[Greenbuilding] re: Compost issues

[Speireag Alden]

Sgrìobh Robert Tom:

>The weatherstripped lid would ensure that no odours would "escape".

     The problem is that for aerobic decomposition, you want the 
oxygen to be able to get in, and the carbon dioxide to be able to get 
out.  Thus, the utility of straw bale sides and a loose straw 
topping.  Air can get in from everywhere, but the container is 
reasonably insulated.

     With all this weatherstripping, you would likely have an 
anaerobic mess.  I suppose, if you kept it hot and anaerobic, pretty 
soon it would be a dead aneaerobic mess, and you could then prop the 
lid a bit and let nature take its course.

     But it seems like overkill when you could use straw bales.  Or 
pallets lined with multiple layers of cardboard.  Or whatever 
biodegradable (or permanent, and insulated) container floats your 
boat.

-Speireag.

-- 
A wise man will make haste to forgive, because he knows the true 
value of time, and will not suffer it to pass away in unnecessary 
pain.
--Samuel Johnson, lexicographer (1709-1784)