We’ve got compost!!

Posted on by January 31, 2008
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Our evaluation unit showing the draw front and ‘Cure Tray’ where finished compost is ready for use.

Since the big switch on we’ve been feeding the NatureMill with food scraps, mostly old fruit and out of date bread. Today I happened to open the draw front and checked the terracotta coloured ‘Cure Tray’ and found our first batch of nice looking compost ! Impressive as it’s only been a few days.

Now and again I hear the machine turning over the compost in the mixing chamber keeping the mix aerated. When adding new food you notice that the composting chamber is quite warm. This also helps speed the composting process.

The machine is made from a recycled foam/plastic material which has excellent installation properties, so once the composting chamber is up to temperature it requires very little power to keep it warm.

Getting Started

Posted on by January 25, 2008
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First things first, I walk down to our vegetable patch and get some soil with which to prime the NatureMill with. The instructions suggest 2 mug fulls. The soil provides the bacteria which will break the food waste down into compost. I add a couple of hand fulls of sawdust pellets from the bag provided (to give the compost body) and 2 table spoons of Bi Carbonate of Soda to help keep the acidity correct. I pop in a few token scraps of food and prepare for the big switch on.

With the transformer, NatureMill and travel adapter connected up, I switch it on. The NatureMill produces a low hum which is the air pump recycling air from the composting ‘mixing chamber’. Recycling the air speeds up the composting action by keeping the oxygen levels up. The ‘old’ air is extracted via a carbon filter which keeps everything smelling sweet.

Primed with sawdust pellets and garden earth.

It’s Here

Posted on by January 24, 2008
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The NatureMill arrived nicely packed and undamaged after it’s trip from the USA complete with instructions, a US power adapter (!), a bag of sawdust pellets and some Bi Carbonate of Soda. Before I could start composting the first job was to pop into town and pick up a travel adapter so that we could plug it in. That done I set up the composter in our pantry, just a couple of steps from the kitchen. I’m thinking the more convenient the location the more likely we are to recycle.

Box Fresh, direct from the USA

VAT to pay….

Posted on by January 23, 2008
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Back in the office after teaching skiing for a couple of weeks and I find a bill from Parcelforce asking for the VAT on our evaluation NatureMill machine which is currently stuck in a local depot. I pay the VAT and the hefty Parcelforce ‘Admin’ fee and ask if they will deliver tomorrow.