Building, owning and operating a stillage cage composter
The definition of happiness: Building a stillage cage composter in the garden to help create energy rich compost from waste. It's a blessing to be alive, thriving and promoting life.
Take a look on line and you will see a wide range of composters being built using different new and upcycled materials. At the end of the day, they ALL fulfill the task of diverting and converting food waste into nutrient rich compost for no-dig and other gardening purposes.
What we particularly like about stillage cage composters is the practical strength and simplicity. Yes, there is a capital cost when it comes to purchasing a second hand stillage cage, but there are a lot of advantages including:
- Galvanised steel: It will last a long time. Spread your initial outlay over 20 years, then patch and use for another 20 before passing on to the next generation of garden dwellers.
- Flat packed and universally available: Globally, stillage cages get paid for and move heavy components around the world in shipping containers. They are plentiful and can be transported to you for upcycling into a good composter.
- Easy to vermin proof: Line with vermin mesh and everything you put in comes out when you want it.
You really don't need much. Get yourself a good location, a roll of vermin mesh and a few tools. If you can't do it on site, you may find it even easier off site where you can do it on a large table.
A picture speaks a thousand words and here is the sequence of photos as they were taken.