Large compost bin recalled by provider.

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone else has had an issue with this. Our waste collection co. issued small brown compost bins last year. I was delighted but found the bin far too small and rang to see if I could get a bigger one. I was initially asked if a second small one would do, but as the collection is every fortnight, it would still not have been big enough, so they gave us a big brown bin, which has been working really well up to now. However, last week, my husband got a call to say that they were taking back the big one and replacing it with a smaller one, as the trucks had changed and could no longer lift the big bin. The rep also said that we shouldn't have gotten a big one in the first place as these are for commercial use. I am royally peed off, as after two days, the small brown bin is full to capacity and I have had to put compostable (sp?) waste in the black bin, which is going to cost me more in the long run. They are going to give me a 2nd brown bin, but it is still not going to be enough. I don't think I am exceptional in this, it is not like we have an extraordinary amount of waste, but two days veg peelings, teabags and food waste do fill the small bin. We could get our own compost thingy (can't for the life of me think of the proper term), but we have no use for compost as we have concrete in the back and tarmac in the front. I go out of my way primarily for environmental reasons, but also for financial reasons to sort my waste according to recyclables, non-recyclable and compostable and thought, possibly incorrectly, that my waste collection provider should be able to facilitate this. Any thoughts on this?

Actually, I just happened to come across a post in another thread, which would seem to suggest it is up to me to dispose of the waste appropriately.

Can I suggest that you get a large compost bin from a local garden centre (sometimes available in German discount stores). Even though you've a no-maintenance garden, you can still use the compost for pot plants. We have one of these compost bins in our garden for the past 7 years, it is still only 50% full. We add compost accelerator to it a couple of times a year. I'm a vegetarian so our little kitchen bin of compostible material is full every 2 or three days. Then, it's added to the compost bin in the back garden. Every now and then we take some of the compost and add it to the plant pots. Works great. No real extra work involved in this.

I see tea bags, veg peelings, grass cuttings, fallen leaves as gold dust. I have even considered taking the fallen leaves from the roadside for my compost heap (except for the dog turds). Why not put a raised bed in a corner of your concrete garden and grow yourself some salad leaves, spinach, cabbage? Very easy to grow and a solution to your peelings etc.

Thanks for the suggestion Eithneangela, I had kind of given up on pots of late as I just seem to kill everything but it would be a use for it.

Laramie, I have two raised beds which have recently been covered in stone as the dog and two small children keep digging in them and dragging buckets of muck into the house. They will be returned to vegetative glory when the dog throws off her mortal coil and when the children are older. Until then, I will stick to the pots.

Thanks again for the replies.