Turn a Garbage Can Into a Homemade Compost Bin

with Danielle Lessovitz

Transcript: Turn a Garbage Can Into a Homemade Compost Bin

Hi! My name is Danielle Lessovitz for About.com, here to bring you another eco-friendly tip. So you have decided, it's time, your tomato plants are thriving and you're prepared to take the leap into gardenerhood. Yes, you are ready to compost. Well the good news is you do not need buy a fancy composting bin or have a big heap of decomposing matter in your front lawn to get started. Today I am going to show you how to turn an old garbage can into a bin ripe for composting.

Homemade Compost Bin Supplies

Here is what you'll need:

• an old garbage can
• a watering can or hose
• nails
• hammer
• 2 bricks

Poke Holes in the Garbage Can

We will want to begin by puncturing holes into the old garbage can. Organic material needs oxygen in order to break down into rich fertile compost so you want to make sure there is air circulating in the container. To do this I am simple taking a nail and hammering it into the side of the container. Continue making holes until you have covered the entire can. My bin looks like this.

Position the Compost Bin

Now we are going to take our bricks, lay them on the ground and place our bin on top of the bricks. This step is especially important for anyone using a metal garbage can as they have the tendency to rust if they are placed directly on the ground.

Compost Bin Materials

For our compost bin we are going to want to use two types of materials, green material and brown materials.

Brown includes:

• cardboard
• junk mail
• newspaper
• wood shavings

Green materials include:

• grass
• aw vegetable peelings
• tea bags or coffee grinds
• weeds

Add Contents to the Compost Bin

Begin by filling the can in alternating layers of green and brown material. You will want to aim for an equal serving of both. Don't worry about filling the bin all at once. You can simply add items through the week.

Compost Bin Moisture

You will want the contents of your bin to be a moist as a wrung out sponge so, if your material looks a little dry go ahead and water it. Put on the lid and give it a good roll.

For the best results you will want to roll your bin at least once a week and water it if it becomes too dry. Do this, and your compost should be ready in 4-8 weeks.

Thanks for watching, to learn more please visit us on the Web at homegarden.about.com.

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