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All about SUPERCOMP
Yes. We have many customers in densely populated areas who easily compost on their own patios using SUPERCOMP. If you want it to be very clean, we recommend the purchase of a drip pan (construction market), since from time to time, some leak water may drip out (only in extreme humidity). Just set your composter up in the pan. If the pan should fill up, simply empty it out.
In any case, you should also the floor plate separately (only with plastic composter; in the wooden composter it is included) and „inoculate“ the SUPERCOMP after installation.
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Bio waste are valuable raw materials for their own production of fertilizers. Everyone knows the price of compost in the garden centers. In addition, it will help the public garbage disposal considerable costs of up to EUR 200,-, of saving / single family, because your bio waste no longer need to be collected. Also ask your local authority or municipality, whether You can mount cancel the removal of the organic waste. Partial refund municipalities for the costs or give a bonus from. You also contribute to climate protection and the fine relief, because you protect the environment by road transports. Overall, the composting benefit both households, as well as municipalities and the environment.
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Compost is not only the best addition for all soils, but also the cheapest, because it is made from your kitchen and garden waste.
In an average garden of up to 500 m2, about 0.5 m3 of compost can be harvested annually. In home gardens, involving hedge clippings and kitchen waste, it is estimated to be about 1m3 more. 1000 kg of compost (about 600 liters) correspond to 60 buckets. Comparatively, 1 bag of organic seed compost (15kg) costs approximately 6.30€ in a garden market (source: Indicative price from international garden center chain). Through self-production, several thousand Euros a year can be saved, respectively. Composting is worth it, and the purchasing costs of a composter amortize very quickly.
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Depending on the type of waste, the following applies: The finer and softer they are in their nature, the quicker they become compost. Bones or strong branches take longer, but can also be composted. First raw compost can already be removed after 6-8 weeks… with time, the compost becomes even finer.
Basically, it is so that the fertilizer can be removed as needed – or if the SUPERCOMP is full. If you do not need the compost immediately, you can easily store it in the garden. Only due to the complete ventilation of SUPERCOMP in pile core can such a rapid harvest permits. For more information on this topic can be found here.
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Since the SUPERCOMP is free from unpleasant odors to a large extent, you will not have problems with your neighbors. If at any time smells should arise, then something is wrong with the compost process that is, however, quick and easy to fix. In this case, we can help you here.
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Here is a photo. This composter has been in a downtown courtyard since 2008 (between 6 houses with about 130 inhabitants). A neighbor tried to ban the composter officially, but this was denied by the authorities after on-site inspection due to a lack of evidence of the any bad smell. If you want to compost only your own waste and operate the SUPERCOMP yourself, composting in residential areas is not a problem for small gardens.
If a settlement wants to composted together, we definitely recommend the installation be done by a responsible person who should also regularly perform the following actions:
- Check for contamination of the waste
- Check for moisture level and compost process
- Remove the finished compost
Experience has shown that composting in settlements with “anonymous” residents oftentimes leads to problems, since many people unfortunately lack the necessary awareness for composting.
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The Joanneum Research Institute of the University of Technology of Graz (Austria) led empirical studies on the practicability and efficiency of the individual SUPERCOMP compost systems over a period of 12 weeks and made the following attestation from:
ATTESTATION JOANNEUM RESEARCH, GRAZ – AUSTRIA
JOANNEUM RESEARCH conducted empirical studies for 12 weeks on the practicability and efficiency of the individual SUPERCOMP compost systems.
Significant innovative components in the system are the sliding surfaces which slow the downwards movements, leading to a continuous rotting process with an optimized vertical ventilation. The physical basis for this are the different frictional forces between the mature compost and immature rotting material, which, via the formation of support lines, lead to the stabilizing of the rotting material, thus enabling a continuous process. The selected surfaces and angles of inclination of the sliding surfaces lead to the building of support lines in the rotting material within the first 6 weeks.
Reactor tons, with different material properties and a volume of 300 liters (wooden container) and 350 liters (container made of plastic), were examined. The aim was to develop data for nutrient balance, operational and functional stability, and the quality of the produced mature compost in practical operation. The feeding was conducted continuously with a) organic waste and b) fresh grass clippings.
Reactor ton grass clippings and nuclear ton bio waste
Based on a total performance of 910 liters over a period of 12 weeks and a residual amount of 160 liters, the results are a reduction in volume by approximately 82 percent. The volume reduction did not run constantly, but reached its peak between the 6th and 8th week under the given experimental conditions. Over time, these results reach an average reduction in volume of around 35 percent per week of rotting. Based on the compost weight, the results were a weight reduction of 150kg within 12 weeks of rotting.
Summary
The composting of organic waste by SUPERCOMP with both experimental designs – from only fresh grass clippings and in the second experimental design, including organic waste from the kitchen – resulted in plant-tolerated compost after a rotting duration of 12 weeks, a volume reduction of 80% and a reduction of the organic components of 64%.
Note in their own right for grass composting
Based on loosely dumped grass clippings, the volume reduction is even greater: by 50% in the first week, because the material does not only shrink during composting, but also compacts itself with its own weight inside the composter.
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The images show a test setup in the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Technical University of Graz. Lime, rock meal and sewage treatment substrate on the order of parts per thousand were added to the 300l of varietal oranges in the sterile laboratory environment, and after 8 months, the certainly difficult task of converting only oranges to compost was completed – see pictures 1-3.
