Equipment for composting food waste at school
Scotty’s HotBox (sadly at present – April 2024 – these bins are no longer available. We would love to find someone who would like to take over the business though!)
The HotBox is an insulated bin made in Devon from Recycled plastic. It is the best equipment for composting raw food waste in schools, and as a maturation bin for the material from a tumbling raw and cooked food waste composter (see below).
To use it for composting raw food waste, add food waste daily and rake level, then add the same volume of carbon source, including some wood chip and cardboard and rake level again. When the HotBox is full, leave it to compost for 6 to 12 months. When it is ready to empty the front planks slide up for easy access to the compost.
As a maturation box for composting raw and cooked food waste from a tumbling composter, add the material regularly and rake level. When the HotBox is full leave for 6 to 12 months. When it is ready to empty, the front planks slide up for easy access to the compost.
The dimensions are 1m x 1m x 1m, and the HotBox should be located on level hard standing to reduce the chance of rats getting in.
Ridan
The Ridan is an insulated turning composter, designed specifically for composting raw and cooked food waste in schools and other organisations. They are designed and manufactured on Exmoor, Devon. The design is a single rigid metal chamber with an axle running through the whole length with paddles, which turn and ease the food waste through the system towards the outlet pipe at the end.
To use them for composting raw and cooked food, add one caddy of food waste (including raw and cooked food) with one caddy of wood chips or sawdust, or 1/6 caddy of wood pellets. Turn the handle at 15 to 20 times, and collect the material from the outlet pipe, and add this to the HotBox maturation bin.
Ridans come in three sizes:
The Mini Ridan can process up to 40kg food waste per week; the Standard Ridan can process up to 75kg food waste per week, and the Large Ridan can process up to 200kg.
To find out more and order them visit the Ridan website.
Joraform aka JK270 and JK400 – now available for community groups through Old Tree Soil and the mycelium network – see https://www.oldtreesoil.org/
Smaller schools may find it works to use a Jora composter as an initial stage for composting raw and cooked food waste. The Jora is a tumbling compost bin with an insulated lining. It is designed in Sweden and manufactured in China. There are two chambers, one to fill, and one to rest.
To use them for composting raw and cooked food, add one caddy of food waste (including raw and cooked food) with one caddy of wood chips or sawdust, or 1/6 caddy of wood pellets. Turn the barrel around 10 times each time material is added. Once the first chamber is half full, start to add material to the second chamber. When that is half full, empty the material from the first chamber into the HotBox maturation box.