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Compost Bins (Wire)


Description:

 

Composting enthusiasts take heart! There are plastic-coated wire compost bins up to the task of converting your weeds and scraps into good compost. This sample 15.6 cubic feet bin is an example of an enclosure constructed from PVC-coated steel wire. This topic originally pointed to a coated-wire compost bin that has unfortunately gone the way of the Dodo - though you can buy similar outer bins from several manufacturers and construct the inner vent using hardware cloth or a few tight wraps of chicken wire. Use the image on the left below as an example of how the central aerator should work. (The retired bins were made by the C.E. Shepherd Company that makes Shepherd Wire Products - just no compost bins any more. If you ever see them reappear in the marketplace please let us know!)

 

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Features and Benefits

 

  • Unique central ventilator speeds up composting process (build the ventilator yourself)
  • Galvanized and PVC coated steel in various colors (green or black are good to make the bin disappear into the landscape)
  • Rust and corrosion resistant
  • Durability depends upon how well you treat the bin. (If it is relocated every year for a new batch of compost it will last longer.)

Specifications (of the sample bin - made by Bosmere and available in many retail outlets)

  • Size Dimensions: 30"L x 30"W x 30"H - Mesh is 5" x 2"
  • Capacity: 15.6 cubic feet capacity (expandable)
  • Composition: Plastic coated Galvanized Steel
  • Usage: All-purpose yard waste
  • Key Features: PVC coated wire mesh (construct your own central aerator)
  • One year warranty

 

You can also make your own compost enclosures using circled pieces of 4x4" concrete wire with an interior lining of 1x2" welded wire. This tip and photos was sent in by listener Tom Bunch. The beauty of this design is that they can be easily moved around. When the composted contents of the bin have broken down sufficiently simply pick up the double rings of wire and move them to the next spot and have easy access to dig out the finished compost.

 


  You can see the outer ring of concrete wire and the inner ring of the smaller grid of the welded wire. Photos by Tom Bunch.

 

These materials would come from your local hardware or big box building suppliers.

 


 

To purchase finished wire bins, here are several manufacturers with broad retail distribution of their compost bins:

 

Bosmer: Click here for more information.

 

vidaXL: Click here for more information.

 

Google search on "Wire Composter Bin"

 

Google search on "wire compost bin"

 

There are some other non-wire bins available that do a nice job. The Geobin Composting System is one of those, a wrap of sturdy black plastic that is durable and easy to move when the time comes. Pound in a few metal fence posts around the inside of the flexible bin to hold it in place or keep the dogs out.

 

 

 

 

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