HennyPenny Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Hi, I'm determined to drag my village primary school into the 21st century so I've finally organised some recycling and now I want to move on to composting but I'm coming up against some resistance from staff - can you help me convince them please? We have a compost bin (empty and never used) but I'm told it can't be used because it has no base and therefore nothing to 'keep all the stuff in' (we've got no garden, just concrete playgrounds), 'it will smell', 'it will attract flies', 'it's unhygienic for the children' etc etc. I've tried to counter against all the arguments apart from the first one but it's a hard fight! Please could anyone tell me if it's possible to use a compost bin on concrete without a base without everything spilling out or if it's possible to buy a base for a plastic compost bin? Does it have to be on soil to get worms in to make compost? Every day when we throw away all the ataff teabags and the children's fruit remains it seems like such a waste. Please help if you can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Poor you, what ignoramusses (ignorami?) you're up against. Having said that, I don't know the answer . We have one at school but it's on soil. If you don't get an answer here (most unlikely ) I'll ask our Science teacher when we get back after half term if she knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 It will only smell if you let it. Layer green and brown stuff, and put the occasional layer of earth in it to add micro-organisms etc. It would be better on soil because of the worm issue, but if that is not possible, concrete will be fine. You can always add a few worms. If you do put it on soil, put several layers of chicken wire round the bottom, or a piece of weldmesh, to stop rats getting in. Some-one will have to be responsible for making sure the lid is on at the end of the day too. What a fantastic idea. Good luck with it. Ignore the Luddites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 There is no issue with having a compost bin on concrete... you can purchase worms to add to it to set it going.. lobworms (earthworms to you and I ) and/or brandlings/Dendras which are the smaller worms which are the ones that really thrive and are beneficial for composting.... Don't need many to start as they will reproduce happily if get supplied with a good balance of waste to eat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 What are you going to do with the compost once it has been made? The only issue that I can think of on concrete is liquid coming out of the bottom, perhaps you could make an area for it to sit on that has some absorbant material under it like bark chippings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HennyPenny Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 Omlet to the rescue again! I've now spoken to the parent who runs the school gardening club and, with your help, I've got her well and truly on side! She's going to sort out some planks to build a little wall around the bin (like a mini raised bed) so we can put it on soil/bark chippings. I'm going to try and tie this in with Science week at the beginning of March by making it 'green week' at school and introducing the children to the joys of composting! Just got to get mini compost caddies for the staffroom and classrooms and we'll be away.......oh yes, better get a definitive list of what can go into the bin and what mustn't or it'll all go pear-shaped and no-one will trust me to have a good idea ever again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Well done HennyPenny! A couple of old ice cream tubs with lids should do for the staff room! here is a composting guide - http://www.compostguide.com All the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Rosie's school does this - they have a few compost heaps and a wormery too in the garden area. There are compost bins around the school for the children to put their compostable waste in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little chickadee Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Yay - well done . It's so important to be showing the kids what doesn't need to be thrown away. It's amazing that so many people are still so completely clueless about recycling/ composting. We're really lucky as our local authority has brown/blue/black bins and recycling is a big thing here. Good luck. It might be worth seeing if your local authority sponsor subsidized bins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Great idea, I would love to see schools recycling more and encouraging the children to think about it, if you get it going well most of those children will grow up to recycle. My only thought was you may need to add some extra clippings etc to the compost every once in a while if it's mostly going to get fruit peelings and tea bags. I guess you could take in the odd carrier bag of clippings if it starts to look a bit slimy and fermented. Don't forget chicken poo is great added to compost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbug Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 sounds great. Best way to start early. Think all schools should do it. The council may well give you compost bins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 Great idea, I would love to see schools recycling more and encouraging the children to think about it, if you get it going well most of those children will grow up to recycle. My only thought was you may need to add some extra clippings etc to the compost every once in a while if it's mostly going to get fruit peelings and tea bags. I guess you could take in the odd carrier bag of clippings if it starts to look a bit slimy and fermented. Don't forget chicken poo is great added to compost I would suggest that shredded paper/cardboard as well... ... and if you can get some comfrey plants grown by the school gardening club you can add some cut leaves from this which is fantastic compost addition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 This is a good link... its a link to the RHS webpage around getting schools involved in gardening.. not strictly around composting but certainly a complementary aim http://www.rhs.org.uk/schoolgardening/default.aspa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Licken Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I registered ont he RHS site yesterday - it looks really good. In cambs there is a county 'compost bus' that you can arrange to visit. I wonder if you have anything similar. I got sent a link for our one today and will try to arrange a visit next half term. Good luck. I have 3 compost bins in our little garden at school. Sadly getting the green waste into the bins is too much effort for many!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 A bit off topic, but a school where I help out occasionally is applying to become an **Eco School** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 The special school I work in won its second green flag in 2007 . Our science teacher is really good - she's organised planting of trees, compost bin & a herb and veg garden. Chickens next perhaps . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
