Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Plastic-free composting?

I very much want to compost all my veggie, tea and other scraps at my new apartment. I have a couple of notable impediments to this grand desire though:

1) I live in a pretty urban area and have very very little yard.
1a) This is not a major impediment. Do a simple google search on 'Urban Composting' and you will have many solutions.
Check. Next impediment?

2) I DO NOT WANT to attract RATS, or let me just put it out there-rodents of any kind are unwelcome, but particularly NO rats. I will have to leave my theoretical composter outside, close to my back door. I have no car port, garage or shed for semi-protection from citters. I think I am likely to attract rats with the smell of yummy decomposing veggies....
2a) Attracting rats is a major impediments because I have an inordinately large fear of these little critters compared to the actual danger they pose.

3) AND MOST IMPORTANTLY I can't find any non-plastic composters to buy that will enclose and protect my decomposing waste (see #2 as to why I would prefer an enclosed composting receptacle). I can find mesh-style or wood bins…I don’t trust the wood bins and definitely not the mesh cage on the rat front.
3a) I found this one metal unit, but for the life of me I can't find where to actually buy it! This looks rather rat proof to me :)

Help me out here...anyone out there know where to find a non-plastic composter that will not attract critters? Please keep in mind I have exactly 4 square feet next to my backdoor in which to put this composter. It doesn't seem like an easy problem for little old me to solve on my own. But when I solve this little problem my own composted dirt will come in very handy when I want to plant, say anything, in a pot because all the dirt found in stores comes in, you guessed it, plastic bags! Dirt sold in plastic-I mean really! I guess I could dig up part of my 4 square feet of dirt or someone else’s yard...but sage advice in this area would also be greatly appreciated.

FYI: My brother already tried to convince me that an open mesh enclosed composter would "not likely attract many rats." I'm going to need quite a bit better odds than that to play this hand. I don't gamble with the Bubonic plague unless I'm going to win.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you're only putting out vegetables, coffee grounds, tea bags and the like - so no meat products/bones/dairy etc - you're unlikely to attract rats. It's still best to have an anclosed bin though.

Fern Toe said...

Thanx. That's what I have been thinking and hearing from others but I really would like to find an enclosed metal bin....the hunt continues.

missnatalia said...

Have you found a plastic free composter yet?

What do you think of this one?
http://www.amazon.com/Jora-Gallon-125-Compost-Tumbler/dp/B004U7ISQ2