The new year is the time for a new leaf! Here are a few potential composting goals resolutions for you to consider in the new year.
So, let’s fight waste by being more food savvy and recycling more types of food waste into reusable compost. Everything from garden waste to food waste can go into the HOTBIN, and when operating at the hotter temperatures of 104-140°F you can even put in cooked food waste, bones and pet waste.
HOTBIN should be fed a typical 11 lbs. container twice a week and add roughly:
After all, nothing tastes better than home grown vegetables and salads!
So let’s make 'to waste less and compost more' our New Year's Resolution!
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Don't Have a HOTBIN Composter? Click here to buy yours today!]]>"Rocking Around the Christmas Tree." Christmas and New Year are most definitely “the” party Season. So, if you’re expecting a fun evening with a house full of guests; preparations include adorning the table with delicious nibbles along with a selection of party poppers, music and festive decorations.
After the celebrations, whether Christmas or New Year, your floor (carpet, wood or tile) and tables are littered with discarded leftover food, party hats and endless amounts of streamers.
Although it might take a while to collect/vacuum it all up the next day, the good news is that not all need to go straight to landfill, as you can compost most with a HOTBIN.
Rip-up all carton and paper leftovers and add them to your HOTBIN along with the contents of those endless streams of party poppers. Be sure to mix it with your food waste. Warning: Be sure to remove any plastic bits or wire embellishments as these cannot be composted though.
As for leftover food, including all cooked food, fruit, vegetables, fish, meat and more, can be added to the HOTBIN.
Composting Paper Plates, Napkins, cocktail sticks and other Party Items
As for the paper plates many of us use for convenience to save on the washing up, these can go in the HOTBIN - even those with bits of food left on them! Whether or not they are the most “green/sustainable” choice it is something widely argued.
Napkins can be composted in the HOTBIN, however ensure they are not screwed up in a big ball as this will not break down properly and may be present in your final compost. Rip them up instead, and add in as small amounts to prevent airflow being restricted.
How about cocktail sticks from your sausages, cheese, olives and pineapple? These can be broken up and put into the HOTBIN. Bear in mind that wood-based items are slower to compost.
If most of it has ended up in the vacuum cleaner you may also want to read up on composting vacuum clear waste article on our corporate website.
Happy partying!
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Don't Have a HOTBIN Composter? Click here to buy yours today!]]>Holidays are considered a time for indulgence and Americans are no exception. It is believed the average American gains around ten pounds during the December festivities, ranking third, behind Thanksgiving and Super Bowl Sunday.
Stats estimates that of 244 million turkeys raised in the USA, and 22 million show up on Christmas tables nationwide. Indeed, while the average amount of calories consumed per person is between 2.0-2.5K, a single Christmas meal averages 3.0K calories. Sadly, it is estimated that 4.2 million festive dinners are thrown away each year.
How can we eat so much food at Christmas and yet waste so much at the same time?
Christmas for many is a period of indulgence, where numerous television adverts make us all salivate at the sight of every Christmas bite and our subconscious makes us think we need every single one available on Christmas day.
Another USA stat sadly shows that 400K Americans will get sick from Christmas leftovers each year, recommending that leftovers should be eaten the same night or soon after.
So, the question is… How can we reduce waste during the holidays? If you end up with leftovers this year, just remember that your HOTBIN would like a Christmas feast too!
HOTBIN Christmas Menu
APPETIZERS
Vegetable peelings are easy-to-digest waste for the HOTBIN. When chopped to delicious tender bite-size pieces, they will break down and decay quicker. For example, the center or seed of an avocado, will take a long time to break down unless it is broken into pieces. So... do not forget to chop the waste before getting it into your HOTBIN.
Cheese Board - Hard cheeses can be composted and are best cut into small cubes, like those you might put on a cocktail stick with some olives or pineapple! Warning: Soft cheese cannot be composted due to a very high liquid content.
MAIN COURSE
Turkey, Roast Potatoes, Cooked Vegetables, Stuffing and Pigs in Blankets
Leftover turkeys and all the trimmings can be added to the HOTBIN. HOTBIN loves all cooked food and bones waste so be sure to pre-heat your HOTBIN to hot composting temperatures of 100-104oF before adding.
