[Alifink]

This must sound really thick, but can I put weeds into the compost bin as long as they have not got seed heads on.
Starting from scratch here.

[jondav14]

yes they can, but be careful about roots. Tap roots, bindweed root, couch grass root, etc will love you forever if you pop them into your bin. I leave the roots in a sunny spot and dry them before disposal, usually by fire.

[allotmentor]

An alternative if you are digging up wheel-barrows full of e.g bindweed or other perennial roots (no seeds though) is to pop them in a black plastic bin bag and let them rot down to an evil-smelling slime which you can then add to your compost bin. Alternatively, if you create a really hot compost bin - a friend on my allotment does it by lining his bins with that silver-backed foam insulation board which he collects from skips and adding regular doses of high nitrogen grass clippings which gets it so hot that you can't leave your hand in there - you can add them to your compost - if in doubt though, @jondav14's dry and burn approach is best.

[Alifink]

Thanks 

[Eightball]

Annual weeds I either put straight in my compost (if they haven't set seed!) or hoe and leave on the soil surface to rot down.

Perennial weed roots as stated can be put in black plastic bags but I would also add equal parts grass clippings and leave said bags in the sun. This added heat should cook the weeds in a couple of months and they should be a soggy mess. Make sure there are no holes in the bag where light can get in.

You can also drown them in a bucket of water. Weigh them down with a stone/brick of some kind so they are fully submerged and cover with a lid. Wait a few months and they should be dead. You can also use the resulting smelly liquid as a plant feed (make sure to dilute to the colour of weak tea!.

[3759allen]

personally i don't take a risk with weeds, i have enough other safer material to make enough compost.

i take all my weeds regardless of type to the tip.

[sunshineband]

All weeds go in my bin. Soft green stuff goes straight in, and those pernicious roots get left on the path to bake to death, and then in they go.

Tbh, it never seems to cause a problem, and I just have normal compost bins. Anything that looks dodgy when I empty the bin goes back in for another go.

I do sometimes drown the roots in a bucket of water for a few weeks, and then in they go, together with the water.

Seems to work OK fer me 

[Eightball]

personally i don't take a risk with weeds, i have enough other safer material to make enough compost.

i take all my weeds regardless of type to the tip.

Each to their own of course but weeds tend to take nutrients out of the soil so I like to try and put it back where possible.

[gremlin]

Everything goes in except bindweed, horsetail, horseraddish and dandelion seed heads.   
Then I leave it two years in the bin, covered over with black plastic. 
No problems.

[diospyros]

All weeds go in my bin.  Anything that looks dodgy when I empty the bin goes back in for another go.

Yep that would be my approach too!  Especially since I plan to have no-walk beds so weeding is hopefully going to be easy.  They're not triffids, after all.

[allotmentor]

You can also drown them in a bucket of water. Weigh them down with a stone/brick of some kind so they are fully submerged and cover with a lid. Wait a few months and they should be dead. You can also use the resulting smelly liquid as a plant feed (make sure to dilute to the colour of weak tea!.

Good point - in fact half hoping that nature will have done this for me and that the compensation for months under water and the loss of my autumn veg, raspberries and fruit trees (I'm assuming) - will be that I might finally have got rid of my persistent bindweed problem...

[3759allen]

personally i don't take a risk with weeds, i have enough other safer material to make enough compost.

i take all my weeds regardless of type to the tip.

Each to their own of course but weeds tend to take nutrients out of the soil so I like to try and put it back where possible.

i only say this as i would rather play safe than add un rotted seeds and roots to cause far more problems than  it's worth.

i am also lucky enough to have constant supplies of mulch and manure to add goodness to the soil. and have enough materiel to fill all my bins so wouldn't really benefit. after reading the replies i may try keeping and storing weeds in black bags and use if i do get room in the composters.