In a test series done by the Institute of Process Engineering of the University of Technology of Graz in which only oranges were composted in a SUPERCOMP. This test can therefore be considered as difficult, since the decomposition of oranges lasts much longer than other types of waste, and due to their high nitrogen content, other forms of bio waste must also be mixed in to even be able to compost the oranges. Tests had been done where, for example, when composting surplus oranges in Sicily (Italy) by windrow composting, success was only achieved after adding 2/3 of other organic waste to the oranges.
The images show a test setup in the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Technical University of Graz. Lime, rock meal and sewage treatment substrate on the order of parts per thousand were added to the 300l of varietal oranges in the sterile laboratory environment, and after 8 months, the certainly difficult task of converting only oranges to compost was completed.
“First and foremost, this test is successful because of the vertical ventilation of the composter. This creates the best conditions for the microorganisms. “(Source: Thesis by DI Nestor Manakanatas, Adviser: Univ.Prof. DI Dr. techn. Otto Wolf Bauer, TU Graz)
The successful composting exclusively tomato waste afterwards ran – not surprisingly – without any problems, as well the composting of only fresh grass clippings.
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The floor plate protects your surface from contamination, and, due to the smooth surface, makes the removal of the finished compost easier. If you place the composter on a firm surface such as on patios or concrete, a floor plate is certainly recommended. Optionally, if the composter is in the garden, you can set the SUPERCOMP on bricks or forgo firm ground. This, too, is not a problem. Note, however, that the composter must be placed horizontally (pave the area before assembly).
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The most important aspect of composting is that you even know exactly what is in your compost. This gives you the security that you aren’t damaging your soil with pollutants as you may be doing with industrial compost (find more information about that here).
Compost contains over 1 billion living beings per cubic cm and is sanitized by the work of nature, therefore making more valuable fertilizer which in turn provides your plants with many defense substances (e.g. penicillin) against diseases, fungus and pests. The SUPERCOMP offers the best possible living and reproduction conditions (full ventilation in the inner core piles) to compost creatures, who are responsible for the processing of organic waste, making a fast recovery of nutrient-rich, high-quality compost possible.
Easily add fresh compost to your garden under bushes and trees, sprinkle it on the lawn, and spread it in the vegetable garden.
The compost removed from the storage chamber can be stored and stocked outdoors without deterioration of the soil or the air quality. In addition to its fertilization effect and the pest repellents, compost also serves as a water reservoir and soil improver.
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The SUPERCOMP is manufactured in a distance process from food-grade recycled plastic (polypropylene) under addition of lime for extra strengthening. Nevertheless, a certain elasticity remains, which in turn balances the acting forces and diminishes the danger the plastic tearing under extreme weather conditions (hard plastic easily tears in extreme heat). The lateral “”stayers”” are reinforced, and continuous lamellae further strengthen the construction so maximum stability is given. When full, a SUPERCOMP is rock solid, so even strong winds cannot mess with it. Polypropylene is considered the most environmentally friendly plastic and is fully recyclable.
The clips are made of polyamide. The floor plate is made of weather-resistant polypropylene (1.500 grams per square meter) and is 8 mm thick.”
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A SUPERCOMP wooden composter is made of local pine thermo wood in the durability class 1-2 (tropical wood quality). The substances in which wood-destroying microorganisms (fungi) can live are withdrawn from the wood in a completely organic, thermal process under controlled heating(where there is no food there is also no fungus).
Inside, the wood is protected by attached hollowed polypropylene wall sheets. Polypropylene is considered the most environmentally friendly plastic, and is fully recyclable. The intelligent hollow chamber system saves valuable raw materials, in contrast to full plastic.
The beneficial properties of heat-treated wood:
- Increased durability (against fungus and weathering) – also inside the wood
- Reduced swelling and shrinking mass
- Increased dimensional stability
- Reduction of internal stress of wood
- Moisture of the wood is reduced, meaning that in the same ambiance, thermo wood has a 70% lower moisture content than untreated wood
- New colors possibilities, ranging from a warm brown to a smoky black
- All color changes are consistent and homogeneous across the profile
- Better thermal insulation properties than untreated wood
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The company’s founder and inventor of SUPERCOMP, Reinhard Schmidl, was the municipal office director of a small Austrian town, and was instrumental in many environmental projects of this municipality, for example, at the world’s first energy saving fair, in natural flood retention basin projects – including Eco zone – and finally, also in the introduction of waste separation. The aim was to reduce the expensive and ecologically disadvantageous removal of organic waste as far as possible and to replace it with the composting.
However, although the population had been regularly informed via their town newspaper, in lectures and in compost parties, it always came down to the usual problems with the work of moving compost piles and the hygiene issue (odor, insects). The idea that there was enough knowledge about the proper way to set up a compost pile could also have been simply classified as “wishful thinking”, since instead of properly preparing and moving the piles, the new waste was simply thrown on top of everything – which led to the then following hygiene problems, malodors and insects.
The need for a new system for home composting was obvious and Schmidl began – for lack of alternatives – with the first development of SUPERCOMP, meant to eliminate these problems. From the basic idea to the present generation of SUPERCOMP, it was a long road with many development steps that often resulted in “dead ends”. But ultimately, the work has paid off, because precisely those problems of composting could be eliminated and dissolved with SUPERCOMP.
Schmidl helps many customers with his knowledge on various issues, even today. As he gained sufficient experience in regard to the composting for municipalities, he prefers to give advice in this sector.
The beginning of SUPERCOMP
Schmidl (here with his wife) at one of the many attempts at a farm in the Graz region in the 90s. Here, the varietal composting of horse manure was tested in experiments. Subsequently, the renowned Institute of Process Engineering of the University of Technology of Graz (Austria) accompanied Schmidl with its own developments, with test series for varietal composting of oranges, cut grass and tomato waste. Composting only one type of material is ranged somewhere between “difficult” and “impossible”. Here, too, functionality, practicability and efficiency could be proved.