Remember, cooked food waste is very wet, so it should be served and mixed thoroughly with a liberal seasoning of shredded paper (2-3 handfuls per 1.5 gallons of food waste container/tray) and don't forget adding the bulking agent (mulch).
Cranberry Sauce, Bread Sauce and Gravy
Add to the HOTBIN as plate scrapings. Large quantities at one time, are not recommended as this will make the HOTBIN too wet. We suggest that you break the leftovers into different batches of waste, and remember to add a little extra of shredded paper.
DESSERT
Christmas Pudding - If you’ve found all the coins in your pudding and have leftovers (very rare), these can be added to the HOTBIN too.
DRINKS (Hot and Cold Beverages)
Warning: DO NOT add liquids to the HOTBIN as this will result in a soggy bin. You can compost tea bags and coffee, Just recommend giving your tea bags a good squeeze and coffee grinds a good press (to extract the water) before adding them into your HOTBIN too.
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]]>Chestnuts roasting on an open fire was an American tradition evoking images of Christmas through the 18th and 19th centuries. Although vendors on city street corners selling roasted chestnuts during Christmas are fewer since a disease made American chestnut trees extinct; the tradition is still alive on certain parts of the country (New York City).
If you get around to roasting your chestnuts on an open fire this Christmas, know that chestnuts and other nuts can go in a HOTBIN.
]]>Chestnuts roasting on an open fire was an American tradition evoking images of Christmas through the 18th and 19th centuries. Although vendors on city street corners selling roasted chestnuts during Christmas are fewer since a disease made American chestnut trees extinct; the tradition is still alive on certain parts of the country (New York City).
If you get around to roasting your chestnuts on an open fire this Christmas, know that chestnuts and other nuts can go in a HOTBIN.
What to know? All nuts are designed by nature to resist bacterial breakdown with the shell being the obvious barrier. To speed up the process of breakdown, break them up before they go into the HOTBIN. If using a hammer, be careful and take sensible precautions.
If roasting marshmallows instead —although we doubt there will be any left overs— they can also be composted. If you have roasted them, the hot ash should not be added to the bin. However, small cold quantities can be beneficial as charcoal is a natural form of carbon. Too much however can turn compost strongly alkaline and could block airflow in the bin.
Leftover logs and wood that you don’t intend on burning this season, can be added to a chipper and be made into your own bulking agent (mulch). Bulking agent is an essential part of hot composting that keeps waste aerated and bacteria happily breaking it down into delicious compost for your garden.
About temperature, if Jack Frost is nipping at your nose and you are feeling a little chilly you could hug a HOTBIN for warmth with inside temperatures reaching 104-140°F.
While we are joking about hugging your HOTBIN for warmth this winter… remember that you can use HOTBIN’s kick-start bottle should it need a heat boost during the freezing winter.
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]]>For anyone with a sweet tooth, Christmas is the best time of the year. Whether it’s pudding on Christmas day, candy canes, cookies, a slice of cake or apple pie, along with a cup of eggnog, hot cocoa, coffee, or tea. If you don’t manage to finish them all off, just remember to remove all wrappers, break them up and then compost them. HOTBIN loves a sweet treat every now and then, and can compost them.
]]>For anyone with a sweet tooth, Christmas is the best time of the year. Whether it’s pudding on Christmas day, candy canes, cookies, a slice of cake or apple pie, along with a cup of eggnog, hot cocoa, coffee, or tea… it doesn’t stop there!
Many of our favorite sweets have their origins outside the US, including Candy Canes (Germany), Cookies (Medieval Europe), Apple Pie (England), and eggnog (England) to mention some.
Candy Canes
Originated over 300 years ago. Candy Canes were produced in 1670 when a choir master asked a local candy maker for some sweet sticks to give to children during Christmas Eve service to keep them occupied. In order to justify giving them candy he asked for a crook to be added to the stick to remind the children of the shepherds who visited the baby Jesus.
