Bosch AXT 2200 HP Silent Garden Shredder

Bosch - Quality you can trust

Bosch AXT 2200 HPThis garden shredder is the ideal tool for anybody who is serious about composting all of their garden waste. Cuttings from trees, bushes and shrubs up to 38mm thick (1 ¹/₂ inches) can be reduced in no time at all to a mulch suitable for borders or for adding carbon rich texture to compost. Unlike cheaper, far noisier shredders, you will experience very few problems with the mechanism jamming. In such an event, the automatic feed drawing in the branches has a unique feature; a reverse mode allowing blockages to be overcome without having to dismantle the machine.

In our opinion this lightweight, portable shredder with it's sturdy frame and collection bag (not shown) outperforms comparable and other more expensive offerings

Although not totally silent (that is impossible), this machine makes a noise similar in volume to that of a washing machine. In comparison to the ear shattering din produced by most shredders this will come as a relief.

Read what other buyers have to say about this product and buy with confidence.

  

If you are budget constrained or do not require such a powerful shredder; let us suggest the Bosch AXT 2000 HP.  This is the only sub £200 garden shredder we would currently recommend.  Not quite as powerful, but equally quiet.

Compost bins

Compost bins to recycle household waste

There has never been a better time to take up home composting.

Many UK local authorities either have or are now looking at cutting the frequency of refuse collection. The government are also considering proposals to allow a charge for the weight of waste we put out for collection. As unfair as some might perceive a potential bin tax to be, there is a need to take some environmental action to prevent problems caused by landfill. All factors considered, this should be a great incentive for all of us to reduce waste and recycle as much as possible. Home composting can play a significant role in this.

Approximately a third of the average household waste can be composted. For example this includes, but is not limited to

• Fruit and vegetable peelings
• Teabags
• Cardboard and newspaper
• Garden waste
• Cooked food & scraps (with a kitchen composter)

For more details check out our guide to compost bin materials

Quick, clean and odourless

Using the appropriate methods means that household waste can be coverted to compost quickly, efficiently and in an odourless way. There is a choice of home compost devices suitable for either outdoor or in kitchen use.

Garden compost bins

Composting Waste A garden compost bin is a simple device which can either be home made or purchased very cheaply. It needs to perfom three simple tasks. It must adequately contain the waste in a single area, prevent the composted materials from being too wet / too dry and also ensure that the materials are well ventilated. Such conditions should ensure that the correct amount of heat is generated to enable the composting process to take place

For information on how to get the most from and effectively manage your compost, refer to our guide on composting

Kitchen composters

Kitchen composters, unlike traditional garden compost bins, can also process cooked food and scraps. These are more sophisticated devices and they tend to work in one of two ways. Either they actively compost the waste materials, or they contain the waste within an inner removable biodegradable bag which can then be put onto your garden compost heap, once full.

Benefits of home composting

• Free source of nutrients for gardens / window boxes
• Less need for land fill
• Reduction in greenhouse gasses. If kitchen & garden waste breaks down in a landfill, harmful methane is produced
• Saves the Earth's natural resources by reducing the need for peat taken from endangered habitats
• Possible savings in future charges for refuse disposal

Composting

Composting – the mix of materials

It is important to use a mix of green and brown materials in your compost bin. Green materials are nitrogen rich. They break down quickly and help keep the compost moist. Brown materials contain a lot of carbon. They tend to break down more slowly and add structure, encouraging air circulation, which is essential to the creation of compost.

Green materials include: egg shells, fruit, vegetables, garden & house plants, weeds, grass cuttings, tea bags and coffee grounds.

Brown materials include: hedge trimmings, branches, twigs, feathers, shredded cardboard, shredded paper, hay, straw, wood chips and sawdust.

To obtain the best results, first place a layer of twigs and branches in your compost bin to a depth of 6 inches (15cm); then add in roughly equal parts, green and brown materials.

For more details check out our guide to compost bin materials

Materials will always break down more quickly, particularly carbon rich brown materials such as twigs and branches if they are first shredded

Composting - getting the best results

High quality compost can be produced, with only a little care and attention. Two things to consider are air and moisture.

Air : The introduction of air speeds up the composting process by encouraging bacterial action. The two most effective methods of ensuring that compost is aerated are, turning the compost in the bin with a garden fork and periodically emptying the bin contents and returning them.
Moisture : Ideally compost should be neither too wet nor too dry. You should be able to crumble it in your fingers, yet if squeezed it should also stick together. If too dry and dusty a little water should be added, and if too wet, brown materials such as shredded carboard or saw dust should be added to abosrb some of the excess moisture.

