[Oliver]

I have just read (some of) redwellies blog. One should NEVER put cooked food (meat, bones, etc) on a compost heap, even in a container, especially in a public place. It will always attract creatures - foxes, rats, maybe even domestic creatures. It's bad enough when rats frequent a 'normal' heap.  The next problem will be how to get rid of the rats (oh - phone the Council - who will come along and poison them), or the moan will be about b****y foxes.  Well - the answer is in your hands - don't attract them.

Everything has a right to life in the right place, so let's not invite them to be slaughtered by us. Just thought I would put in a word for us four legged creature ...
Olly

[lucywil]

in redwellies defence the green cone composter that she speaks of is intended for cooked food waste.

[Oliver]

in redwellies defence the green cone composter that she speaks of is intended for cooked food waste.

thank you lucywil, I rather thought I would get into trouble expressing my opinion.

This may well be the manufacturer's intention, but reading redwellies blog, she has had the problem of foxes - and will continue to have to waste her time defending her plot against marauders when she could be directing her enegy towards tending her plot. Things are often 'designed' to do a certain job, but all they end up doing to relieving us of our money and causing us grief. I think this is a case in point.

Better keep chickens who eat cooked food waste (mind you, foxes love chickens ... so ... you can't win. Sigh.

Part of this debate is about the 'government's' new idea of having fortnightly collection of bins - recycles more, and makes us greener (huh? how?).

Food waste - bones, skin, fat - stuff that putrifies - makes smells. Moving this stuff onto allotments causes another problem: it still smells, but 'vermin' is attracted now, which will then have to be dealt with by 'the Council' so how does that help us?

In the USA (her sister-in-law) puts food waste in a drawer in the freezer. Then when bins are due our the stuff goes in the bin so it is there for a minimum length of time - and not overnight, so marauders dont spill the contents of the bin all over the road. Now that IS a good idea.
O

[liz from the fizz]

Even if i had a freezer i dont like the idea of filling it with 'stuff' that is going out to the bin men.  Maybe cook less, waste less and less waist, we are renowned for throwing out of date food away, with me its soggy cucumber. but dont start me on the council collections thats a whole can of worms on its own :x

[Aunt Sally]

I rather thought I would get into trouble expressing my opinion.


In the USA (her sister-in-law) puts food waste in a drawer in the freezer. Then when bins are due our the stuff goes in the bin so it is there for a minimum length of time - and not overnight, so marauders don't spill the contents of the bin all over the road. Now that IS a good idea.
O

No one gets into trouble on here for expressing an opinion Oliver, as long as it is done in a pleasant non aggressive manner.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion and to argue it here.  Debate is healthy !

Freezing unpleasant waste until the fortnightly collection is due is what I will have to do soon.  Not a very green option though as it must use extra energy to  freeze it down!

[richyrich7]

Cone composters are specifically designed with cooked house hold waste in mind, they will even decompose poultry carcasses. Greencone themselves have been tested by several councils and several countries and have been found to be an excellent way of disposing household food waste, you can even buy a rat proof liner if you so wish.

The only downside to a cone composter is the price IMHO

I personally think redwellies is doing an excellent job, deterring foxes is a pain but well worth the effort. Far better than carting it off in a diesel lorry dumping in land fill and leaving for some one else to worry about. In an urban environment rats and foxes are vermin and need dealing with as such.

I too would have an issue of freezing household food waste, sounds unhygienic let alone anything else, Like Liz says we need to

Maybe cook less, waste less and less waist, we are renowned for throwing out of date food away,

There that's my two pence worth.  

[WG.]

I rather thought I would get into trouble expressing my opinion

I don't think that is the case at all Oliver.  Rather, I believe you got that reaction since your opinion was expressed in a way which could cause embarassment to RW.

We are all very defensive of our reputation as a "friendly forum", can I remind members that there is a Private Messaging system available should anyone wish to clarify any point with another member before going public with a posting.

  Thank you

[Oliver]

... I believe you got that reaction since your opinion was expressed in a way which could cause embarassment to RW.

Sorry! I had no intention of embarrassing anyone. Apologies if I embarassed you RW

I also agree with the view that if we cooked less and wasted less that would be a good thing. But I won't start anyone off down the road of waste collection, waste disposal systems, overpackaging of products at point of sale, recycling etc etc - she has retired from that now, so just does her own thing doing her bit ... and recycling everything possible.
O :?

[GrannieAnnie]

Well I'm pleased to say that not much goes to waste here, if we leave anything, dog gets the meat, chooks get the veg, unless dog looks longingly at it first.  Poultry carcasses are stewed for stock, til there's not much left of them, then I must admit, they do go into landfill, but are wrapped in some of the plastic that our Council won't take in the re-cycling bin!

[penance]

I have stopped using the supplied council food waste bin, the lid warps, the smell gets out, you can guess the rest.
I now just chuck it in the bin like we did before.
The council can not do anything about it, the only regs covering it state that you get be had for putting non recyclable waste in a recycle bin but not vice versa.

[Trillium]

Personally, I applaud Redwellies for at least trying to compost those cooked things in the Greencone. Seems no matter what you do, you attract vermin, so her attempts to block out the foxes rather than having them killed or hunted by the council and others is a step in the right direction. Waste disposal is a problem for us all in our various areas - I'd sooner deal with foxes than bears as half of Ontario does. We have freezers but choose not to put the waste in them as our power costs are rather staggering. I've seen the Greencone, and while they're not cheap, they seem a useful idea as they're more solar based than manual turning based. They are definitely not bear resistant, but at least they're eco friendly to the creatures we must live with and protect, something we tend to forget in our annoyance at their natural foraging.  

[richyrich7]

BEARS !!! and I thought bloomin foxes where bad enough.

[johnkelly]

Of course the real answer is to go vegetarian - no animal waste at all then  

[WG.]

Of course the real answer is to go vegetarian - no animal waste at all then  

   I couldn't live without bacon!

[Trillium]

Yes, Richy, we have bears here. Fortunately they start less than an hour north of where I live but they're moving south. They are nasty foragers who can easily rip apart any garbage enclosure short of h.d. metal cages bolted down, which only make them angrier because they can't get into them. You don't dare compost this type of waste in those areas, nor can you raise bees without enclosing the hives in h.d. metal cages as well. Tip areas are also specially designed to foil these predators who'd happily live at them and attack incoming trucks.

As for vegetarianism, I like the cooking but would miss my bacon and chicken too much.