Creating a Three-Bin Compost System from Pallets!

A few weekends ago at one of our workdays, we created both a rain water filter (to be discussed in a future post) and a three-bin compost system, which I will be writing about here!

THE MAKING OF THE COMPOST BINS

First, we obtained pallets, like this:



We got ours from Oberlin College Facilities but if you can't do that, used pallets are probably available for free or very cheap if you ask around at garden centers, farms, etc. We then put them together in this basic design:



which follows the idea that the raw materials to be composted (food scraps, yard waste, shredded paper, what have you) goes into bin (1) and once (1) is full, the contents are flipped into bin (2). Once (2) is full, it is flipped into bin (3) and (1) is again flipped into (2). By the time you get to the third "flipping," the compost in (3) will theoretically be ready to use. For more information, visit this site. For other compost bin designs and construction instructions, try this link.

To start out, we placed the pallets like so:



and attached the pallets on the ends together with wire hangers. We left the pallets separating (1) from (2) and (2) from (3) unattached, so they can be slid in and out to facilitate flipping of the contents of one bin into the next. We also added some boards across the bottom of each bin because of the gaps in the pallets.

There are various techniques that can be used to speed up and ameliorate the process of composting using this system. Good airflow is key, because it helps the chemical reaction proceed faster. It also helps to flip the compost over every once in a while, once again to allow oxygen to flow through the compost. What you put in also affects how fast your compost breaks down and how good the product is. An ideal ratio is about 30 parts carbon to one part nitrogen. You can find information on carbon and nitrogen sources, plus lots of other good general composting tips, at this website. For more information on the chemistry behind composting, try here.

A three bin compost system makes sense because it's inexpensive, easy to construct (provided you have a few laborers prepared to lug some pallets around), composts relatively quickly, and can hold a large amount of compost. If you have space, consider constructing one. Composting is cool, guys!