Old Plastic garden bins

[caseylee]

I have managed to get 4 plastic garden bins from a kind person on freecycle.  I am looking to put these onto the lottie and use to store my horse manure while it composts.  Any ideas as only one has a lid, what the best way of making a cover for them.  Any pictures would also be wonderful, and can you use them as a compost bin so they work

[caseylee]

[valmarg]

What size are your bins (please use feet and inches as I am an Oldie).

valmarg

[Uncle Joshua]

Could you cover it with an old compost bag and some string?

[caseylee]

to be honest I am not the best with size, I am picking them up tomorrow, they are the old black bins that we used to use for rubbish.  I got a lot of horse manure today which needs to go in a compost bin for a while so I though these might do

[Georgie]

Might not be that easy to do but why not turn the bin upside down on top of the manure?

G x

[aromatic]

 :-\  Not sure if this would work or not, but I do know that an old carpet can be used to cover compost, not sure if it would be at all practical with your black plastic bins?  Could be weighted down by a few spare bricks!! Hope you manage to find a solution!!

Does a compost heap need to get hot?Your compost heap will only get really hot if you put a large amount on in one go,
although it will normally be slightly warm in the middle, even in winter.
Covering the surface with an old carpet or bubblewrap helps to keep the warmth in.
If you are making your own bin from pallets, consider packing the pallets with insulation- expanded polystyrene, foam ( in plastic bag) or antthing else you have available. If its anything water-absorbent, put in a plastic bag first.

Should compost piles be covered?Covering compost piles can help to maintain/speed up the composting process.

During the summer (warmer temperatures) covering a compost pile with carpet or cardboard etc. will retain moisture.
During the winter (colder temperatures, rain, snow etc) covering will prevent compost heaps from getting too wet.

These are a few snippets of information I have found regarding covering compost with carpet etc.... hope it helps!!

   

[SMP1704]

I'm with MickW:  cut open a thick plastic sack (old compost bag) and use string to tie to the top of the bin once it is full with manure.

Same principle as fixing a fabric or cellophane square to a jam jar - just bigger!