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Simple answer: A SUPERCOMP fulfills several conditions simultaneously which in total lead to fast, odorless and optimal composting results – even when composting also in the composting of single varietal materials, such as “only” lawn clippings.
More information about the other applications:
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Installation and Operation
For ideal and effective rotting, the right balance between carbon and nitrogen is important. Kitchen waste and grass clippings contain a lot of nitrogen, so you should always add “woody” materials such as leaves, shredded branches, sawdust, napkins or sachets. On the other hand, it is advisable to mix in nitrogen-rich to carbonaceous waste.
Nitrogen-rich waste is fruit and vegetable waste, brewed coffee and tea, potato tops, grass and grass clippings, bouquets and potted plants, banana peels and tropical fruit peels, weeds (without seeds, otherwise dried), herbs, wool, hair, dung.
Carbon-rich waste is trimmings from trees, shrubs and hedges, leaves, bark, straw, hay, wood shavings, sawdust, napkins, sachets.
The more colorful the mixing of waste, the better the quality of the final product. Now and then, mix a shovel of rock meal, lime and soil in, “watering” it when it’s too dry and mixing “woody” things in when it’s too wet.
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No. Within a short period of time, a SUPERCOMP forms its own ecosystem (biocenosis) with numerous compost organisms that are responsible for the composting process. In order to put the ecosystem in transition even faster, you can „inoculate“ your SUPERCOMP with compost worms.
To maintain the optimum balance, you should from time check to the humidity level inside. The optimum condition of the compost is like a squeezed out sponge. You can recognize dry compost by its cracked, crumbly structure or when ants are inside. In this case, “water” it a little bit and add a shovel full of rock meal. If the rotting is too wet, the ventilation – and thus, the composting process – is disturbed. You must then add some “woody” materials, such as straw, dry grass, bark mulch, paper napkins, paper bags and rotting leaves. Furthermore, you can add 2-3 scoops of fresh raw compost from the harvest chamber, because it contains microorganisms necessary for the composting process and brings the it back in transition faster.
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Apart from small residual amounts of branches and bones, there are no longer any recognizable plant parts. It consists of fine crumbs (beads), and most of the compost worms have left the pile. Only a few single leaf ribs are left and visible.
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You don’t need to chop up your kitchen waste and garden waste in advance.” Strong” material such as branches, roots or oversized waste should be crushed so that these waste compost faster.
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If the SUPERCOMP is full and you can not insert any more new waste, be sure to remove finished compost from the storage chamber. If you do not need the compost right away, you can easily store it in the garden. The compost loses no nutrients.
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It is often claimed that the compost pile needs an open connection to the ground for the creatures to get inside the pile.
From a technical perspective it can be said that this is not true. The compost process works purely by bacteria, such as in large composting plants, where heaps are dumped on solid ground. Our lab tests – among others in the composting of “only” oranges – done with the Joanneum Research Institute of the University of Technology of Graz have been carried out in a shed on a concrete floor.
Therefore, composting with the SUPERCOMP on closed ground, terraces etc. is possible. The base plate is impermeable to water and thus protects the surface. The smooth surface of the plate facilitates compost removal from the harvest chamber.
From a holistically ecological perspective, the following applies:
A connection to the ground is advantageous, but can also be replaced by the introduction of “compost life”, for example by adding 2-3 buckets of raw compost or rotting leaves with compost worms into the composter. The ecosystem can also grow this way, and creatures can wander through the small gaps in the removal flap below at night.
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Protection & best look for many years to come: also order JOTUN UV WOOD PROTECTION
Your composter is a beautiful piece of garden furniture that is exposed to any sort of weather and solar radiation.
We therefore recommend that you embed your composter – at least the lid – with a UV Wood Protection Stain.
Many of our customers ask us which product they should take. Thanks to our past experiences, we can recommend the JOTUN Demidekk Terrasslasyr in 4 selected hues (a product of premium quality class).
Due to their ability withstand extreme weather conditions, JOTUN oils are used especially in shipbuilding.
Of course, the decision is left up to you whether you want this sort of protection. You may also choose to use a more favorable (oil-based) product from the hardware store.
Durability
Protection from UV fungi/UV radiation
for at least 2 years (depending on weather conditions, up to 4 years) – then, repeat the process
Application
Paint on 1x by brush, let dry for 1 hour, repeat.
(1 liter is sufficient for one composter.)
Note on the shades
Website Look: Natural fiber 100% visible
Antique Look: Nut fiber 25% visible
Classic Look: Chestnut fiber 50% visible
Modern Look: Stone Grey fiber 5% visible
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The compost regulators are part of the device for supporting the pile; the pile is no longer with its full weight on the ground and is thus fully ventilated into the pile’s core. For more information on the technology and functionality of SUPERCOMP, click here.
With mounting set the knobs in the following position:
The material thrown in first falls to the ground. After the break-in period of about 6 weeks, the bio waste is now composted enough to form a cohesive mass which is supported by the device. The compost regulators are fixator after the breaking-in period so they can’t, for example, be pulled out by playing children. You no longer need to adjust their position later. For more information on how the SUPERCOMP works, click here.
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The compost process can not really get underway, meaning the rotting comes closer and closer to a standstill if the compost is too dry. Compost creatures like moist environments, making composting impossible when there is a lack of moisture. The optimal consistency of compost is similar to a sponge; you can recognize to dry compost by it being cracked, crumbly or when it contains ants. Therefore, you should avoid installing your composter in placed where it will be directly in the sun light (and place a shrub in the sunny area).
