What is a Compost Bin?
A compost bin is a safely controlled environment that recycles organic waste in an efficient and natural way, by producing humus, (Lat. earth, soil). Mostly, instead of using a compost bin, our organic waste is flushed down the drain, into the sewers, and thrown away in the trash, but a composting bin is a safe alternative method to dealing with our own waste. There is one major rule for anyone interested in composting: Organic waste (especially animal), should NEVER, EVER come in contact with the environment. It shouldn’t come in contact with water, nor soil, and it’s always a good idea to keep your hands clean after messing with any organic waste. This is the point of a compost bin, to keep the environment well controlled.
Dealing with the waste produced by humanity is a complex issue that has troubled us from the beginnings of human civilization. But dealing with it in the proper way is still a very plausible possibility, especially when using a compost bin. What is a compost bin?
The origin of the word Bin, is difficult to define, in Old English it was “binne” (manger, or crib) in Gaulish, from Old Celt “benna”, akin to the Welsh word “benn” (a cart), in Dutch “benne”, (is large basket). Perhaps Compost Bin comes from the Old Celtic word “benna”, (which could be used as a dung cart). There certainly is a logic to these associations, but most importantly, why the word?
There are so many different kinds of compost bins, that the proper way to choose a compost bin is to decide which process will give you the kind of humus needed, and provide the most efficient composting process for your environment. In short, the bin itself is just that, a bin, or a place to store your compost while undergoing the breakdown process. It could be of wire-mesh, recycled warehouse pallets, old wood from a ripped apart shed, maybe a broken above ground plastic swimming pool, or even a pile of compost sitting in the backyard between two layers of tarp.
Just as long as the bin, provides the compost with a place to do its job; make humus. The oldest compost bins, were just holes in the ground with about eight inches of earth thrown over the top, which is fine, if you don’t throw anything really volatile, in the hole. But the idea of a compost bin is to RECYCLE organic waste. Which means providing a place totally out of contact with the environment, protected from rain, since rainwater, would just wash the decomposed materials into the ground soil, polluting it.
Soil pollution is a crime against nature and human kind. Making compost bins an essential concept when composting. Any compost bin, needs a bottom (to protect it from coming in contact with soil), walls (to keep it in an organized pile, easily turned, or tumbled without falling away from the bin) and a cover (to protect it from the rain). The compost bin can be made from recycled materials, and requires very little upkeep. The important part is the compost itself, so as to produce a safe, and viable product that keeps the planet, the country, the city, the home and our families, healthy and safe, for future generations to come.
