Trash: Compost

While I am neither a tree huger nor a Earth worshiper, I do value land and resources and I see landfills as a waste of both. To act in harmony with this, I am looking to handle all my trash on my own land. To do this, I am composting all my biodegradables.

The bottom tire got only one sidewall cut out. I cut the side wall out right near the tread. With the other three tires, I cut one sidewall next to the tread and cut the other one a couple inches away from the tread.

Cutting the sidewall out is quite easy. You take a 1/2 inch or larger wood drill and drill a hole in the side wall right where you plan to cut. Then you take a jig saw with a wood blade, stick it in the hole you drilled, and saw away. Keep in mind that the treads have steel threads in them and the bead of the tire has a steel cable embedded in it. These are made of very hard steel and should only be taken on out of necessary.

I placed the tire under the eve so it will receive more than the standard amount of rain water. I stuck a piece of a sheet metal in the bottom to prevent voles from burrowing up into the stack.

I started filling the tire with a shovel of straw and a shovel of dirt. This straw has been setting on the ground for over a decade. The straw has been wet for about 3 months of each year and then dehydrated for the rest of the year. The straw is in pretty bad shape, but still identifiable.

I had originally expected that it would take weeks or months to fill these four. The clean up efforts I engaged in filled it up inside a single day. I have at least that much straw again laying around. I'll keep the top tire 1/2 to 3/4 full and keep it wet and cut up four more tires.