Kitchen Compost Jar

[jkb]

Not used to posting...hope I have included all that's needed on the site.  Thinking about making a kitchen compost container. Any suggestions on lid gaskets and charcoal filters - which to use any likely resources for them?  Thanks for your input!

[LGGossett]

I've been using one for a couple of years.

Basically a cookie jar size due to limited space. It has no filter or gasket and I am having no issues with odor.

I dump it every two days or so. I'll be curious to read other suggestions too.

[Diane Puckett]

I use a Rubbermaid container. I have thought of making a pottery crock that would hold a plastic liner, maybe a small bucket, just because it would be easier to empty and less likely to get broken. I have seen compostable bag liners, but they are expensive. I have never seen the need for a filter.

[annekat]

I've never made one but customers have suggested it. One thing that crosses my mind is that I've seen a wire and wooden handle listed somewhere like the Aftosa catalog, or maybe Axner/Laguna and other suppliers, which one can attach to the compost jar through small holes made, to make it easier to carry the jar out for dumping. It may be several years since I have actually see this accessory or thought to look for it.

[Nancy S.]

I made a small one for my kitchen, and need to make a bigger one. It fills up quickly at my house just with coffee grounds and teabags alone! I didn't use any gaskets or wire handles or charcoal filters either. I put holes in the lid for ventilation, but now I'm wondering if that was a good idea because I've gotten some fruit flies...

 

Also, be sure the inside is very smooth -- remove any throwing marks -- to make cleaning the crock easier.

[Mark C.]

I have made many of these for customers they are simple straight sided covered jar with a regular seat lid.

Ours hold cookies in a blue moon.

Mark

[ayjay]

I made one, it's in daily use, no fancy gaskets just a well fitting lid, it's deliberately small enough that it needs emptying daily into a larger plastic dustbin just outside the kitchen door which gets transferred to the compost bins weekly.

 

If it helps to know the scale: the black tiles are 4"X2" and the white tiles are 3" high - don't know why I didn't just measure the pot.

 

 

 

 

 

[Chilly]

I made one, it's in daily use, no fancy gaskets just a well fitting lid, it's deliberately small enough that it needs emptying daily into a larger plastic dustbin just outside the kitchen door which gets transferred to the compost bins weekly.

 

If it helps to know the scale: the black tiles are 4"X2" and the white tiles are 3" high - don't know why I didn't just measure the pot.

 

DSCF1717 modified modified.jpg

 

Much nicer than the grey plastic boxes the council gave us

 

I use an empty mushroom/ice-cream/plastic pot - really aught to make myself something classier!

[Marcia Selsor]

I need to make myself on too. Then build a garden composted that won't attack every creepy crawly thing or every critter in the neighborhood.

Thanks for the idea.

Marcia

[Jen Assinck]

I have no problem with smells if the lid is well on.  Have a good handle you can grip with wet hands when you are putting material in.  Experience says to warn helpful family members to not bang the pot against the side of the compost bin.  What helps in releasing the material is to start with a layer of paper towel at the bottom of the cleaned pot.  Make two lids, so you can have a spare in reserve, even for the ones you sell.  I know a potter who always sells extra lids with her teapots; they may never be used, but they come across as a thoughtful touch and don't take much more effort to make.

[Pres]

I used to do canisters with an inner gallery, and a rolled rim so that when it fit onto the rolled rim of the jar it would make more of a seal.  I have heard from some of the people that bought them that they would protect flours, sugar and other dry goods well.  I would assume that these would also keep the occasional fruit fly etc from getting into the composting material.

[TJR]

I use a 1 gallon plastic ice-cream pail. It fits nicely under the sink with a tight fitting lid. No need for a lid in winter time, as the fruit flies are all sleeping. I am on my third compost bin outside. All the compost is frozen solid.

There is no smell from compost, so get composting.

TJR.

[jkb]

Thanks for the great suggestions. Any suggestions on size -- tall ? Width ? Maybe a removable interior container?  I  Like that gaskets and filters are not essential , now I need to work on making tight seated lids, making two is a great suggestion -- we seem to break things at our house! We'll b ready to  compost come spring now all we need is spring weather CHEERS

[Benzine]

So, I've heard of these, but what exactly do you put in them; fruit remnants, coffee grounds, and other such food leftovers? I do a little composting in my garden, so this seems like a nice edition to that, reduce, reuse, recycle.

