Comments on: Compost Tumbler: a solution to the potting soil problem?

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:05:06 +0000

Jackie, that is a good question. Most compost bins and water collection bins are made from polypropylene (#5 plastic) which supposedly is one of the safer plastics. But as we know, it’s impossible to know if any plastic is truly safe.

Our composter is made from plastic, and our green bin (which is where we can put our compost if we didn’t have our own composter) is made from plastic too. Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a perfect answer in this case. At least with composting, we are keeping methane-producing materials out of landfills and saving a whole lot of plastic bags!

I just wrote about the plastic trash bag issue today, as a matter of fact.

http://fakeplasticfish.com/2010/02/collecting-garbage-without-plastic-trash-bags/

By: Collecting Garbage Without Plastic Trash Bags? | Fake Plastic Fish

Collecting Garbage Without Plastic Trash Bags? | Fake Plastic Fish — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:09:58 +0000

[...] are all methods of converting bio waste into soil. Back in 2007, I explained why we chose our composting method. Here in Oakland, the city offers residents discounted composters and worm bins. Other cities may [...]

By: jackie

jackie — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:49:59 +0000

I am building my own tumbler but am worried about the material I choose for the bin. I was going to use an old plastic drum – like the ones used for marking territiories in lakes – but will the material leech toxins into the compost? Please let me know if you have any suggestions…thanks

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:14:00 +0000

Hi, It looks like the “tea catcher” is really a tub used for changing the oil in an automobile. I have the very same thing in the garage. It can be purchased at Checkers or Autozone for about $7.00. It’s listed at the catalog for over $30. Good post though!

By: Fake Plastic Fish

Fake Plastic Fish — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:20:00 +0000

Hi. I’m planning to post an assessment of the Urban Compost Tumbler and my experience with it to date in a new post this week. Stay tuned before rushing out to buy one.

By: Darryl

Darryl — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:45:00 +0000

I am thinking of buying this composter, and I wanted to know if you are happy with it, after having it for a while?
Also, if you are adding food scraps everyday… do you have to separate the not completely composted food scraps from the already composted material?

By: b2manatees

b2manatees — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:53:00 +0000

When you say add shredded paper is this just paper from a regular paper shredder or do you need to extra shred that? I’m worried about only having mostly kitchen stuff as well. The guy that mows our yard has a mulcher thing that puts the clippings back on the grass. I’m going to try to con my neighbor into letting me have some of his bags of grass once he starts mowing. Do I just let those dry out for a few weeks to count as ‘brown’?

I’m glad I found your blog. You have complied by far the best pro/con list of compost tumblers I’ve found. I think I’ve decided to buy a UCT instead of the one from compostumbler b/c of you. As far as the spout for the tea goes, is it mostly just being new plastic that you don’t like or have you found that it doesn’t really work? If I have to construct something for myself… well I won’t ever get around to it.

By: Fake Plastic Fish

Fake Plastic Fish — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 06:01:00 +0000

Hi Cristyb. It's a good point. The web site says that the plastic is "food grade." Not all plastic has been found to leach toxins. I wish they would specifiy exactly what kind of plastic it is. It feels to me like polypropylene, (#5) which has not been found to leach anything.

Also, at this point I'm only growing non-food plants, so I'm not as worried about the plastic leaching.

Of more concern to me is all the plastic that goes into the compost made from the green waste that we send to our commercial composting facilities. We are allowed to put any type of food-contaminated paper into our green bins, including milk cartons, ice cream carton, paper plates, paper cups, etc. ALL of those things are coated with plastic. So rather than simply being held inside a plastic container, the compost is actually full of plastic itself. Then, vineyards and other food growers buy the compost from these facilities and use it on their crops. That is even scarier to me than what's going on out on my deck, where I don't put any type of plastic into the compost itself.

By: christyb

christyb — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 02:12:00 +0000

I worry about the recycled plastic leaching toxins into the compost which is then used in the garden which is then turned into food. Can’t be good! It would seem that if toxins leach from virgin plastic then those same toxins would have just an easy (possibly easier) time leaching when recycled. Any insight?

By: Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank

Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:57:00 +0000

Hi Sam. It sounds like you probably don't have enough carbon in there. I would add more shredded paper or other dry stuff.

We really did just leave our previous composter alone all winter and had beautiful compost in the spring. It wasn't a tumbler. But so far, the Urban Compost Tumbler we are using is working just fine. The decomposing material really just smells like dirt.

Oh, you also might want to add some actual dirt to it. Dirt can act like a "starter" for the compost.

And do you get dry leaves blowing on the sidewalk at all? Even though I don't have a yard, I do have trees near the house and I sometimes bag up the dry leaves that fall on the sidewalk and add them.