If the compost is too dry, just “water” it and add a shovel of rock meal. This also helps the sliding elements be “oiled” and increases the sliding speed. New waste (such as fresh grass and wet kitchen waste) bring the process back on track. Furthermore, you can take a little bit of compost from the harvest chamber and add it back to the pile, because it contains the microorganisms necessary for the compost process and restart it again faster.
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For composting, a certain amount of moisture is necessary – the optimum condition of the compost is like a squeezed out sponge. If the rotting is too wet, the ventilation – and thus, the composting process – is disturbed. You must then add some “woody” materials, such as straw, dry grass, bark mulch, paper napkins, paper bags and rotting leaves. Furthermore, you can add 2-3 scoops of fresh raw compost from the harvest chamber, because it contains microorganisms necessary for the composting process and brings the it back in transition faster.
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(source: biorama.eu)
1. INTERFERING MATERIALS
Glass, metal, and plastics clearly do not belong in the compost heap – an explanation is unnecessary.
2. ASH
Coal ash is suitable for composting only to a limited extent. Ashes contain high concentrations of heavy metals, and the large quantities of potash increase the salt content of the compost, leading to a saturation of the soil over the years.
3. MATERIALS CONTAMINATED BY PESTICIDES
Although most pesticides are degraded through composting, these starting materials are hardly recommended. Too little is known about the combination of such agents and the danger of the degradation products. For an example, clopyralid (this substance is allowed as a herbicide not only for farming and plant nursing, but also for home gardens) is not degraded in the digestive system of a cow, nor in the subsequent composting of manure. It has phytotoxic effects even in the compost.
4. VACUUM CLEANER BAGS, STREET SWEEPINGS
The contents of vacuum cleaner bags and dirt from the road or the parking lot contain tire debris, air pollutants, etc. It is also not known what these materials introduce into the compost heap ecosystem.
5. LEATHER AND TREAT WOOD
Leather and wood are often impregnated with chemicals that assist in the preservation of leather or the preservation of wood. These also kill the soil life in the compost and can be difficult to degrade, as they were actually designed to withstand the forces of nature.
6. DOG, CAT, AND BIRD DROPPINGS
The droppings of these omnivores is usually contaminated with germs and parasites, which can become a problem if the compost sanitation is not sufficient.
7. ROOT WEEDS
Creeping thistle, couch grass or field bindweed are very tough, and oftentimes, only two to three centimeters long pieces of root already multiply magnificently in compost heaps. Roots that were painstakingly removed from beds should therefore left out to dry for about ten days in the sun; to see if they are still alive, make a cut into the roots, and only then put them into the composter!
8. WEED SEEDS
Weed seeds can only be destroyed in composting by the high temperatures in the hot rotting. If the weeds are weeded out before flowering, there certainly are no seeds, and young plants can be much easier to remove from the bed.
9. MEAT, SAUSAGE, BONE
May only be composted if a hot rotting takes place by the addition of fresh waste. In no case can large pieces or a whole animals compost! Avoid areas where there are problems with rodents. Meat residues should be covered to protect them from flies.
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Place the SUPERCOMP in a place where it is largely protected from bad weather conditions (places with a lot of wind and in the blazing sun). Since the SUPERCOMP is generally free from unpleasant odors, it can also be placed near the neighbours’ border or close to your own kitchen.
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Composting in General
Of course.
DIY Composting has many benefits and protects the climate and environment:
- Waste Prevention: bio waste lands neither in the residual waste nor do you need a separate bin for it. Around one third of all waste is organic waste.
- Climate protection: In self-composted manure there are no carbon emissions for neither production nor transport as is the case with synthetic fertilizers, plant earth or plant protection products.
- Nature Conservation: Compost can replace peat in the garden, thus protecting the bogs.
- Natural fertilizer: compost provides natural nutrients from which the plants take only as much as they need. No nitrate is washed out into the groundwater.
- Soil Improvement: compost has a high storage capacity for water and ensures good ventilation of the soil.
- Pest control: plants fertilized with compost are more resistant to pests.
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In SUPERCOMP you will never see these helpers because you do not have to move the heap. Only if you, for example, add a bucket of compost to your SUPERCOMP for an optimal start, you will briefly see the precious animals, which themselves are scared of light and creep away quickly, becoming henceforth invisible, but hopefully not unappreciated for their service!
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For the April edition (2013) of the magazine Öko-Test there was a study done where the consumer magazine tested potting soil which had been labeled “peat-free” by their manufacturers. The result: manufacturers don’t really take the term “peat-free” very seriously. In all tested soil brands, there were traces of peat.
While harvesting peat, bogs are destroyed – but bogs are particularly important for climate protection. They can hold at least twice as much CO2 as all the world’s forests together. Therefore, the Federation for Environment and Nature Conservation in Germany (BUND) appeals to consumers, in terms of environmental protection, to refrain from potting soil that contains peat.
No potting soil is completely “peat-free”
It is, therefore, important that when shopping at the garden center, it can be seen whether a soil is peat-free. A recent analysis from the consumer magazine Öko-Test shows that while nine out of ten of the examined soil brands can, by law, be labelled “peat-free”, in a laboratory, substantial amounts of peat can still be found. The other contained small amounts, which is due to a contamination by the mixing equipment.
No traceable control
Öko-Test criticizes that manufacturers’ work is very nontransparent: No one could provide a test report on whether and how it is checked that in products declared as “peat-free soil”, there is actually no peat. When asked where the peat from the products containing it came from, there was s also no clear answer. “Here, a little more transparency would be desirable”, criticized the consumer magazine.
