[USCC] composting at condominiums and townhouses

Tue Apr 22 17:27:44 CDT 2008

I worked for Thurston County Solid Waste (Olympia WA) for 7+ years
promoting the use of compost bins as a means of waste reduction,
including Green Cones.  For the most part, they were well received by
the public, to the point that Thurston County continues to subsidize
them (www.compostbinsthurstoncounty.com)

One way to get around rodents chewing through the basket is to attach
hardware cloth (1/4" or smaller holes) to the outside of the basket -
prior to placing it into the ground.  When digging a hole for the Green
Cone, it's a good idea to dig the hole in an area that has good drainage
and which is a potential location of a place in which you might want to
plant something (since after you move the cone/basket you will have a
good size hole - perfect for planting!).  And as John pointed out, the
double wall construction is a solar process, it works best in full sun.

Michelle Andrews
WA State Dept of Ecology
mian461 at ecy.wa.gov

-----Original Message-----
From: compost-bounces at mailman.cloudnet.com
[mailto:compost-bounces at mailman.cloudnet.com] On Behalf Of john cossham
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 11:58 AM
To: Compost Discussion List
Subject: Re: [USCC] composting at condominiums and townhouses

I have trialled the Green Cone as part of my work with York Rotters.  It

does work to some extent but it is not rodent-proof (the basket under
the 
soil is made of plastic and it is easy for a rat to get into it, digging

through the soil and into the basket) and I don't think it's really any 
better than an ordinary 'dalek' bin for 'doing' the composting.  The
basket 
collects the decomposed material and has to be dug out every year or
two, 
depending on usage, and it is very unpleasant to do this as the material
is 
not aerobic (as under the soil surface) and if meat etc has been added,
it 
is horrible.  The double walled nature of the top part of the bin does
help 
the materials rot down, my Green Cone is in full sun.  My garden does
have a 
high water table during the winter.
I think a better way of composting cooked food, meat etc, is using 2
Bokashi 
bins and an ordinary compost heap, such as a 'dalek' style container. 
Wormeries also work for this kind of material and are good in small
spaces 
(I've trialled a Junior Wormery, Original Wormery and am enjoying my Can
O 
Worms!) but I look forward to hearing others' experiences of the Green
Cone.
John Cossham, York, UK
johncossham at tiscali.co.uk

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Berbiglia, Julie (Public Works)" <Julie.Berbiglia at nashville.gov>
To: <compost at mailman.cloudnet.com>
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 2:50 PM
Subject: [USCC] composting at condominiums and townhouses

We have some developers of LEED certified properties interested in
composting opportunities they can provide to condos and townhouses. Any
suggestions or experiences would be greatly appreciated! Has anyone used
the Green Cone in these type of situations?

-------------------
Best,

Julie Berbiglia
Education Specialist
Metro Beautification & Environment Commission
A Division of Metro Public Works
750 South 5th Street
Nashville, TN  37206
615/880-2419 office
615/642-0532 cell
615/862-8799 fax
julie.berbiglia at nashville.gov
www.nashville.gov/beautification

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