Any tips for trash can compost bin?

I made a compost bin out of a 32 gal Rubbermaid trash can by drilling holes all over it. It's been about 4 weeks and things are looking like lumpy compost (smells great, too) but I keep adding new materials so I don't know how I'll be able to separate the part that's ready from the part that's in progress. Do I just dump everything out onto a tarp and throw the big chunks back into the can?

Also, would adding worms to the bin speed things up? It gets pretty hot in there.

Thanks for helping out a newbie.

At some point you have to stop adding and let it finish breaking down. Begin a new batch with the new materials.

Karen

I'm chuckling at myself because the answer was so obvious. Doh!

Thanks, Karen. I'm off to scrounge up another trash can.

(Still chuckling...)

We all probably asked the same question at some point.

Other options are to spread the compost, partially finished, as is, onto a garden bed as mulch and let it finish rotting in place. Or, you can sift out the finished stuff with a compost screen and throw the unfinished stuff into the next batch. That's sort of a time consuming task, though, and I rarely bother.

Karen

I did something similar. Drill holes in the bottom, then cut around the bottom of the trash can leaving about 5-6" so the bottom became a "lid". Invert the trash can & start filling. The lid flaps back over what is now the top; flip it back to load.