hotbins

HotBins

For in-depth information on hotbins, see the manufacturer’s website

‘Hotbins’ are specially designed, insulated composters that can be used for kitchen or garden materials. They enable you to make hot compost in a small composter, because the thick, insulated walls of the Hotbin stop this heat from escaping. The high temperatures inside the bin mean that you can compost cooked food, meat and dairy safely.

How it works:

You add your food scraps and chopped garden materials to the Hotbin regularly, along with shredded paper/card and what the Hotbin manufacturer call, ‘bulking agent’. You can buy this from the Hotbin company, or use your own supply of woodchip or chopped twiggy materials. The shredded paper soaks up moisture, and the bulking agent helps to create air pockets.

Microbes heat up the bin to between 40 – 60 C, and if fed regularly with fresh material, the bin stays at this temperature, producing ‘unfinished’ compost in 30-90 days. They come with a thermometer so that you can monitor how hot they are.

You can remove unfinished compost from the hatch at the bottom of the bin after about 1 month to 90 days. You can it as a mulch on the surface of your soil, but if you can wait longer, it benefits from being left to mature in a pile in contact with soil.

Why use a HotBin?

All food scraps, including meat and cooked food, as well as chopped garden waste can be composted safely
Produces compost quickly
Good for small spaces
You don’t have to turn the compost, which makes it less tiring than some methods

What are the downsides?

Expensive
Needs to be fed regularly to maintain high temperature
These are more ‘fussy’ than other methods and can take practice to get good results
They are not rat-proof
They can’t handle large amounts of waste