Ever wanted to compost, but not want the compost to deal with? Or do you want to compost things like cooked food and meat, but don’t know where to start? Let me introduce you to the Green Cone!

Green cone solar digester

What is a Green cone and how does it work?

A Green Cone is a solar digester. It uses the heat of the sun to compost/digest the food waste added to the bin. This is known as hot composting. This compost bin will digest food that cold composting cannot and will not leave you with any compost.

Where do I locate my green cone?

You need to locate your green cone somewhere sunny with an available bit of ground that can be dug up – no use putting it on a patio. It is also best to locate it in a convenient position in your garden so it is easy for you to compost – even when the weather is not so favourable.

How do I install it?

A green cone is different to a traditional compost bin in that you bury part of it. The black salad spinner bit at the bottom in buried in the ground, then a black cone is put on top of that and then the green cone bit sits on top of the black cone. This set up makes the bin nice and hot in the sun.

What can I put in it?

  • Cooked Food
  • Meat
  • Veg
  • Fruit
  • Peelings

Don’t put in:

  • Grass Cuttings
  • Paper and Cardboard

How do I use it?

  • All you do is put in your food waste and then it is magically composted with hardly any residue.
  • You need to make sure not to fill it above the buried part of the bin otherwise it will reduce its effectiveness.
  • This bin is really suited to composting food waste. You cannot compost paper or cardboard and it is not recommended to put your grass cuttings in either. These are more suited to your cold compost bin. Check out my post on How do I start Composting?
  • The bin will also work better and compost more in the summer than in the winter.

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3 Comments

Catherine · 17th October 2021 at 5:10 pm

My composter is infested with fleas. When I open the lid it is like a scene from the Birds, but with flies. Any suggestions?

    Fiona · 20th October 2021 at 9:35 am

    Compost bin can attract all sorts of flies due to the food decaying in the bin. However you can reduce the flies by making sure you have a good mix of green and brown waste and regularly turning your compost with a garden fork or a compost turner tool to get oxygen into the waste. Turn the compost daily until it has subsided and then continue to turn once a week thereafter. Your problem will hopefully die down, as the compost bin will have an even temperature throughout and constant movement making it less hospitable to fleas and flies. I hope this helps.

Aiming for Zero food waste · 2nd April 2021 at 11:58 pm

[…] smells and pests. There are a range of solutions for dealing with foods in Group B, including Green Cones, Green Johannas, HotBins and Wormeries. I liked the idea of a Wormery but wasn’t sure that I […]

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