Chocolate Coins
Chocolate Coins are thought to be representative of the money Saint Nicholas gave to the poor children of Myra. Legend states that one night he threw money down a chimney, and it landed in some stockings that a young girl had hung out to dry, coincidentally this story is also where Christmas stockings come from!
Now for Composting
There are many other cakes/sweets associated with Christmas, including yule logs, Lebkuchen cookies, selection boxes and mince pies. If you don’t manage to finish them all off, just remember to remove all wrappers, break them up and then compost them.
HOTBIN loves a sweet treat every now and then!
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]]>There are many types of natural wreaths but those associated with the festive period are commonly made from evergreens to symbolize strength and longevity as they survive the cold harsh winters.
Traditionally —like vintage Christmas cards— wreaths serve as a promise of the Spring to come and most include berries to ignite some color and brightness.
Today, natural wreaths are made from a multitude of different materials which include everything from pine cones and cinnamon sticks to holly and berries, all of which can be composted except for any wire/metal elements.
What Goes In?
Some parts will be slower to compost such as pine cones, moss, willow, spruce, holy and twigs. We recommend preferably breaking up pine cones before adding to the HOTBIN, and only adding moss in small quantities ensuring it’s well mixed in with other easy to digest waste.
Composting Christmas Wreaths
Twigs provide a good source of aeration creating air spaces in the waste. Ideally chopped up into small pieces that are less than 2 in., twigs can even be processed through a chipper and will in both cases act as bulking agent, as long as they are dry.
As with all leaf’s holly should be shredded before adding to the HOTBIN, this is even more important for plants that have waxy leaves. The protective waxy layer makes it harder for bacteria to break them down. Shredding increases the surface area visible to bacteria and in turn increases the speed of breakdown.
Ensure leaves are mixed in well with new waste and avoid adding a thick layer that could restrict airflow through the bin.
Cinnamon sticks and berries are easily composted and unlike worm composters where acidic food stuffs should not be added... citrus fruit and peel can be added into the HOTBIN.
If you have any bows or ribbons from a wreath that are made from natural materials, and you are unable to reuse them then these will compost too. Be aware though that it may take a little time for them to fully compost as per this experiment to compost a jumper in a HOTBIN!
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Don't Have a HOTBIN Composter? Click here to buy yours today!]]>Although E-cards seems to have been increasing its popularity these days and are known to be environmentally friendly, most people do send holiday cards and holiday gifts in the mail at about the same time every year. Giving and receiving of cards is a huge Christmas tradition that dates back hundreds of years.
In the USA, greeting card making is the number one craft hobby, which means there are more recyclable and compostable pieces on each card.
With over 2.6 billion Christmas cards being exchanged each Christmas in the USA, the stakes are high of having them end up in our landfills producing greenhouse gases.
The good news is that HOTBIN loves cards. However, HOTBIN can’t eat a whole one! We are of course joking… just remember to shred/cut them up into small pieces and mix in with food waste. Also remember to take-off any parts with foil or other non-compostable part, and to only add anything paper based or made from natural fibers.
Alternatively, if you do not have the right composter to do dispose of them, you may prefer to put them on your recycle bin to be collected by your local recycling provider.
Can I donate my old greeting cards?
Yes, you can donate them. Indeed – Donating an old greeting card might sound a little bit strange, but St. Jude's Ranch for Children in Nevada re-purposes old greeting cards through their Recycled Card Program and resell them to help fund their programs to help families in need.
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Don't Have a HOTBIN Composter? Click here to buy yours today!]]>Everybody looks forward to waking up on Christmas morning to a stack load of beautifully wrapped Christmas presents under the tree. It’s a familiar scene as the family get together to start handing out presents. At the end of this special occasion, a good amount of wrapping paper, gift tags, carton boxes and other embellishments are left for final disposal. What is compostable and what is not? That is the question at hand.
Americans discard $11 billion worth of packing material, 15 million Christmas trees and 2.6 billion cards. This waste ends up in landfills, where it decomposes and releases methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas [Seasidesustainability.org].
Gift tags / Ribbon/Embellishments
Once you’ve read the gift tags and thanked the recipient, discarded cards can be cut up and placed in the HOTBIN. Elements such as foil will not compost, however cotton-based string will.
