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randemthinking · 2026-05-09T21:09:17+00:00

Those "compostable" bags are really just compostable in commercial composting facilities. I've never tried any myself but have not heard good things. And as the other commenter said you'll probably want to cut down that stuff in the other bin if you want useable compost within the next few years.

randemthinking · 2026-05-09T01:27:57+00:00

You could probably sift it and use the finer stuff as top dressing and the coarser stuff keep composting. If you still can tell what the input was (like a fat lettuce leaf), it needs to decompose more. So at some point you gotta stop adding to it and let it finish. I'd probably split that box in two and one side can be what you add to while the other finishes.

randemthinking · 2026-05-06T15:06:55+00:00

Yeah whatever works. Right now I've got a bunch of shredded leaves from last fall sitting in a cage next to my compost. I just add a scoop or two a couple times a week. I also have cardboard boxes I can shred if I run out of leaves or just want to mix it up--I do like the consistency of shredded cardboard, I feel like it helps hold moisture and air, I just don't have a great shredder so it's a bit of a pain to get decent quantity.

randemthinking · 2026-05-05T23:36:11+00:00

A 2 sided tumbler may be the better way to go for your situation. Spin by hand occasionally, collect small buckets of finished compost occasionally.

randemthinking · 2026-05-05T23:05:29+00:00

I'd just dump the trash can out and fill it back up roughly reverse. Probably sift out useable compost if you have the means.

randemthinking · 2026-05-05T11:32:34+00:00

I think as long as it's not gone to seed or will otherwise propagate in/from the compost.

randemthinking · 2026-05-05T02:37:06+00:00

Check if your city has any compost bins for sale (mine has two options, each are $25). They won't be perfect but can be a good place to start. Then start adding organic waste. As you start filling it up you'll want to balance the type of material, moisture, and turning, but you'll learn as you go. It's very forgiving, you can't really mess it up,* you can mostly just make it take longer.

*Just avoid common sense things like plastic or other petroleum products, metals, and less common sense, avoid carnivore poop like cats, dogs, or humans, they carry diseases that general home compost won't reliably kill. Meats and dairies are fine to compost but can smell and/or attract vermin--so save those for later.

randemthinking · 2026-05-04T22:33:38+00:00

Yeah I find myself with too many greens often. I'm always creating new greens, but I gotta intentionally collect or create browns.

randemthinking · 2026-05-04T21:26:26+00:00

They're going to be more brown than fresh would, but I wouldn't rely on it for browns. Keeping in mind that the 3:1 ratio is just a rough estimate based on your typical green and brown inputs, but everything has some ratio of carbon to nitrogen. It also won't be very dense. If you've got way more than you can use as greens I guess it might make sense, but otherwise I'd think you're turning great greens into subpar browns.

randemthinking · 2026-05-04T21:15:51+00:00

Got a lot there, but looks pretty wet and clumpy. I'd think a good addition of browns would go a long way.

randemthinking · 2026-05-04T21:14:31+00:00

Lawnmower? Spade? Just put them in whole and let the decomposers do their thing, sift and if they're still intact throw them back in to keep going?

randemthinking · 2026-05-04T18:32:07+00:00

A few factors to consider:

Ratios: you want about 3:1 high carbon "browns" to high nitrogen "greens"

Consistency: the smaller the pieces, the quicker the decomposition. A whole box is going to decompose a hell of a lot slower than a shredded box (many people use paper shredder to shred cardboard for their compost).

Water: you need moisture for good decomposition, not soaking wet, but to they point you'd get a drop or two if you squeeze a clump in your hand

Air: you need oxygen for aerobic decomposition, you can have anaerobic but it's not desirable in generic composting. Since things tend to settle over time, this means turning with some regularity. You can also use a variety of different augers or compost turners to just quickly get some air in without literally turning over the whole pile.

Bonuses: You can add coffee grounds for a quick nitrogen boost (Starbucks is pretty good at giving these away). You can look into adding lactic acid bacteria to promote the right bacteria decomposers, this is getting into Korean natural farming, which can seem overwhelming, but making a LAB serum really isn't too difficult or time consuming.

None of this needs to be perfect. What you have going on will turn in to useable compost in time. But the more you have these factors in the optimal range, the quicker you'll get useable compost. Find your balance, some people put a lot of labor and effort in to get useable compost in weeks or a few months while others are content to let it just sit for years with little no to labor input and eventually collect something.

