I started composting with a simple black bin, the economy discounted version from the council. I chucked the food in and it biodegraded down into brown sticky stuff. For 14 months all was well – then the rats arrived. Now I had been extremely careful what I put in it. No cooked food or dairy was to be found in there but seems the rats liked salad.
I stopped putting food waste in but the rats stayed.
It was like a kind of rat hive in there.
And they still ate everything I gave them, even the leylandii hedge clippings. Now while I admire anything that can eat and apparently enjoy Leylandii I cant stand rats.
So I went out and got myself a Green Johanna compost bin. It is considered to be the rolls Royce of compost bins, and is priced appropriately. However it claimed to be rat proof and able to compost everything including cooked food waste and bones.
Wincing slightly I parted with the cash and it duly arrived flat packed ready for us to erect.
The full kit Includes:
1 x Mixing stick
4 x Outer rings
1 x Lid
1 x Base
2 x Doors
1 x Bag of fixing screws
1 x Instruction manual
It was easy to install and looked just like an ordinary compost bin. Except it had a floor. It came with complex sounding instructions which we ignored, and a stirring stick we rarely used. Despite this it worked fine.
Two years later I can confirm that it can dispose of a chicken carcasses, lamb shanks a dead rat and PLA plastic pots. The live rats have left – moved on to find more accessible bins no doubt.
Plastic we use….
This compost bin is made of plastic and I am fine with that because I think that plastic is the best man for the job. It is waterproof, rot proof, light weight, and best of all, RAT PROOF.
Even at its slightly eye watering price it is still affordable.
More importantly it keeps a lot of biodegradable rubbish out of landfill which reduces our carbon foot print. See pressing reasons to get your own bin for more on this
We will also get some compost for the garden so reducing our reliance on manufactured fertilizers.
Its worth it.
More information can be found at
Living without bin liners
Something Rotten – a compendium of composting posts – being revised
PLA Composting – oh yes it does – being revised
Want to reduce your plastic rubbish? Check out these plastic free products sourced as part of our boycott >>>The A-Z plastic free index<<<
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