Then you have ribbons, bows and other embellishments that come in all guises. That is, big or small, foil or natural fiber, etc. Unless they are paper or cotton based, they cannot be composted. However, most can always be stored and put aside for future use. Using outside greenery for embellishments when available, is ideal for composting.
It's estimated that Americans throw away 38,000 miles of ribbon- enough to wrap around the Earth and 2.6 billion cards every year [Seasidesustainability.org].
Gift Wrap
With ~2.3 million pounds of wrapping paper winding up in landfills [brightlyeco], major companies are already sourcing sustainable paper and other materials to help reduce the impact on our planet. It is up to us to do our contribution now, by composting all that can be composted.
Most wrapping paper are compostable in the HOTBIN. Non compostable include paper with glitter, plastic & foil). TIP: When putting your gift-wrap in the HOTBIN ensure it is shredded, free from sticky tape, and any embellishments that won’t compost. Otherwise, you will end up with a big 'bundle' in the bottom of your bin.
Corrugated Cardboard / Cardboard
You can chop-up brown corrugated card boxes and mix them in with your HOTBIN waste to help balance moisture levels in the bin. Any printed boxes — similar to cereal boxes— are not recommended but can also be shredded and added sparingly to your HOTBIN. The same goes with boxes with wax coatings, as they will also be slower to compost than brown corrugated ones. However, you can expect them to show in the final compost. If you decide not to add them to your HOTBIN, we recommend that you send them to your local recycling provider and avoid —by all means— trashing them with the rest of your trash heading to landfills.
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Don't Have a HOTBIN Composter? Click here to buy yours today!]]>Before slipping into our festive dinners for food leftovers to compost, let’s not forget about our four-legged friends and everything pet-wise related that can be composted in your HOTBIN this Christmas.
Pet gifts
Some people may laugh at pet owners buying their beloved pet an advent calendar with daily treats, or stockings with gifts to surprise them on Christmas Day. However, pet gifts and treats is a big business! In the USA, pet owners are expected to spend on their furry friends an average of $137 during the holidays. For many people, pets are members of the family, and not surprisingly, they are included in the holiday gift giving and festivities.
What to compost? Good examples are those treats they turn their noses up to, as well as the cardboard outers and corrugated gift boxes. Most cartons can be shredded and added to your HOTBIN to provide the much-needed aeration. If in doubt, just send them to local recycling providers. Shredded carton-paper is an added bonus to your bin as it is capable of absorbing excess water and helping to balance moisture levels when adding wet waste into the HOTBIN. Pet food leftovers can also be composted in your HOTBIN.
Hay and Chicken Poop
If your HOTBIN is running at 140° you can add dried hay/straw which can break down in 10 days. Straw is considered tougher to break, but when mixed with chicken poop, it can speed up the process. Indeed, chicken poop works as an accelerator and is good for giving the HOTBIN a heat boost!
Santa’s Reindeers Droppings and other Pet Waste
Due to pathogens present on waste, most composting sites advocate the composting of herbivore waste only (plant grazing) and not carnivore. However, the above concerns apply to cold composting methods, where the heap does not reach the hot temperatures required to destroy the pathogens in the waste.
This is where HOTBIN separates from other composting methods, as it operates at higher temperatures of 104-140°F capable of destroying pathogens. In other words, pathogens in the pet-waste are no longer an issue on hot composting methods, as they are killed off at these high temperatures —so even Santa can pop Rudolph’s droppings in a HOTBIN, and get it composted.
Cat Waste and Concerns
If adding cat waste, note that pelleted and wood-based litter can be composted. However, if white zeolite and similar clay-based litters are composted, they will remain (seen) in your finished compost due to their material make up. However, concerning pathogens will be killed during the hot composting process.
NOTE: It is important to check the internal bin temperature is between 104-140°F before adding this type of waste. This can be done by inserting a thermometer a few inches into the top of the waste inside the bin.
Another reminder: Good hygiene is essential with any animal waste, wear gloves at all times, wipe down areas that have come into contact with pet waste and of course always wash your hands.