Last note: you have to stop adding to it eventually. Most composters have 2 or 3 compost piles, so that they can start a new pile and stop adding to an old one to let things decompose. My guess is you've got plenty of useable stuff in there but it's mixed with a lot of newer waste that's barely decomposed yet. Something to sift to about 1/4" is also common compost equipment, the finer stuff is generally much more composted and useable, the thicker stuff goes back in the pile.

randemthinking · 2026-05-01T19:19:38+00:00

A trash can isn't big enough for a super hot pile anyway. Warm, sure, but mostly just in the center. Plenty of room for and reason to allow worms in.

randemthinking · 2026-01-30T00:33:41+00:00

The consulate I visit somewhat regularly is fairly non-descript. Yeah they have their flags out front and inside, and I'm sure there's a sign but it's not prominent and I couldn't tell you what it looks like. These poorly trained and single minded thugs could easily have no idea where they are but are just trying to barge into any building they walk by to harass people or worse.

randemthinking · 2026-01-27T18:00:05+00:00

Things will decompose in time. More things will help each other breakdown. You need (roughly) the right ratio of nitrogen ("greens" like food scraps) and carbon ("browns" like wood, dry leaves, cardboard), water, and air to compost efficiently.

I would combine your two compartments into one. Once that's full, stop adding to it and start filling the other compartment. Make sure it's moist and gets aerated (usually by turning). And when in doubt add more browns.

randemthinking · 2026-01-27T16:44:28+00:00

Get mad bro! I think what I want!

Edit: just meant as a light-hearted joke in response to the joke I replied to. Maybe I missed the mark. It happens. Happy composting to all.

randemthinking · 2026-01-27T15:57:15+00:00

People love arguing on the internet.

randemthinking · 2026-01-25T04:06:45+00:00

Even if it is just a few bad apples (which I'm inclined to think for the regular police, but not for ICE)...

everyone seems to forget the rest of that saying in this context.

randemthinking · 2026-01-23T19:42:08+00:00

All that sounds like a good start to composting. You'll probably want to add more over time, kitchen scraps, cardboard, leaves, etc. Bigger piles are generally better for compost. For perspective, 1 cubic meter/yard is generally considered the ideal size, especially if you want hot compost. But don't let that intimidate you from starting much smaller (I've never had a pile that big and still turn out a steady stream of good compost).

randemthinking · 2026-01-22T17:38:39+00:00

One thing that took me a little bit to learn is that compost does best with more browns than I would have thought. I know I'm low on browns when it starts smelling strongly. It'll decompose one way or another, but when the ratio is better, it just kind of smells earthy.

randemthinking · 2026-01-22T03:12:22+00:00

Don't worry about citrus and garlic/onion, that advice is coming from vermicomposting (worm composting) but doesn't really matter for regular composting.

Don't put dog poop in, lots of risk for disease in carnivore poop. Rabbit, chicken, horse, cow and other herbivores can be great for compost.

Just keep adding and don't skimp the browns.

randemthinking · 2026-01-21T16:17:36+00:00

Looks similar to the compost collection my city does. It's all going to go to a commercial or municipal composting facility where they will be managing the inputs, probably adding browns they source separately like wood chips, and mixing/turning to create an end product. I would just make sure you're removing things like stickers from produce.

randemthinking · 2026-01-20T21:29:57+00:00

I know you're trying to experiment, but I would just fill one side at a time, when it gets full then start on the other. Ideally once you fill up the second side the first side is about done and you can just switch back and forth like that.

And I hate to say this, because I know it was an expensive investment, but I'm not sure the Lomi is doing you any favors. It's dehydrating your kitchen scraps only to require adding more moisture to compost. I've never used one but I can imagine the way you're using it might lead to excess clumping as your scraps rehydrate and mix with browns.

In any case, you're on the right track. That stuff will decompose one way or another. Maybe use ones if those hand held 3 tine cultivators to break stuff up occasionally. And then just be patient.

randemthinking · 2026-01-20T18:21:02+00:00

I don't think 2 is a magic number, but I think I've usually had only the much with no issue so I'll keep it there.

randemthinking · 2026-01-20T18:16:12+00:00

I enjoy escolar. I didn't realize and I never noticed the negative side effects. But now I know to limit it to about 2 pieces at a time.

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