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DIY Chicken Wire Compost Bin

Better Than Recycling

Back in the day if you recycled, you were green, but there are ways to do more.

Waste takes up so much energy, and I realized I that I was throwing out things that could be used to grow my garden. Every item thrown away has taken energy and resources to manufacture and transport, and it will take even more energy and resources to process and dispose of, whether through landfill or recycling. So keeping it at home just makes sense!

I opted for a simple chicken-wire compost bin.

I cannot stress how easy this was, it took me about 10 minutes to construct. To hook the chicken-wire together, I cut up a wire hanger.

I've only been throwing things out there for about 3 weeks, but so far we have not had a problem with pests or animals. I keep green and brown materials equal (green = kitchen scraps; brown = yard scraps/newspapers). Since we don't eat meat, throwing away meat/fat is not a problem.

Reduce The Trash Pile

I also printed this nifty list of 101 Things You Can Compost.

I am surprised by how much I can compost. Besides food, items like junk mail (without the plastic windows), dryer lint, tea bags, and vacuum cleaner canister contents make up the bulk of my compost pile.

I am shocked by my trash can. Combining recycling and composting, I literally have one bag of trash a week.

Every time I throw something on the pile, I smile.

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