Questionable laboratory results when investigated potting
The laboratory analysis also revealed that cadmium was in three potting soils, in significant quantities. This heavy metal can be absorbed by plants. In another potting soil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were found. Some compounds belonging to this group of substances are carcinogenic. Another criticism: Although all providers have the content of soluble nutrients, salinity and pH declared on the packaging, the laboratories couldn’t not always detect those same values.
The detailed test with all results can be found here.
Basically, finished fertilizer is not only expensive. The risk to contaminate the soil and the plants with poor products is very large. Only your own composting gives you the security that you aren’t filling your plants with pollutants. If you add self-produced compost to your vegetable or fruit crops, you can harvest these in absolute organic quality and free from contaminants.
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This is often also true. Conventional compost piles are frequently laid out incorrectly and also don’t get moved and re-layered enough. This annoying, “stinky” work is often just left out. There is little to no ventilation
here, creating rotting nests that lead to these unpleasant smells. This also makes the compost process falter and take much longer.
Many of our customers were dissatisfied with their methods of composting, where the same problems occurred. The reason is that – mostly – cheap composters are nothing but compost piles “enveloped” in plastic, without any technological inner workings. This also leads to lack of air and the same problems.
That’s why manufacturers of this type of composter recommend moving the pile, like normal compost piles – meaning that the composter needs to be taken apart, the pile has to be moved, then the whole thing needs to be put back together and re-layered. This also has to be done regularly (at least every 14 days) to keep the compost process going.
Note: Studies on compost plants with conventional windrow composting showed that even 24 hours (!) after moving the pile, there already are air deficiencies.
A SUPERCOMP, being in the class of the “no turn”-composters, eliminates this problem. Due to the patented device supporting the compost heap, it is also completely vertically ventilated (chimney effect) and there are no bad smells.
The compost process is therefore greatly speeded up, so that you can fill it up with up to 3 times the amount of waste.
There is no more of that annoying moving of the pile since on the floor there is a divide which holds the pile loosely, so that you can easily remove ready compost from the harvest chamber. If the pile – as with conventional composting – were too compressed, it would make it almost impossible to remove ready compost from the bottom of a pile that weighs 100kg.
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When purchasing a composter, performance should be considered (similar to when, for example, purchasing a car), as this is what decides whether only one composter is enough, or if a second or a third one are needed. Since a SUPERCOMP reduces waste by 80%, within 6 weeks, up to 3x as much waste can be processed than in traditional composting, where the compost heap is laying on the ground with full weight. This of course, also increases the cost and work involved. Saving money in the wrong place then often leads to frustration, as we know it from emails from new customers who are finally looking for a composter that “really” works.
About the price
Composter come for free in the form of compost heaps. Cheap composters are usually barrels coated in plastic without internal technology (= enveloped compost heap) and may have the problems described on www.komposter.com. Professional composters with internal technology are more than just “tons”, have many more advantages and are, in comparison, also more expensive. SUPERCOMP composters are rapid composters with the 3-benefits-technology, and process organic waste up to 3 times faster than compost piles resting on the ground. For this reason, a SUPERCOMP (305/350 liters) is usually enough for an average household with a garden size of up to 500 m2. Many of our customers are surprised about how much waste you can fill in a SUPERCOMP and how quickly the piles reduce.
Determine your required SUPERCOMP composting performance with a simple formula:
Number of 10-litre-pails fully filled with organic per week x 52 weeks = Required SUPERCOMP liters
Example of required composting performance in an average household with a garden:
ø 3 x 10l-bucket / week x 52 weeks = 1,560 litres or 156 buckets
The SUPERCOMP year Transcript:
- Thermo Wood Composter 650 L volume: 5,400 litres / year = 540 buckets
- Thermo Wood Composter 305 L volume: 2,500 litres / year = 250 buckets
- Recycling PP Composter 350 L volume: 2,800 litres / year = 280 buckets
Note: This formula applies to waste in normal domestic setting and applies to the SUPERCOMP (not other composters)
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Of course you can compost “only” kitchen waste with a SUPERCOMP. However, this sort of waste has a high nitrogen content, which should be offset with carbon (i.e. “woody” materials such as trimmings from trees, shrubs and hedges, bark, straw, hay, wood shavings, sawdust, napkins or sachets). The valuable compost worms especially worms love the added paper waste. 1 kg of compost worms cost more on the market than the best meat from your butcher and produce expensive worm humus. worm humus.
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DIY composting has many advantages. The most important reason is sure that you know exactly what is in your compost. Good compost is also very expensive, making composting on your own worth it in just a short period of time.
In addition to saving money on the purchase, bought garden soil usually doesn’t have the same quality as self-produced compost and is (unfortunately) often mixed with harmful substances, as has been found out in a test of the magazine Öko-Test.
The most important reviews from the article:
Fertilization tailored to suit a market need requires soil analysis. Nevertheless, hobby gardeners like to use universal-typed fertilizers that claim to contain all important nutrients – but that also include heavy metals. Since many products are also declared inadequate in our test, we can only recommended 3 out of 20.
The test result of 20 products (Öko-Test)
Only the three mineral fertilizers by Obi, Toom and Compo passed our rigorous evaluation with an “outstanding”. They are followed by a wide midfield in which most products land because they add heavy metals into the soil and often still have faults in their declarations. Six fertilizers, all with organic content, are “poor” or even “unsatisfactory”.
