Organic material for allotment.

[Jay-ell]

.

But, are coffee grounds and tea bags green or browns?

They're high in nitrogen so are considered greens. The bags in teabags, I've noticed, don't break down in the regular compost bin.

[4Shoes]

No they are not. We had a rat in ours in the spring, dalek is sitting on a plastic base (the type that are shaped to fit) which itself sits on a concrete slab - part of a shed base, so no way the rat could dig under it.

Opening the lid to find tunnels and droppings, definitely not mouse sized resulted in squealing, from me rather than the rat!

Have no idea how it got in to be honest, I’m betting it squeezed in the ‘door’ at the bottom although not visably dislodged as the bin and base haven’t been chewed and the lid was still firmly on.

Only composed mainly grass, prunings nothing that should attract rats.

Have to say it has rather put me off composting at home so now take everything to the allotment. I know there are rats there but the local cat that hunts on the allotment catches them.

As a simple guide....

A mouse will get in a hole the diameter of your small finger.
A Rat a hole the diameter of your thumb. Rats are also quite strong, so could lift the lid just enough to squeeze through. Put a brick on it.

[bikermike]

There is no absolute rodent-proof composting. TBH, there are probably rats nearer to you than you think anyway.

I think a dalek is less attractive. We found a tunnel and a small number of droppings in our original compost heap (which was chickenwire with poles in the corners). I replaced it with a dalek on paved base. This seems to have kept the rats at bay.

That being said, the trick is to make it as unattractive to rats as possible, so keep it damp and frequently disturbed. with the plot heaps, I have a long steel rod that I poke the heap with to keep it from being too peaceful.

[1Bee]

I think a caddy needs to be small enough to be easily portable and tippable into a dalek....I sometimes press a small plastic garden trug into service, and it's annoying because I always spill while tipping. My enamel bucket is way better.

When I prepping veg, I put a piece of newspaper on the counter next to the chopping board, then simply fold it over the peelings/waste and toss it into the bucket. It means it's easy to pick it up so I don't need a counter-top caddy to scrape in to. Just a tip.