I started composting with a simple black bin, the economy discounted version from the council. I chucked the food in and it biodegraded down into brown sticky stuff. For 14 months all was well - then the rats arrived. I stopped putting (uncooked) food waste in but the rats stayed.
So I went out and got myself a Green Johanna compost bin.
Considered to be the rolls Royce of compost bins, and is priced appropriately.
However it claimed to be rat proof and able to compost everything including cooked food waste and bones.
Wincing slightly I parted with the cash and it duly arrived flat packed ready for us to erect.
The full kit Includes:
1 x Mixing stick
4 x Outer rings
1 x Lid
1 x Base
2 x Doors
1 x Bag of fixing screws
1 x Instruction manual
It was easy to install and looked just like an ordinary compost bin. Except it had a floor. It came with complex sounding instructions which we ignored, and a stirring stick we rarely used. Despite this it worked fine.
Two years later I can confirm that it can dispose of a chicken carcasses, lamb shanks a dead rat and PLA plastic pots. The live rats have left - moved on to find more accessible bins no doubt.
Plastic we use….
This compost bin is made of plastic and I am fine with that because I think that plastic is the best man for the job. It is waterproof, rot proof, light weight, and best of all, RAT PROOF.
More importantly it keeps a lot of biodegradable rubbish out of landfill which reduces our carbon foot print.
We will also get some compost for the garden so reducing our reliance on manufactured fertilizers.
Its worth it.
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Fancy composting? Want something cheaper? Read this intro
the little beasts can tunnel. quite deep and quite far!
I’m about to get one - rats started living in my normal black bin so I had to just empty it out into a heap. But I’m going to put gridwire (or chicken wire) underneath the GJ and perhaps a circle of bamboo canes stuck deep into the ground like a fortification. I read a review somewhere where someone had had success doing this. I don’t know how many canes will be needed though!
oh no! going to double check mine!
I got one of these and it worked for a few years (they were given by the local council. But now the rats have worked out how to chew through the plastic