Some fertilizers add more than three times the amount of heavy metal into the ground, as can be withdrawn over the course of a growing season. “In the course of time, this increases the heavy metal content of the products produced; thus, there is a risk of entry into the groundwater,” explains Professor Ewald Schnug, lecturer at the University of Technology of Braunschweig and President of the International Scientific Centre for Fertilizers (CIEC). Five fertilizer have a uranium content which is higher than the limit of 50 milligrams per kilogram of phosphate, which was recommended by the Federal Environment Agency. Uranium as well as cadmium passes as rock phosphate in the fertilizer. For years, it has been discussed whether there should be a legal limit for uranium in fertilizers, but so far, nothing has been done.
For the first time we have also depreciated fertilizers which add more than three times as much phosphate into the ground as can be taken from it. The background: Regulatory measurements have shown that in most gardens there is enough phosphate, in some even too much. “If phosphate is washed out, it may contribute to the overfertilisation of waters,” says fertilizer expert Ewald Schnug. “We should be particularly economical with phosphate: It is obtained from fossil deposits that are slowly but surely running out, while simultaneously increasing the global demand for fertilizer.”
Since our garden fertilizer test in 2013, residues of perchlorate and chlorate have been found in several samples of fruits and vegetables. Both substances can inhibit, among other things, the inclusion of iodide into the thyroid gland. One possible source of contamination in food appears to be fertilizer. In fact, the laboratory commissioned by us pointed out chlorate in twelve fertilizers; six contained perchlorate. In the current state of science, the measured levels are too small too show harmful effects. Nevertheless, we evaluate them from, since the pollution is completely unnecessary.
Pesticides are registered with organic components in the fertilizer. Here, the laboratory found traces in nine cases; in two products, there were even six different types of pesticide. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, some of which are carcinogenic, were only found in conspicuous amounts in Beckmann products. None of the tested fertilizers showed signs of E. coli or salmonella bacteria.
If hobby gardeners want to fertilize according to specific requirements, they have bad cards in most fertilizers – the discrepancy between what is claimed on the packaging and the actual measured content is just too big. We found deviations in the nutrient content of more than 50 percent, or more than one percentage point, in more than half of the products. Some fertilizers have been devalued because the manufacturers should have identified certain nutrients or heavy metals according to fertilizer ordinance but did not. The ASB Greenworld Garden Fertilizer Blue was particularly striking: The values for nitrogen and water-soluble phosphate differ by more than two percentage points; the trace elements boron and zinc do not even reach ten percent of the values marked. Another problem with ready-bought soil is also the associated destruction of bogs…
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Rapid composter
This is made possible by the sufficient air supply to the air-loving (” aerobic “) compost organisms which are responsible for the composting process. Compared to a SUPERCOMP, conventional compost piles are often poorly ventilated at their core (the middle of the pile), which leads to the air-loving compost organisms “slaving away” with bad air quality. The result is a slow composting process (up to 24 months), which is often accompanied by unpleasant odours due to putrefaction.
With the SUPERCOMP‘s patented sliding and supporting device, the pile is no longer laying on the floor with its full weight, meaning its inner core is fully ventilated, vertically from the bottom up (chimney effect). A densification, as with composters without technology or plain compost piles, in which the compost is laying on the ground with its full weight, does not take place here.
Continuous aeration is mainly responsible for the composting process because if the compost heap is well ventilated, the compost creatures can work much faster. With he SUPERCOMP, unpleasant smells stay out and you can get significantly more waste (triple performance) in the same time.
SUPERCOMP composters also don’t need to be moved.
Why? Because the pile is not on the ground with its full weight, making it easy and convenient to remove ready material from the harvest chamber with a shovel. In conventional composting as well as in composting without special technology, you should move the pile for airing it out (=turning the pile over at least once every 14 days, and the more often, the better the crop). Furthermore, it is almost impossible to take ready compost from the bottom of a pile that weighs 100kg. For this to even be possible, you have to dismount the whole pile, rebuild it and pile everything in layers once again. Finally, because this job is tiresome and because of the heavy odours, this is often just not done.
Note: Studies on compost plants with conventional windrow composting showed that even 24 hours (!) after moving the pile, there already are air deficiencies, as the material falls together, becoming dense once more.
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- A compost pile must be ventilated as well as possible. If this is not the case, the process nearly comes to a halt, taking much longer (up to 24 months), and can develop bad odors. The SUPERCOMP can be ventilated fully, vertically from the bottom to the top, by using its gliding and landing gear (chimney effect).
- Compost piles should not be moved, because the compost creatures (especially the composite worms) lee immediately when disturbed, making it hard for the compost process to be set in motion again. With a SUPERCOMP eliminates the otherwise necessary turning (= moving) of the pile, and the compost process is undisturbed.
- The environment for living things should not be too wet, not too dry.
A composter protects the pile from sun and rain. Under extreme weather conditions, such as under constant heat or rain, the ideal conditions can be manually recreated easily by adding “woody” materials (if there is too much moisture) or by pouring in water (in too dry conditions). But do not worry: This is extremely rare. As long as you always provide the SUPERCOMP with fresh and moist materials, no problems are to be expected.
In summary: A SUPERCOMP composter, with its patented sliding and supporting device, creates the ideal living conditions for compost creatures (1 billion living organisms per cm3). They can work incredibly fast, multiply perfectly and quickly create high-quality compost.
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Lawn composter
The answer is: yes, it works. The compost heap is no longer with its full weight on the ground, but is supported by a sliding and supporting device about 25 cm off the ground. Thus, the pile is also ventilated vertically until its innermost core from bottom to top (chimney effect).
As noted in an extensive series of tests by the Joanneum Research Institute the vertical ventilation of SUPERCOMP allows composting of exclusively pure grass clippings without adding and mixing other materials. The same applies to the application with foliage.
