My bin exploded all over my kitchen floor last night...

I was just turning my little countertop bin after dinner, the one with the charcoal filter, and the bottom just gave out completely. About two pounds of coffee grounds, eggshells, and banana peels went everywhere across my linoleum in my studio downtown. I spent forty five minutes on my hands and knees picking everything up and scrubbing the smell out of the grout... Has anyone else had a bin just fall apart on them like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

sanchez.mary8d ago

Wait I think you mean a compost bin with a charcoal filter, not a regular trash bin... those countertop compost bins are built different from the standard plastic flip lid ones. The bottom panels on the charcoal filter models are usually just pressed cardboard with a plastic coating, so if you put anything wet in there like banana peels or coffee grounds, the moisture seeps through and softens the base over time. It's not really meant for heavy wet scraps unless you line it with paper or a compostable bag. I had one fail on me too after about three months of daily use, the whole bottom just sagged and then ripped open when I picked it up. You might want to look for a metal or solid plastic compost bucket that doesn't rely on that weird cardboard base situation.

walker.alex6d ago

Right, because nothing says "eco-friendly" like a cardboard bottom pretending to hold wet banana peels. My bin held up for like a month before the base turned into a soggy ghost of itself. @sanchez.mary is spot on about that pressed cardboard thing, I found out the hard way when I picked mine up and coffee grounds just waterfalled all over my white rug. Guess we all learned that "charcoal filter" just means "fancy smell cover for a collapsing box.