For many of us home owners in Australia, we have made the weekend trip to the big green shed and purchased a big black/green compost bin to do our bit for the environment.  Unfortunately, these bins can take sometime to break down kitchen waste and can be referred to as ‘cold’ compost bins.  They have a tendency of being very damp  and therefore become stinky and on the nose.

One way to alleviate some of this problem, is to make a compost aerator.  A compost aerator will help increase the airflow within the compost bin and assist with the breaking down process.

Follow the step by step guide below…

Step1:  Measure the height of your compost bin.

Step 2:  Source a piece of PVC pipe.  Measure and cut to desired length.  I was lucky enough to have some piping left over from a Home Renovation.

Step 3: Drill random holes in the side of the PVC pipe.

Step 4:    Make a hole in the centre of your compost bin.

Step 5:  Now double check that you have the piping the correct length.

Step 6:   Drive the pipe in to the center of the compost heap.

Step 7:   Add some brown material to soak up some of the moisture.  In this case I have used some peas straw.

This cheap and easy modification should help with the issue of a moist and stinky compost heap.