Composting in Winter: What Compostable Waste Can be found from Your Home & Garden?

As days get colder and daylight hours shorter... we know winter is coming. For many, this season seems to lack an obvious supply of compostable garden waste, and kitchen peelings take center stage as the main ingredients for the composter bin.  

As discussed on a previous article, HOTBIN can produce compost from food-waste only and keep operating between 104-140° F during winter months.

Just remember that: 

• If your HOTBIN temperature reading is over 104°F: 
• Add cooked food waste, meat, fish and bones
• If your HOTBIN temperature reading is under 104°F:
• Add vegetable peelings, off-cuts and fruit peelings (including citrus), tea leaves, coffee grinds, nuts, etc.

The majority of food waste is relatively easy to digest waste. Therefore, after waste has been added into the HOTBIN, the temperature will rise reasonably quickly... but it will also drop faster.

Garden clippings, leaves and other remnants from autumn...

Regardless of the fact that you can produce compost from food scraps only, you may find autumn leaves, plant trimmings and grass clippings left from autumn that can be used as well. 

-- Whatever is your situation, know that your HOTBIN can operate during winter and that you can feed food waste, shredded paper and wood-chips (mulch) to keep it operating at above 104° F.

If internal temperature goes below 104° F you can raise it by using the 'kick-start' bottle provided with your HOTBIN,  4-8 inches of fresh and easy to compost waste, shredded paper and wood-chip/mulch in suggestion proportions. Remember to close the lid tightly, and wait 4-6 hours before peaking to check if it worked. 

Happy composting!