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Simple answer: no.
Because of its support apparatus, a SUPERCOMP manages to make a compost free of odors and without the tedious task of moving the compost pile. Consequently, to achieve an even faster and nutritionally better composting result, it is advisable to mix strong nitrogenous lawn cuttings with carbonaceous waste. This also increases the quality of the finished compost.
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The SUPERCOMP was tested by the renowned institute of the Graz University of Technology, Joanneum Research
(Austria), in the experimental testing “Reaktortonne Grasschnitt” (“reactor tons and cut grass”), and came to the following results: Based on a total throughput of 910 liters over a period of 12 weeks and a residual amount of 160 liters, the volume was reduced by approximately 82%. The reduction of the volume was not constant, but it reached its peak in the 6th to 8th week, under the given experimental conditions. In time, these reduction results average to about 35% per week of rotting. With respect to the compost weight, a weight reduction of 150 kg was revealed within 12 weeks of rotting.
The composting of grass clippings in a SUPERCOMP from exclusively fresh grass cuttings leads to plant-tolerated composts after a rotting duration of 12 weeks, a reduction in volume by 80% with a reduction of the organic components of 64%.
Comparatively, regular composters need a rotting time of about 12-24 months – with unpleasant side effects!
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Depending on the climate and location, one can say that a SUPERCOMP with a capacity of 350 liters can handle about 300-500 square meters of green area under regular filling.
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- What composting performance do I need for my budget and what costs are to be expected?
- How long does it take for will plant-compatible compost to be made from my lawn clippings?
- In a test series that lasted 12 weeks, the Joanneum Research Institute confirms the efficiency and practicality of SUPERCOMP …
Experienced gardeners know: freshly mowed lawn on top of a compost pile rots and smells very bad.
Why? Fresh grass and grass clippings contain a lot of nitrogen. When cut with a lawnmower, the clippings are also dense, with fine structure and lots of moisture. If the pile is therefore lying on the ground (without SUPERCOMP‘s supporting device), the cuttings condense, leading to a lack of air.
These densified areas are ideal breeding ground for the emergence of rotting nests (nitrogen surplus amplified this in addition) and their emerging malodours.
Conventional composters (mostly from the low-price segment) without special technology are nothing more than compost piles inside of a plastic sheath, lying on the ground, often letting with even less air into the pile as there could be without the shell. In these composters, according to instructions, grass cuttings need to be layered with leaves and further waste. If you want to give up on bad smells and have relatively fast compost, you also need to take it all apart and move the pile around quite often (up to every 14 days, as per recommendation).
If you are considering the purchase of a composter “only” for composting grass clippings, you should definitely get a composter with the proper technology.
Note: Studies on compost plants with conventional windrow composting showed that even 24 hours (!) after moving the pile, there already are air deficiencies, as the material falls together, becoming dense once more.
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Thermo composter
- Compost worms are most effective at a temperature of 15 -25 ° and ONLY if the get enough air (!). Is it too hot (e.g. like during the hot rotting of fresh grass clippings), then the compost worms move back to cooler areas. After the completion of the hot rotting, which takes a few days, the helpers come back and process the fresh material in no time. Compost worms love freshly rotted material, and in the SUPERCOMP, they keep to about 20cm below the surface, making them invisible to the human eye.
- They hibernate in cocoons, from which young worms slip out of in the spring, as soon as the temperatures reach 6°C.If you want to compost “normally” even in winter, a garage, a shed or a place near the southern wall of your property is recommended. Operation during winter is certainly more limited; nevertheless, you can throw in your waste. Usually in winter there also is lest waste than in the warmer months.
- A compost pile must be ventilated as well as possible. If this is not the case, the process nearly comes to a halt, taking much longer (up to 24 months), and can develop bad odors due to putrefaction. The SUPERCOMP can be ventilated fully, vertically from the bottom to the top, by using its gliding and landing gear (chimney effect).
- Compost piles should not be moved, because the compost creatures (especially the compost worms) flee immediately when disturbed, making it hard for the compost process to be set in motion again. With a SUPERCOMP eliminates the otherwise necessary turning (= moving) of the pile, and the compost process is undisturbed.
- The environment for living things should not be too wet, not too dry. A composter protects the pile from sun and rain. Under extreme weather conditions, such as under constant heat or rain, the ideal conditions can be manually recreated easily by adding “woody” materials (if there is too much moisture) or by pouring in water (in too dry conditions). But do not worry: This is extremely rare. As long as you always provide the SUPERCOMP with fresh and moist materials, no problems are to be expected.
In summary: A SUPERCOMP thermo composter, with its patented sliding and supporting device, creates the ideal living conditions for compost creatures (1 billion living organisms per cm3). They can work incredibly fast, multiply perfectly and quickly create high-quality compost.
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“The compost process can not really get underway, meaning the rotting comes closer and closer to a standstill if the compost is too dry. Compost creatures like moist environments, making composting impossible when there is a lack of moisture. The optimal consistency of compost is similar to a sponge; you can recognize to dry compost by it being cracked, crumbly or when it contains ants. Therefore, you should avoid installing your composter in placed where it will be directly in the sun light (and place a shrub in the sunny area).
If the compost is too dry, just “”water”” it and add a shovel of rock meal. This also helps the sliding elements be “”oiled”” and increases the sliding speed. New waste (such as fresh grass and wet kitchen waste) bring the process back on track. Furthermore, you can take a little bit of compost from the harvest chamber and add it back to the pile, because it contains the microorganisms necessary for the compost process and restart it again faster.”