More on Pet Poop Compostable with HOTBIN
Don't Have a HOTBIN Composter? Click here to buy yours today!]]>If you ask a child to list things associated with Christmas, Santa and Snowmen is featured at the top of their list alongside presents, of course! Whether you leave cookies for Santa and/or savory food for the reindeers, just remember that these leftovers can be added to your HOTBIN.
]]>If you ask a child to list things associated with Christmas, Santa and Snowmen are featured at the top of their list, alongside presents, of course!
Santa and Father Christmas
The American Santa Claus is believed to be an invention of Washington Irving and other 19th century New Yorkers whereas Father Christmas (English) has an origin from Sinterklaas. However, by the 1870’s onward, Father Christmas became increasingly like the American Santa Claus —a gift-giver that looked close to the Harper’s Illustrated figure (1863-6) known as St. Nicholas.
Snowman
However, once he melts all that is left are their nose (carrots), hands (branches) and maybe the hat and scarf he once had.
Never trash as waste, HOTBIN would suggest you chop up the sticks and carrot. The sticks are a bonus and will also provide aeration in the bin. We don’t advise adding coal as this won’t break down, instead put this to better use on your fire to keep warm.
As for the hat and scarf, if these are made of natural fibers (cotton, wool) then unbelievably you can add them into the HOTBIN (very small quantities).
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Both options, comes at a cost to either local government agencies, or to our environment.
According to US statistics, the disposal cost of each tree averages $1.50 in fees and landfill taxes. Furthermore, discarded trees are sent to landfill, with an estimated carbon footprint of 35 lbs. per an average 6-feet tall tree. The following is due to methane gas being produced as the whole tree decomposes. Interestingly enough, burning or chipping trees can reduce this carbon footprint by 80%.
Useful tips for Christmas trees recycling
The best way to minimize the impact of using a Christmas tree is to make sure that it doesn’t go to waste at the end of our holiday season. Here are some practical ways to recycle Christmas trees.
Day 1: From the Holly and the Ivy, Oh Christmas Tree and Away in Hay Manger, there are composting advice and puns galore on everything you can and can't compost in a HOTBIN over the festive period.
At HOTBIN, we advocate doing your very best to care for your favorite Christmas plants. However, if all fails its always good to know what can and can't be composted
The following is a list of most favorite plants used for decoration during the Holiday Season.
Holy and Ivy
Holly and Ivy are both plants with waxy leaves; a coating which acts as a protective outer layer preventing excess water loss. The natural coating of the leaves can make composting leaves a lot slower to compost which is why it’s advised to chop or shred the leaves first to increase the surface area available to bacteria and increase the speed of breakdown.
Some people advocate not composting ivy because it can be quite invasive in the rate in which it grows. However, when hot composting at 104-140°F this shouldn’t be an issue.
Mistletoe
Considered by some as a parasitic plant Mistletoe depends on a shrub or tree as a host for water and nutrients to survive. So, whether getting rid of a “plant pest,” or your festive kissing is completed for the year, mistletoe —with its evergreen leaves, berries and woody stems— can all be composted providing leaves are shredded and stalks/stems are chopped.
Poinsettia
Conversely the poinsettia with its rich, ruby red leaves do not have a waxy outer layer but will still require shredding even though they will compost down a lot faster than their waxy counterparts. Add into the HOTBIN with the stems and stalks once they have been chopped down.
Christmas Cactus
Native to South America, the Christmas cactus is different to the other festive plants. Part of the succulent family, the leaves retain a lot of water as part of its survival in a natural humid environment. As such the leaves have a high percentage of water meaning when adding large quantities, you should also add shredded paper to help re-balance the moisture levels in the HOTBIN.
Notes on Chopping and Shredding
Chopping and shredding is essential to producing amazing compost quickly and although it can seem too complicated at times, there are really good reasons behind it. Do not add shredded leaves into the HOTBIN as a thick layer as this will restrict airflow. Instead, ensure that the waste is fully mixed into the top layers of the bin.
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Remember... a lot of festive plants seem to be a bit thorny, so watch your fingers!