OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Lawn clippings

The cost of getting rid of lawn clippings in around the south east of Melbourne is quite expensive from what I have heard, so I had a thought as I want to fill in a 30 foot swimming pool here, I could charge a small fee for them and slowly fill it up but I'm not sure how bad the smell would be for the neighbors, wouldn't bother me, my sniffer doesn't work that well anyway. I want to pour a slab over it eventually, so I would have to put a number of stumps in it to eventually help support the slab

Just don't do it. You are bound to get the clowncil on your back.

I figured the clowncil might get upset but I'm after about 60/70 cubic meters of fill and I don't want to have to barrow that up into the back yard. Lawn clipping are lighter to carry up the stairs one bag at a time

+1 to Mowerfreak on this. And add the EPA to that - and EPA Vic seems to be getting some real teeth at last, too.

Norm, this is effectively composting, on an industrial scale. Which works very differently to a backyard compost bin.

It also is not something that is done just by building heaps, or filling pits, these days. Odour control is the primary reason for that.

It's amazing how much lawn clippings you can cram into your green waste wheelie bin.
I usually put a layer of branch cuttings at the bottom to ensure it will empty properly when the garbage truck arrives.
And never let water get in when you do the following or else you will be lucky if half the content empties out on collection day.
Every two catcher loads I get on a milk crate and step in the bin and push it down with my feet and it really frees up a lot of space each time. Where practical, I will put branch cuttings or other green waste between the layers and the grass will be forced into the spaces amongst the other waste.
As long as no rain gets inside, it will empty fine each time after all the packing.
You can even ask a neighbour close to collection day is they mind you pouring a load or two into theirs as people often don't fully utilise their green waste bins.

Mowerfreak, I know how to get rid of the clippings, I just want them for landfill.
I know Gadge I know, but it wouldn't have been an issue in the fifties, everybody would have just laughed about it. Maybe it would be better to fill it with old styrene or old Victa boxes, at least it would be light for me to carry up the stairs, but then I guess that would be a fire hazard, I can't win

Just because you could do something in the 50s doesn't mean it would be a good idea to. Plenty of things done in the past that turned out to be not so great.

I'm not exactly enthusiastic about a nanny state but on the other hand there are sometimes perfectly good reasons for not being able to do something and sometimes it may save lives.

In your case Norm I'm not an expert but I would imagine that grass would probably be a horrible choice for landfill compared to say building rubble or excess sand/soil.

I'd say due to composting the heat, moisture, gases, living things and change in consistency as it breaks down and all that would lead to a pretty unstable fill.

Hi Dooley, rubble and soil is not an option for me as it has to be barrowed up a flight of stairs to get to the back yard. The alternative is pouring concrete beams and formwork to support the slab. Oh well guess I will have to come up with another idea. Putting in the pool 35 years ago seemed like a good idea at the time but things change

Hi Norm,

I'll stick my neck out and say what everyone else is afraid to, it's a ludicrous idea and will have absolutely no stability what so ever. You'll regret it and might even start spontaneous combustion as have you ever put your hands into decomposing lawn clippings ? It gets stinkin' hot.

As a mate of mine always says,Sometimes you just have to reach into your pocket and pay. Life's not about everything for nothing.

Cheers,
BB.

If you got real motivated you could start a compost worm breeding business in your pool with all your grass clippings. Or better yet, breed fish in it. Some Barra fingerlings, or even grow carp. Have you seen the price landscapers or pet shops pay for very large carp?

Trev I have thought about the fish idea, about 45 years ago at my parents place we put some goldfish in their pool and boy did they grow big in 12 months or so. The hard part was catching them when they wanted to clean the pool, didn't have the heart to just chuck some chlorine in it.
BB it is not about the money, I don't want 10 meters of dirt dumped in the driveway and have to barrow it up a ramp on the stairs.I can't recall ever seeing a silage heap on a farm self combust, I know they generate a lot of heat but they are very moist. Maybe I will just leave the water in it, all seems too hard.

That's because the traditional 'pit silage' is covered with an airtight cover, to exclude oxygen. No oxygen = no combustion.
Same with the modern method of plastic-wrapped bale silaging.

And on the odour side, there are still some cockies around here who use the pit method. You can smell the silage pong from several kilometres away downwind, when a matured pit is opened...

This is 100% correct! It is composting on an industrial level. And without the correct ventilation, it presents a major fire hazard. Not a good idea at all i'm afraid

Here's an idea. Fill it with mower carcasses.

Looks like I will chuck a few goldfish in it, at least they will keep the mozzies under control.
Mower carcasses around here would fill it quickly, particularly rusty Victa ones

You could turn it into a huge methane gas generator and power your home and your neighbourhood! Probably could get a grant from some greenie councillors or government to build it.

Why don't you want to use it as a pool? I can't think of anything nicer than going for a dip after working on a mower for several hours in the heat.

Got sick of cleaning it probably 10 years ago once the grandkids became teanagers and didn't have any interest in helping keep it clean and got busy with their own lives

This is why many homes come onto the market after their pool usage finishes.

Now's the perfect time to sell while the heat is still with us.

Sadly pools are an expensive item to run whether you use them or not.

Cheers,
BB.

I've heard pools are a liability when you try to rent the home out.