 

Also, a nice little trick for dealing with fruit flies: Fill a cup with a little apple cider vinegar. Put a drop of dish washing liquid in with the vinegar. cover the top of the cup with Saran Wrap (or the equivalent), secured it around the top with a rubber band, and cut a small slit in the plastic.

The flies are attracted to the smell of the vinegar, fly in, can't get back out, and cannot land on the vinegar, due to the soap breaking the surface tension. By the end of the summer, I ended up with quite the collection.

[Babs]

So, I've heard of these, but what exactly do you put in them; fruit remnants, coffee grounds, and other such food leftovers? I do a little composting in my garden, so this seems like a nice edition to that, reduce, reuse, recycle.

 

Also, a nice little trick for dealing with fruit flies: Fill a cup with a little apple cider vinegar. Put a drop of dish washing liquid in with the vinegar. cover the top of the cup with Saran Wrap (or the equivalent), secured it around the top with a rubber band, and cut a small slit in the plastic.

The flies are attracted to the smell of the vinegar, fly in, can't get back out, and cannot land on the vinegar, due to the soap breaking the surface tension. By the end of the summer, I ended up with quite the collection.

Useful in Raku??

Also use Kitchen scraps for worm farm, three tier job, another pottery project.

Coffee grinds are a bit acidic for compost if in any quantity, wil give snails nd slugs heart attacks if strewn on ground around vulnerable plants.

Like the idea of smaller c. pot as weight can be an issue.

Pres" inner gallery sounds great, another pot on my list!

[ayjay]

So, I've heard of these, but what exactly do you put in them; fruit remnants, coffee grounds, and other such food leftovers? I do a little composting in my garden, so this seems like a nice edition to that, reduce, reuse, recycle.

 

 

Any vegetable waste from the kitchen goes into the small kitchen bin, including  potato peelings, onion skin & tops and tails, eggshells (squashed), tea & tea bags, etc etc.. The main compost bins in the garden receive any other vegetable matter that will rot down, grass cuttings, shredded paper, shrub trimmings, (usually shredded first), if it will rot down it goes in.

[Chilly]

 

....... eggshells (squashed), tea & tea bags, ...........

 

 

I was told not to put egg-shells in, as the left-over membrane attracts rats !  Also tea bags are made of a "plastic" that doesn't rot down, and I kept finding them all over the garden, so stopped putting them in too.  I love composting, my heavy clay soil is vastly improved with 25 years of compost added to it.  (Or should I say the top layer is vastly improved, dig down more than four inches and it should be in the studio not the garden !)

[Cone6]

http://www.coolhunting.com/tech/daily-dump-home.php

-this is a link to a site (with photos) of some cool stacked clay composters. 

[Cone6]

Sorry- this is the one I meant to post- it explains how to make and use a clay composting system. I know that this is probably the next step up from making a lidded jar (maybe with a bail handle) to simply collect and carry scraps to the "real" composter. I thought maybe it would be of interest to some.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Terracotta-home-composter/?ALLSTEPS

[Diane Puckett]

I put coffee filters and tea bags in the compost with no problem. Any kitchen scraps other than animal products are fine, alone with grass clippings, leaves.

[ayjay]

 

 

....... eggshells (squashed), tea & tea bags, ...........

 

 

I was told not to put egg-shells in, as the left-over membrane attracts rats !  Also tea bags are made of a "plastic" that doesn't rot down, and I kept finding them all over the garden, so stopped putting them in too.  I love composting, my heavy clay soil is vastly improved with 25 years of compost added to it.  (Or should I say the top layer is vastly improved, dig down more than four inches and it should be in the studio not the garden !)

 

Well, i know rats will eat just about anything, I'm careful not to put any cooked veg in the compost, the birds get  any left-over veg.

 

Did you know Herring Gulls will eat Broccoli? 

 

I hadn't considered the left over membrane though, but I also don't have a problem with rats. I do have a heavy acid soil so I think I'll continue with the addition of small pieces of calcium rich eggshell.

 

Teabags - not seen a problem so far - I don't think mine are plastic, but there's no info on the box.

 

I'll keep an eye out for rats though.