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In conventional methods, the process of composting takes at least 12-24 months. Here, the thermo composter acts like a turbo, because with SUPERCOMP, you can already after harvest compost after 6-8 weeks.
Ventilation with sufficient oxygen – even in the pile’s innermost core – is the decisive factor for optimal thermal development.
With its patented sliding and supporting device, a SUPERCOMP is fully ventilated vertically from bottom to top (chimney effect). This way, these temperatures can be reached all the way through. This effect is due to compost bacteria, which – provided they are adequately supplied with air – also produce heat. No matter the filling material, the SUPERCOMP can warm up to 80°C in only a few days with the addition of e.g. 200 liters or more of fresh grass clippings.
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These temperatures (at least more than 50 °) are needed to kill pathogens and weed seeds (sanitation). Due to the high heat development, the material is heated t up to 80 ° in a SUPERCOMP (depending on the amount and type of filler material, with the addition of e.g. fresh grass clippings, it will heating up to 80 ° within just a few days).
In winter, of course, these temperatures are not possible; and if the pile freezers, by the way, it is not a tragedy, since that has been normal in nature for billions of years: and in the spring, everything comes back to life. Anyone who wants to prevent freezing in the composter would probably pack it with similarly thick insulation as the one used in building a house, as 2 cm thick plastic or wooden walls are far from sufficient.
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Worm composter
If you place the SUPERCOMP in the garden, you actually don’t need to “inoculate” it, because compost critters can crawl in themselves via the small openings and the removal flap “move” within just a few days.
On solid ground (asphalt, concrete), we strongly recommend an initial inoculation with 300-500 compost worms. If you provide your composter regularly with fresh waste, then the population will keep replicating itself very quickly and your SUPERCOMP will become a proper worm composter.
Basically, the more compost worms, the faster the decomposition process. If you already have a compost pile, you can take its worms for a cost-efficient inoculation. Or, you can “collect” worms in nature – under leaves, in the forest or in fresh waste.
Of course you can also purchase compost worms from retailers or online.
Note: In a SUPERCOMP, the compost creatures do not suffer from lack of air and do not need to be “moved”. You can find out why this is so important when composting and why SUPERCOMP creates ideal living conditions for compost creatures here.
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We have a cooperation with www.wurmwelten.de that give our customers a 5% discount. You get the discount code when ordering the SUPERCOMP, which you can then redeem for purchase of compost worms. Otherwise, you can purchase compost worms with other online providers or specialist shops. The more worms you use, the better, but for the first inoculation, 300-500 worms is usually enough.
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Compost worms (Eisenia fetida, Tennessee Wiggler, Red Californian …) are valuable helpers in the process of composting, and accelerate the degradation of your waste. The vermicompost obtained by the composting process includes a multiple of nutrients, as opposed to purely bacterially produced compost.
In any compost pile there are earthworms. The red wiggler worm, also known as compost worm (eisenia foetida) can eat half of its own weight daily. In good conditions, with adequate moisture and food supply, it multiplies rapidly. The earthworm provides a lumpy structure in the compost material, which can distribute oxygen better through the compost.
The compost worms love freshly rotted material, and stay approximately 20 cm below the surface, making them invisible inside the SUPERCOMP. They overwinter in cocoons, from which young worm slip out of again in the spring (from 6°C on).
Compost contains over 1 billion living beings per cubic centimeter, and is sanitized by nature, making it a valuable fertilizer which provides your plants with many defense substances (for example, penicillin) against diseases, fungus and pests. The SUPERCOMP offers the ideal living conditions (full aeration in the inner core piles) for the multiplication of the compost organisms, which are responsible for the processing of organic waste, making it possible to rapidly create high-quality, nutrient-rich compost. 1 kg of compost worms cost more on the market than the best meat from your butcher, and produce expensive worm humus.
Did you know that …..
- Earthworms live to be three to ten years old!
- The boys hatch after 21 days (depending on weather conditions)!
- The earthworm is sexually mature after 60 -90 days!
- Earthworm excrement contains enzymes which kill pathogens, thus contributing to soil health!
- Up to a million earthworms live under a soccer field!
- Earthworm create 5 times more nitrogen, 7 times more phosphorus and 11 times more potash than what the surrounding soil contains!
- Earthworm excrement is pH-neutral and therefore counteracts the soil acidification!
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The compost creatures responsible for rapid composting process only work at full strength when provided them with
- constant fresh food (waste)
- and sufficient air
- in an absolutely quiet environment
Compost creatures need a lot of rest. The compost worms flee immediately when disturbed. In SUPERCOMP nothing is moved, because the pile doesn’t need to be
turned or moved around . Auch die Kompostregler müssen nach der ersten Einstellung nicht mehr bewegt werden.
The continuous and complete ventilation of SUPERCOMP is possible due to its patented support system, supplying the compost worms and all other living beings, and also the compost heap’s innermost core, with sufficient oxygen, making it possible for the compost creatures to perform their work even there. Compost worms avoid zones that have a lack of air and do their work there very slowly.
Conventional composter (mostly from the low-price segment) without special technology are nothing more than compost piles lying on the ground in a plastic sheath, often letting even less air into the pile as they would without a shell. The heavy and burdensome compost pile, which is on the ground, additionally compacted by its own weight, only provides scarce and inadequate ventilation. For more information about the problems with conventional composting can be found here.
A SUPERCOMP provides ideal living condition for worm multiplication. The waste is decomposed incredibly fast.
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In the not quite finished (not yet completely decomposed) raw compost there are still compost worms. If you fertilize your garden plants with raw compost, the worms also work on loosening the soil.
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