Q: How do I use a YOLO Compost Tumbler?
In this short video (1:50), Lisa shows you how to use your YOLO Compost Tumbler and she explains why our YOLOs come with two shells as a double unit.
Q: Why don’t you use a payment portal so that I can pay online by card?
Card transactions come with fees that are deducted on our side. For an item of R100, a 3.5% fee seems no big deal but on the price of a large YOLO Compost Tumbler, these fees add up. We sell direct-to-customer to keep pricing fair and reasonable. To accommodate for transaction fees, we would need to increase margins, which means that you would pay a higher price for our products. For now, we’re sticking with EFTs and personal interactions with you.
Q: Do you do custom colours?
Initially we offered a range of combinations and over about 18 months we found trends. That is why we only offer green-yellow, brown-green and brown-grey. We do not keep other plastic colours in stock.
If an organisation, complex or the like would prefer their own colour combination for many units, we can order in a batch of plastic specifically for their order. Please contact us directly to discuss options.
Q: What size YOLO Compost Tumbler should I choose?
The small (2 x 45-litre shells) YOLO is primarily for apartments and townhouses with tiny gardens or courtyards. Our focus here is on composting your kitchen waste instead of adding it to your trash where it ends up in landfill.
The medium (2 x 100-litre shells) is big enough to accommodate some grass cuttings and garden waste from a small garden in addition to your kitchen peelings for a family of 2-4.
The large (2 x 200-litre shells) is definitely the size you need if you have a small to large garden and more than three people in your family.
No compost tumbler in the world is big enough to accommodate material from a large garden. Used in conjunction with a compost heap / leaf cage, a YOLO Compost Tumbler is very effective to mature compost for a regular turnover of material. By putting your kitchen waste into a YOLO Compost Tumbler, you’ll keep pests out of your compost heap.
Our YOLO Compost Tumbler comes as a double unit for convenient and efficient composting – when one shell is full, you can start immediately on the second.
Q: Do you deliver and install?
We deliver to your door through The Courier Guy, Kargo and Petals Express. YOLO Compost Tumblers require no installation. It arrives assembled and ready-to-use. Take it out the box, place it on the ground, open the lid and toss in your kitchen cuttings.
We recommend leaving your YOLO on its stand on the ground initially. Move it around until you find the right place for it. If you’d like to mount the frame on a wall, give your local handyman a call. We recommend 8mm rawl bolts for the small and medium size and 10mm rawl bolts for the large.
Q: How do I empty my YOLO Compost Tumbler?
A: If your YOLO is wall-mounted, park your wheelbarrow under it and tip the contents out. If your YOLO is on its stand on the ground, use a spade to scoop it into a container or tip the contents out onto a tray, plastic sheet or tarp.
Q: I’ve heard that the contents in compost tumblers can be wet and slushy. Is this true?
As with any composting method, the outcome of the process is determined by what you put in. There are guidelines on the side of the YOLO Compost Tumbler to remind you what you can put in and also to remind you of the key 2 ‘brown’ to 1′ green’ ratio.
If you only put wet veggie cuttings into your YOLO, yes, it will be too wet. You need to balance the wet ‘green’ materials with dry ‘brown’ materials like dry leaves, shredded cardboard, egg cartons, shredded paper and the like.
Compost tumblers are closed units so they do retain moisture, which is also an advantage of tumblers as composting requires a degree of moisture – but not too much. It is very important to pay attention to what you throw in. Smell your compost – your nose is your best tool to gauge the health of your compost. Whether you’re using a tumbler or a bin or any other composting method, a balance in materials has to be achieved.
Compost really is all about nature and balance – carbon, nitrogen, moisture and air. Take a look at the resources articles for excellent guidance.
Q: Can I put almost-ready compost from my compost heap into my new YOLO Compost Tumbler?
Of course! In fact, this is a great way to get almost-ready compost that has been sitting at the bottom of the heap for almost a year to be ready-to-use in a matter of three to four weeks (depending on the stage of the compost). Just remember not to fill your YOLO Compost Tumbler shell up too much. Aim for 3/4 full so that there is still space for the material to mix and be aerated when you give it a tumbler every few days. When your compost looks, feels and smells earthy, when it gives off very little heat and when the materials are no longer recognisable (you can’t identify carrots and potato peels), then your compost is ready.