It’s getting better. But it’s still not right. I have been following the advice from the helpful people at Hotbin – and it does smell nice at the top and is proper hot and getting through the waste. But at the bottom, it’s still compacted solid and oozy and a bit smelly.

I thought it was less smelly but my friend Jane came round while I was emptying it and said it reminded her of being in India. So maybe I am just getting accustomed to the smell. I’m still getting lots of fluid and not getting usable compost. Though I think I could use some of this as mulch.

I think this time round, I think I have added enough cardboard but not mixed it in properly. I still have a problem with bulking agent. It’s hard to add enough to stop it compacting, but still have compost (not sticks) at the end.

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But on the bright side, Pickle says at least I have a mulch-generator, and looking at the earlier pictures (below from Jan) it is getting better.

NB: those potato starch bags (“just POP them in your food recycling bin”) DON’T break down. Don’t pop them in.