I love my dump

[wyoDreamer]

We don't have a dump, we take our trash to the "Transfer Station". It is only open 2 times a week and for 3 hours at a time. It is taken care of by the town council. They have an area set for metal or items that someone may want to recycle - you are free to pick if you want. Last week there were 2 bicycles there - they just needed new tires. Their philosophy is that it is better to have someone take it home than to pay the garbage company to take it.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Our dump is a "transfer station" as well.

 

[Mini Horses]

Their philosophy is that it is better to have someone take it home than to pay the garbage company to take it.

True. Some just have blinders on!

 

[flowerbug]

i wish there was a better way of doing things here than what happens as i'm sure a lot of useful things don't get reused.

we try to put useful things at the end of the driveway with a FREE sign on them and they usually don't stay out there very long before someone will nab them.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

I am truly blessed.
*There is a 2 bay garage where people drop off clothing, books, furniture, and other household items to be recycled.
*Often, windows and doors, as well as other recyclable building materials are placed beside the demolition dumpster, instead of being thrown in. I've even seen rolls of electrical wire placed there.
*Then, the burn pile... often brand new boards, as well as lightly used lumber. There are signs posted that dump picking is not allowed. But, the employees look the other way. I've never been reprimanded for my brazen "picking". Of course, I exercise safety, and wouldn't cross the fence to pick OUT OF the demo dumpster. But, have used a rake to retrieve something from the top before!
*The compost area is an absolute gold mine!

How often you should turn compost? is it about the size of the pile, green to brown ratio and amount of moisture in the pile?

 

[wyoDreamer]

@YourRabbitGirl
I turn my compost pile whenever I remember, lol. My compost tumbler was turned every day as I added more scraps to it. Once it was full, I turned it every other day for a couple of weeks, adding water every time I turned it. When it was done composting, I would dump it into the wheel barrow and start over.
The more you turn it, the more oxygen and the faster it will break down. As you turn it, you can also check the moisture content and make sure it is decomposing well. My guess would be turning it 2 times a week would be optimal - no more than once a day or it dries out too fast.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

The compost pile at the town dump is not turned. I drove around the leaf pile today, just to check it out. It's about 10' tall, and about 40' diameter. It rots down pretty well. The only turning it gets is if they move the current pile of new leaves out of the center of the parking lot to make room for a new pile.

I don't turn my home compost, either. In the winter months, compost materials:

Get piled in the garden

or... Get piled in a pallet bin

or... gets dumped into the tumbler. I usually don't turn the tumbler b/c the winter time additions freeze into a solid block. It's just a holding area until spring weather arrives. By then, it can be pretty anaerobic. But, when I open it up and add that material to some browns, it breaks down quickly.

or... get fed to my worm bucket.

Mostly, I rely on the chickens to make my compost: deep litter in coop and run. I've been tossing dry or sprouted grains in the litter to encourage them to churn it up. And, if they don't churn enough to cover their night time additions, I keep a garden fork handy to toss some litter over it. This does a nice job keeping the poo from forming a iced poo cap under the perches.

In the summer, I sheet compost, or trench compost.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Today, when I drove through the transfer station, I saw a PERFECT chick brooder. It was a toddler bed. Unfortunately, it was frozen to the ground, and I had no way to transport it... nor did I have a good place to store it. But... it would have been absolutely perfect!!!

 

[flowerbug]

How often you should turn compost? is it about the size of the pile, green to brown ratio and amount of moisture in the pile?

i didn't see this question. you can repost it to the Gardening On Your Homestead Forum and i bet you will get more answers.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

i wish there was a better way of doing things here than what happens as i'm sure a lot of useful things don't get reused.

we try to put useful things at the end of the driveway with a FREE sign on them and they usually don't stay out there very long before someone will nab them.

I did that once in front of our front porch. Even if it's all sort of broken stuff, there is a lot looking for something to tinker.. washing machines, an oven toaster, some hand me down clothes.. All of the items. Didn't last an hour..