REVIEW Tumbleweed Yardart Pet Poo Composter What is it? The Yard Art Pet Poo Composter is an exciting composting system from Tumbleweed, the trusted worm farm makers. After years of research and ongoing development the Pet Poo Composter hit the shelves in early 2013. Tumbleweed is an Australian owned company with a vision to make a significant contribution to our earth’s environmental sustainability by designing and manufacturing innovative products that encourage consumers of all ages to reduce, re-use and recycle organic waste. Did you know that all of their compost bins and worm farms are made from 100% recycled plastic? The Yardart Pet Poo Composter is the new player in their range. It is the first pet poo composter of its kind and when I spotted one in my local Bunnings I was excited. My husband and I had our own simple system of composting dog poo, but it was not very pretty and required bending to ground level (which was difficult for me while pregnant but too easy for our toddler). We had been using our buried bucket system for well over a year and were pleased to find an easier way. The picture of the dog using the Pet Poo Composter on the box says it all. I think it describes the product perfectly in a snapshot. The product is pitched at the green thumb and outlines the benefits for the garden. Personally, my focus is more on reducing landfill. Think about each time you do ‘poo patrol’ and how many plastic bags are used. All that poo and plastic goes to landfill and even though the poo is organic, due to the garbage disposal process (used at Brisbane City Council) the poo does not break down. What a shame. My aim is to reduce what goes in my wheelie bin as much as possible and poo is no exception. My toddler and the dog ‘helped’ me unpack the Pet Poo Composter and assemble it. The unit comes with a detailed instruction manual which outlines assembly and continued use. The toddler kept pinching my screwdriver and the dog ate some of the cardboard packaging so it took about 30 minutes to construct, so probably about 15-20 minutes in real time. Note - the cardboard box can be recycled. The unit is very sturdy and the assembly was pretty easy until I got to the lid. I did struggle to get the hinge section together. After a bit of levering with the screw driver I eventually got it to fit. The unit comes with a few bonus products - a bedding block for the worms to get comfortable in and a Compost Mate tool to aerate once established. You’ll need to get your own worms (2000 is recommended on the box) and Worm and Compost Conditioner. I decided to buy my worms from Eco Valley Worms, but you can order them online through Tumbleweed. I liked the flexibility of being able to position the Pet Poo Composter in the shade or sun. My tip is to position it close enough to a tap that keeping it moist is easy. We prepared the bedding block by soaking it in a large bucket then dug a hole. We sprinkled a good handful of Tumbleweed Worm and Compost Conditioner in the bottom of the hole and positioned the Pet Poo Composter so the flange sat just below ground level but high enough so the pedal operates properly. Once in place we split the prepared bedding block and put half inside and half scattered around the outside of the base. This gives the worms a nice home and encourages them to move in and out of the composter through the holes. Worm time! We put our worms in and made sure they were nice and moist. Then we left it for a week so the worms could adjust to their new home. Once the week was up we added kitchen scraps and then eventually the dog waste. Slowly we reduced the amount of kitchen scraps until we were just adding dog waste. It takes about a month to establish the system. Once the unit is established it has some basic maintenance that will keep the system happy. We do a ‘poo patrol’ every two days or more frequently if the kids are playing outside. Keeping things moist makes it easier for the worms to digest the dog waste. You don’t want to add dried up droppings and the worms will not survive in a dry environment. That is why I suggest positioning near a tap so you can spray water a fine mist into the unit. You should also sprinkle worm conditioner in there once a week or so. You’ve got to think of the worms as your pets. But just like a goldfish (you can’t play with them either) you still need to make sure it has a happy environment to live in. You can relocate the unit if you decide you want to improve your soil elsewhere but we plan on leaving our unit in place for a while. What I like Firstly, I love that it is made from recycled materials. The unit is tall. This means while my toddler wants to see what’s inside he can’t reach. It also means you are unlikely to ever reach the top with dog waste. Happy worms will reward you by tidying up in there. The foot pedal allows you collect dog waste with a bucket and spade and easily open the unit to drop them in. The colour is neutral and does not look out of place in the yard. Because the worms are below ground level they should not be as susceptible to extreme temperatures. It has a vermin proof lid so you should not have any issues with unwanted visitors. Possible issues Extremely hot weather may mean you have to keep a closer eye on the worms to ensure they do not dry out. This would be the same if you had a worm farm though. The unit is made from a hard plastic. I have not tested it yet, but I wonder how tricky it will be to use the grass trimmer and mower around the unit (without damaging it). Features and Benefits • Compost your pet droppings fast • Free organic fertiliser to enrich your soil • Create and encourage fantastic plant growth • Perfect for backyards and gardens • No mess - no fuss - no odour • A piece of art for your backyard • Full instruction manual included Worms are natural recyclers. By putting worms to work you will be converting pet waste into rich organic fertiliser that the worms will disperse throughout your garden naturally. The Pet Poo Composter is another way you can reduce landfill and greenhouse gases by recycling. The Tumbleweed Yard Art Pet Poo Composter is available to purchase from Bunnings. See album for pictures of ours in use. tumbleweed.au/PetPooComposting/PetPooComposter.aspx
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 02:44:15 +0000
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