Garden waste - burn or shred?

[Huntsman]

New house with a biggish garden, lots of overgrown stuff to cut back or remove. Loads of buddleia, bay, holly, allsorts.

More than I could take to the dump.

I could burn it or shred it, shredded matter could be used I guess.

Burning would be faster.

I had a shredder before with a spinny chop chop type blade and it was rubbish.

Are the roller shredders any good?

[hooblah]

Burn. Burn all the things.

A good way of achieving this is to get your hands on an oil drum. Cut holes at the base to allow for airflow and chuck everything in. To do it well involves inserting a length of pipe at the base, placed at an angle. While it's burning, you push air down this pipe with a leaf blower or something. This will inject a lot of air and create a vortex. In doing so you get a more complete burn with hotter temperatures and little to no smoke.

[S6PNJ]

What's your budget and how often do you have lots to get rid of?

[The Mad Monk]

Compost it.

[Huntsman]

S6PNJ said:

What's your budget and how often do you have lots to get rid of?

I reckon if I spend a half day in the garden each weekend for a year I'll get on top of it.

Up to £500? I think I'd rather a used petrol machine than a new electric. But I'd want a brand you can get spares for and have serviced.

[MrJuice]

Huntsman said:

I reckon if I spend a half day in the garden each weekend for a year I'll get on top of it.

Sounds like my garden.

[foggy]

Cut down material, chop up into manageable size pieces that fit the size of your bonfire area/burning barrel.

Spread out and leave to dry for as long as you can be bothered/until the grass underneath starts to yellow/her indoors moans.

Save up paper with your personal info on to get fire going with some twiggy kindling bits. Pick an evening with a gentle breeze, start around dusk or shortly after, not when people still have their washing out. Get busy getting a hot fire burning with the driest bits first then keep feeding the rest of the material in from there to minimise smoke.

The sign of success is the pile of ash still smouldering away for a few days after!

[S6PNJ]

Huntsman said:

S6PNJ said:

What's your budget and how often do you have lots to get rid of?

I reckon if I spend a half day in the garden each weekend for a year I'll get on top of it.

Up to £500? I think I'd rather a used petrol machine than a new electric. But I'd want a brand you can get spares for and have serviced.

Look for an MTD Chipper Shredder, like this: (Shredder on the left, chipper on the right - it will do up to about 2")


video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCZGJ-nJocg

Should be able to pick them up on ebay/gumtree for around £300. 8Hp engine, new chipper blades can be got from ebay for around £10 or so, make sure it has the shredder blades and mesh guard fitted.

If you can reach further, try to pick up a second/third hand CS100 or JoBeau M300 - but then your into the £1200-£1500 price tag!
Video of JoBeau https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-IFOcml0uc

Some more info on an old thread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Or if you want to go brand new, the 'Handy' range are ok equipment for domestic use, such as (at £799):
https://www.mowers-online.co.uk/handy-208cc-petrol...

Edited by S6PNJ on Sunday 23 September 22:23

[Stephanie Plum]

The Mad Monk said:

Compost it.

Don't bother. Holly, bay etc take years to break down. Buddleia if the most common variety is a thug and the flowers full of seeds so you'll simply spread them around. Burn it.

[Skyedriver]

Have the same problem and have contemplated a shredder but the cost for a decent one is putting me off.
I'm cutting back overgrown stuff and piling it up at the moment - overhanging tree branches, beech hedge etc (The tree is possibly next doors, I discovered the beech hedge is theirs too when I cut far enough into it ......)
Trouble is it keeps raining and another neighbour keeps putting her washing out...

[The Mad Monk]

Skyedriver said:

Have the same problem and have contemplated a shredder but the cost for a decent one is putting me off.
I'm cutting back overgrown stuff and piling it up at the moment - overhanging tree branches, beech hedge etc (The tree is possibly next doors, I discovered the beech hedge is theirs too when I cut far enough into it ......)
Trouble is it keeps raining and another neighbour keeps putting her washing out...

That's the trouble when you live on a council estate.

[Skyedriver]

The Mad Monk said:

Skyedriver said:

Have the same problem and have contemplated a shredder but the cost for a decent one is putting me off.
I'm cutting back overgrown stuff and piling it up at the moment - overhanging tree branches, beech hedge etc (The tree is possibly next doors, I discovered the beech hedge is theirs too when I cut far enough into it ......)
Trouble is it keeps raining and another neighbour keeps putting her washing out...

That's the trouble when you live on a council estate.

bh!

Actually quite rural, not Council.
Neighbour just likes washing clothes.
Now get back to your monastery duties, haven't you got a book to illustrate?

ps does it rain more on Council Estates?

[Murph7355]

Stephanie Plum said:

Don't bother. Holly, bay etc take years to break down. Buddleia if the most common variety is a thug and the flowers full of seeds so you'll simply spread them around. Burn it.

This.

Although those sort of plants are also a pain in the arse to burn without creating shed loads of smoke.

The oil drum suggestion further up is also a good one. "Incinerator bins" from the likes of B&Q are stupid money for a small one. I got my first oil drum for free from a garden/small holding/farm kit suppliers. Cut holes in the base and top. Lasted a good 6yrs before rotting through.

Current one I paid £10 for off eBay with holes already cut.

There's something therapeutic about burning stuff in the garden at night (Though do not do it whilst wearing a t-shirt and thinking garden gloves are all you need to protect your hands whilst pushing materials into the bin. The rim of an oil drum gets pretty hot once it's going, and the smell of your own arm being burnt is not something you forget easily).

[Huntsman]

Stephanie Plum said:

Don't bother. Holly, bay etc take years to break down. Buddleia if the most common variety is a thug and the flowers full of seeds so you'll simply spread them around. Burn it.

But presumably is ok if shredded?

Perhaps worth burning the buddleia to kill off the seeds?

Burning in an oil drum is easy, I can pick one up for nothing.

[V8RX7]

Burn it.

I have a few large fires a year where I'll burn a few trees worth - literally throwing armfuls of stuff on for 4+ hours

If you pick your day / evening carefully there's no problem

A shredder is a noisy beast and far slower unless you're spending £2k+

[stinkyspanner]

I've just taken down a few 12' conifers and have a load of waste which I'm intending to burn. I like the idea of an oil drum but I imagine it will take forever, presumably a sensible size bonfire would be more practical?
Not worried about the lawn, it's been wrecked by the summer and various builders leaving all their gear everywhere whilst building an extension

[chris4652009]

Burn. it's more fun

[Drumroll]

We are coming up to "bonfire night" have a big one and make a party of it. Don't forget an old galvanised bucket for making baked potatoes with.

[Alucidnation]

Yes, burning is a brilliant idea, and will almost guarantee pissing off your neighbours.

[chris4652009]

Alucidnation said:

Yes, burning is a brilliant idea, and will almost guarantee pissing off your neighbours.

Thought everyone on here lived detached at the end of a 2 mile driveway????