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More About Paper Pulp

Monday, July 25, 2011

If you lack a shredder but own a blender, consider low-scale use of the blender as a shredder.

I tear the paper into two-inch chunks and soak about a ½-gallon of it overnight.

I load the blender with about 2 cups of water and add a handful of soaked paper.

Do not overload the blender; the motor may burn out.

I have found that hemp string and other cords do not blend; they wrap themselves a round the knives and inhibit the cutting process.

I start the blender at ½ speed for about two seconds, to spin the mixture, then hit top speed (“Ice Crush”!) for about two seconds.

I pour the pulp into a flower-pot that stands in the sink; this allows most of the water to drain out.

A flower-pot of pulp seems sufficient to cover a few days kitchen scraps.

Here’s a view of my composter from above.

I have tipped my kitchen scraps on to the surface, then poured paper slurry from my flower-pot right over the scraps, covering all except the odd bit of dry onion peel.

Here’s a revolting close-up. I confess to throwing espresso coffee-grounds and some mung-bean husks into the slurry!

This method of scrap-addition has the following advantages:-

1: There’s no need to disturb worms of soil or castings

2: The most-recently added material is visible until it becomes covered with castings; easy to rotate my position around the bin.

3: I am adding moisture to the bin; it is less likely to dry out.

4: I am probably maximizing the rate of reproduction of worms. I don’t think I am affecting the worms themselves as much as the population – I’m boosting available habitat, and the worms will reproduce to the ceiling of their sustaining habitat.

Saturday, August 06, 2011

Yesterday I loaded a tub of kitchen scraps to the bin and noticed that the material was soggy.

I had overlooked the fact that adding several tubs of slurried paper meant that I was adding a few tubs of water.

The photo above shows what I see when I (rubber-gloved hands!) scoop the mud from one end of the tub and leave it overnight.

Here’s a close up of what can be described as “The Lagoon”

I have been accumulating a small pile of torn paper and cardboard.

Into The Lagoon it goes.

There’s enough paper to come about half-way up the tub.

Here’s a close-up of The Mud.

It looks revolting, but yesterday as I scooped it up it was richly full of worms. The slurry additive can’t have caused them to breed any faster than they usually do, but they sure looked populous and healthy!

I have pushed the paper down into the water to speed up its absorption.

Once the paper is soaked, I’ll use this end to add scraps and let the worms migrate away from the mud-side (mud-slide”?) in preparation for harvesting that material. (Please see “ Fines ”).

Sunday, August 21, 2011

I inspected my bin. Over the past couple of weeks I added kitchen scraps than covered the lot with a half-dozen sheets of office paper.

Two weeks later, there is evidence of worm activity!

At the top-right corner of my cover you see where the worms have crept to the surface and excreted; a smaller deposit lies in the trough, and again bottom right-corner of the paper.

Here is a close-up of the castings.

And here is a close-up of the separate deposit.

So, the worms will cover dried paper with castings and then, I suspect, eat it on the way back down!

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