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In-pot composting uses a bin or container to aerate and speed up decomposition. It reduces odors and leachate, making it ideal for locations like schools and restaurants. It also offers more control over the process and can produce compost faster. Some units can be used indoors.
In-pot composting takes many forms, but is primarily distinguished by the use of a bin, as opposed to the open pile approach or covered piles of other methods. Some versions have a container, or container, which is rotated to aerate the compost and speed up decomposition; other methods, such as vertical composting units (VCUs), rely on gravity and the upward movement of hot air to provide motion. Many in-pot composting units are completely enclosed or sealed systems, but others can sometimes be used open to the outside environment. As with any compost, some sort of bulk material, such as wood pulp, can be added to aid in aeration.
In their most basic forms, composting units inside pots can resemble small cement mixers. Such units can be found in patios or gardens and consist of a drum that is sealed and periodically turned by hand after adding new material to the compost. Another, much larger example can be used by farmers to dispose of dead animals and other organic agricultural waste. In these more basic forms of in-pot composting, the compost may require a period of time outside the pot for the elements to settle before it is usable.
The great strengths of composting in pots are the reduction of odors and the reduction of leachate, contaminated water produced as runoff from compost piles. While some units may require that the compost be finished outdoors, the period during which compost gives off its strongest odors is during the time it is still in the bin. Any leachate produced is prevented from contaminating the soil by being in a container, but the amount produced is also reduced, because the water content of the compost can be controlled. Some types of more advanced systems even claim that they produce no leachate at all. These features are particularly attractive in locations such as school cafeterias or restaurants, where the units can be used to dispose of food waste.
When composting on an industrial scale, some may favor the economics of outdoor composting, such as the swath method, in which compost is shaped into long piles called “swaths,” but health regulations may suggest the preference for the potted method. Aside from odor and leachate issues, inside-pot methods keep the compost from attracting wildlife and offer more control over the entire process, even allowing for composting inside places like kitchens. According to the manufacturer’s claims, some in-pot units can significantly reduce the time it takes to produce finished compost, and some VCU units allow compost to be continuously recovered from the bottom even as new material is added to the top.
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