot. One can of garbage about 60 days, one trip to recycling a month (but the Jeep is full!).

The idea of buying a bag that the garbage truck picks up is great. Eliminates a lot of accounting expense by the garbage provider. Needs to be dog and raccoon proof, humm....

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Nords

We only cough up one 33-gallon bag a month-- mostly pizza boxes, fat/grease, & plastic.

We recycle or compost the rest... and we're working on vermiposting in the kitchen instead of having to haul the mess "all the way" out to the compost pile.

Originally Posted by TromboneAl

It fits in one 32 gallon standard garbage can. We can do it because we recycle and compost a lot of stuff. I can't remember the exact price because we bought a bunch a while ago. DW says $5.

Originally Posted by Brat

There is just the two of us, we recycle everything appropriate and compost grass and flower cuttings a lot. One can of garbage about 60 days, one trip to recycling a month (but the Jeep is full!).

Something new to learn everyday! I've heard of the term, but thought it's only practiced when you're out in the boonies, or in rural area.

Does it smell? If so, what say your neighbors?

The ones that actually going to the trash, how do you keep them spoiling, disintegrating, smelling that long before the bag is picked up?

Hope I'm not hijacking this thread. Feel free to start a new one for your answer.

[Goonie]

Originally Posted by Sam

Does it smell? If so, what say your neighbors?

It only smells if it isn't working properly, or if you put things in that shouldn't be there like meat scraps, fat, dairy products, etc.

What do the neighbors say? "Hey can I throw my garden clippings in your pile??" (the answer of course is "YES!! Please do!! My garden will love your composted stuff!!"

By the way...Composting creates compost (obviously...duh ) which I use on my many gardens, which saves me a TON of money, because I don't have to buy ANY fertilizer!!! So I garden "on the cheap"!!!

[Khan]

Compost is a journey, not a destination.

One seeks the balance.

Decisions to be made: turn or not turn, bones or not.

Used to compost buckets of coffee grounds from work.

Piling up now in Ohio Winter, will recede in Spring.

[Brat]

The compost container does not smell at all. Years ago I purchased some worms that are noted for helping compost, I have no idea if they thrive today. All I know is that composting reduces our yard waste a lot. I don't include woody yard waste as it takes too long to break down.

The garbage can is tightly sealed and the garbage tightly packed. No odor except when I open the lid to add another bag. We keep the lid tight and secure.

Cans and bottles are cleaned before placing in recycling bin. We have A LOT of paper to recycle.

[Helena]

Electric: 420

A year ?

You use solar ?

[ladelfina]

Khan, I love your composting quasi-haiku!

We, too, have become dedicated composters. With our big yard we ended up buying a $$ chipper/shredder, though, since we had way more volume and the guy we hired to do some pruning did a lot of trips hauling stuff away even despite our constant shredding.. I think we spent several solid days of shredding! The piles are now 1/2 the size they stated out at a year ago. We don't really turn, but lots of worms have shown up there, where I have never seen any in the regular (very hard, clayey) garden soil. We have not applied any to the yard yet.. I'm wondering if you really have to dig it in or whether a (lazy) spreading of some around will suffice. If it really needs to be dug in, how deeply? We don't have a veggie garden and the existing plants are doing ok, so we don't really "need" it; it's just an eco-friendly way of getting rid of what would otherwise be 'trash.'

[Would love to post our expenses but that will have to wait until I actually get around to bothering to track them..]

[Martha]

I have mature perennial gardens so I don't dig the compost in, I just dump it around the plants. Sprinkle it on any lawn too.

I never have enough compost. I make some myself but we end up getting a trailer load or two a year from the city compost site. It is really cheap if you load your trailer or truck yourself--maybe about 10 bucks a load.

[Goonie]

My current compost piles have a capacity of about 6 cubic yards. They have about 3.5 cu.ft. of "ready to go" compost in them now. First thing in the spring I'm digging a new perennial shade garden on the northside of the house (about 40' x 4'), and I'll till in about a 4" layer of this nice black gold!!!

Some of the rest will get used here & there in the existing gardens, and the remainder will be used throughout the year, until a fresh batch of compost is ready!!

I'm also going to pick up a chipper/shredder in the spring (or maybe for Christmas) so I can get rid of the ocassional branches that fall or get pruned, and throw that into the compost pile as well.

Happy Composting!!

[TromboneAl]

We keep the garbage in the shed. Doesn't smell too much. The blue bag is inside a standard garbage can.

Electric: 420

A year ?

You use solar ?

Yes, that's for a year. No, no solar. Almost all lights are fluorescent, and we don't leave the computer on all night as we used to. 11.5 cents/kwh, 12.9 cents when above the baseline. I also removed a number of "phantom load" devices (like alarm clocks, unused radios, etc.). For example, the printer is on an outlet strip, and is switched off when not in use. If it were left plugged it, it would contribute about $1 per month to the bill.

[Brat]

Originally Posted by TromboneAl

For example, the printer is on an outlet strip, and is switched off when not in use. If it were left plugged it, it would contribute about $1 per month to the bill.

I didn't know that!!! Thanks

[Nords]

Originally Posted by Sam

The ones that actually going to the trash, how do you keep them spoiling, disintegrating, smelling that long before the bag is picked up?

We take the trash out every week, it's just in half-full 13-gallon bags.

A correctly-stoked compost doesn't smell, even if it's full of coffee grounds. I learned how to run one at a community workshop where they said that one lady in downtown Honolulu doesn't have a yard but keeps a small compost pile in her basement trash can and uses it for her potted plants.

Originally Posted by TromboneAl

Yes, that's for a year. No, no solar.

No teenagers either!

[Khan]

The only thing I miss from work is the coffee grounds.

[CybrMike]

Be careful about leaving your printer unplugged. Depending on which type of printer you may have, leaving it plugged in allows it to clean itself every so often so the ink does not clog it up and cause costly repairs.

[Nords]

Originally Posted by CybrMike

Depending on which type of printer you may have

I'm pretty sure Epson didn't burden their CX4800 with this feature...