Each time you add bio food waste to the composter and turn the handle, the bio food waste passes through the Ridan, composting as it goes. This process pushes the mixture through to produce fresh and nutritious compost at the other end.
How does the Ridan Bio Food Waste Composter work?
Composting is a natural process which will happen as long as the key ingredients of Carbon, Nitrogen, Air and Water are present. Designed to recycle bio food waste (Bio meaning living or having lived, ie all food) the Ridan can compost all bio food waste and wood. Bio food waste includes meat, fish, dairy and eggs whether cooked or raw.
The Ridan food composter uses natural ingredients and processes to create a warm environment in which food waste (nitrogen) and wood (carbon), can mix with air and water. Unlike other composters, all this happens without the need for electricity, making your Ridan cheap and easy to use.
Heat is created when micro-organisms, (including bacteria and fungi) break down the organic matter, bio food waste and wood. The heat attracts even more hyper active microbes, which make the composting process quick and efficient. This creates the perfect composting conditions.
How do I use a Ridan food composting system?
Simply add equal amounts by volume of food waste (nitrogen) and brown waste such as wood (carbon), then turn the handle a few times to mix and aerate……..that’s it !
Wood – Carbon Rich
- Wood chips
- Sawdust
- Wood Pellets
- Wood Shavings
Any of the above can be used bearing in mind the following points.
- Chip, sawdust and shavings are waste products so can often be sourced locally free of charge from tree surgeons, sawmills or carpenters.
- Keep it dry, store it close to the Ridan and under cover.
- Wood Pellets, Sawdust and shavings break down quickly making great compost, larger wood chips take longer to break down making more of a mulch.
- Wood Pellets work fantastically, you can order online and they will be delivered to your door, they come in convenient watertight bags and you only need to use 1/6th of the amount, however there is a small cost that equates to between £2 and £4 per week, so if you can’t find free carbon, wood pellets are still an excellent option.
Food – Nitrogen Rich
- Dairy, cheese, butter, eggs.
- Fruit and Veg (including skins)
- Meat (raw and cooked)
- Fish (raw and cooked)
- Bread
- Salads
- Pasta, Rice
- Manure (including rabbit & guinea pig droppings)
- Plate scrapings, anything edible.
All raw and cooked food waste can be composted in a Ridan, but remember to drain off excess fluids, cut up big chunks and avoid all but small bones. Fruit, veg, greens and prep compost most easily, however starches, meats and dough take longer to digest, much like our own digestive systems, so a mixture of both types of foods is essential.
Dead leaves, straw, paper, cardboard and tissue can be composted by layering them into the Maturation Box, between the compost as it is loaded, this works better than adding them to the Ridan, they cannot replace the wood.
Using Your Compost
Depending upon what sort of food is being composted it may be ready to spread straight onto the garden. However, it is usually best to mature the compost for a few weeks in a Ridan Maturation Box. Here the composting process will continue to break the products down even further.