Worm composting

Worms are an excellent for aerating compost, their presence in a compost bin will greatly speed the process and increase the quality of the fished product. There are two approaches which can be taken to put worms to work in your compost bin.

Passive worm composting : Placing your compost bin on a soil or grass surface, as opposed to hardstanding will allow worms to enter the bottom of your compost pile and begin to work their magic.
Active worm composting : A more active approach can be taken by introducing a larger number of worms to your compost bin. It is possible to buy in bulk, from suppliers, a ready supply of good composting worms (mainly Red worms and Dendras)

Benefits of home composting

• Free source of nutrients for gardens / window boxes
• Less need for land fill
• Reduction in greenhouse gasses. If kitchen & garden waste breaks down in a landfill, harmful methane is produced
• Saves the Earth's natural resources by reducing the need for peat taken from endangered habitats
• Possible savings in future charges for refuse disposal

Compost bin materials

Selecting materials for your compost bin

When deciding on materials suitable for your compost bin, a simple rule of thumb is, if it is organic - it will be able to be composted. This applies to either to animal or vegetable sourced materials.

For the sake of hygeine purposes, care must be taken to select materials. Some, such as cooked food scraps though compostable, will be prone to attract vermin and therefore are usuitable for a garden compost bin. These can still be put in a kitchen composter. Others such as egg shells or cardboard, although suitable, may need pre-processing in terms of breaking up or shredding prior to submitting to the compost heap.

List of compost bin materials

The following is a comprehensive though not definitive list. It does however provide a good starting point and an idea of the range of materials which can be composted

From the garden

• Clover
• Dead flowers
• Flower petals
• Garden soil
• Grass cuttings
• Hay
• Leaves
• Moss from hanging baskets
• Mud from soles of boots & shoes
• Old leather gardening gloves
• Outdated seeds
• Pea vines
• Peat moss
• Pine needles
• Plant cuttings
• Sawdust
• Straw
• Tree bark
• Weeds
• Wood chips

From the kitchen

• Apple cores
• Banana skins
• Bread crusts
• Burned toast
• Citrus wastes
• Coffee grounds
• Coconut husk fibre
• Cooked rice
• Corn cobs
• Date pits
• Egg shells
• Fish bones
• Fruit salad
• Grape wastes
• Grapefruit rinds
• Mouldy cheese
• Nutshells
• Old herbs
• Old spices
• Olive pits
• Onion skins
• Outdated yogurt
• Peanut shells
• Popcorn
• Potato peelings
• Pumpkin seeds
• Pickles
• Rhubarb stems
• Shells (lobster,crab,shrimp)
• Stale bread
• Stale breakfast cereal
• Tea bags (including herbal)
• Tossed salad
• Vegetable cuttings
• Waste cooked food (using a kitchen composter)
• Watermelon rinds

From the freezer

• Freezer burned food (fish, fruit & vegetables)

Liquids

• Beer
• Juice from canned vegetables
• Juice from canned fruit
• Milk (small quantities)
• Soya milk
• Urine (it is an excellent composting accelerant)
• Wine

Household waste

• Aquarium plants
• Cotton swabs
• Dead bees and flies
• Expired flower arrangements
• Electric razor trimmings
• Felt scraps
• Houseplant trimmings
• Leather goods
• Matches
• Nail clippings
• Pencil shavings
• Wooden toothpicks
• Woollen socks

Household dust

• Vacuum cleaner bag contents
• Lint from behind refrigerator
• Lint from tumble Dryer

Paper

• Brown paper bags
• Grocery receipts
• Paper napkins
• Paper towels
• Post-it notes
• Used envelopes
• Shredded cardboard
• Shredded cereal boxes
• Shredded newspapers
• Tissues

Poo

• Bat droppings
• Bird droppings
• Chicken manure
• Cow manure
• Goat manure
• Horse manure
• Pig manure
• Rabbit manure

Animals / pets

• Cage cleanings (bird, guinea pig, hamster)
• Feathers
• Animal fur
• Horse hair
• Pet hair

Compost bin mix

From such a comprehensive list, it should be possible to ensure that a good mix of materials go into your compost. This is important as sometimes the predominence of some materials such as grass cuttings, can cause your compost heap to become too wet, especially if insufficiently vented.

More detailed information available in the guide to composting

Benefits of home composting

• Free source of nutrients for gardens / window boxes
• Less need for land fill
• Reduction in greenhouse gasses. If kitchen & garden waste breaks down in a landfill, harmful methane is produced
• Saves the Earth's natural resources by reducing the need for peat taken from endangered habitats
• Possible savings in future charges for refuse disposal