The short answer: yes!
Because it is not necessary to add garden waste, the HOTBIN can also be used exclusively for kitchen waste.
Note: some types of waste, such as cooked food and small bones, can only be added to the HOTBIN when it is operating at a high composting temperature of 40-60 °C.
The HOTBINs that we use ourselves at our head office are mainly filled with kitchen waste such as food waste from the office, buffet leftovers, tea bags, and coffee grounds, supplemented with extra waste brought in by our team from home. Garden waste is therefore not a requirement.
Guidelines for composting food waste
Vegetable and fruit peels (including citrus), tea bags, and coffee grounds can always be added. Only add cooked food, meat, fish, and bones when the internal temperature in the HOTBIN is higher than 40 degrees Celsius.
Most food is relatively easy to digest. This causes the temperature to rise faster. However, if you add only easily digestible waste, this will actually cause the temperature in your HOTBIN to drop. Therefore, to maintain heat production, you should always add a little waste that is harder to digest, as this takes longer to break down. This contributes to longer and constant heating of the HOTBIN.
Tip: don't have much garden waste? The HOTBIN Mini (100 litres) might be more suitable for you. Because less waste is needed to reach hot composting temperatures, this HOTBIN is better suited for composting only food waste.
Remember: shredded paper and wood chips
whatever amount of waste you add to the HOTBIN, ensure that it is chopped/shredded, and that you add both shredded paper and wood chips in the correct proportions. Food waste (especially peels) contains a lot of moisture, and although the HOTBIN will evaporate a large part of this moisture itself, extra paper and wood chips perfectly balance the moisture content.
