Keep your compost and native wildlife safe
Do you live in a rat-free area and have seen tunnels in your compost, or chew marks on the bin? Please get in touch with us! Report this online or call 0800 NO RATS (0800 667 287).
Home compost bins often have an open bottom. This means rats and mice can easily burrow into a food buffet before moving on to our native animals. Luckily it’s easy to ‘rat proof’ your bin.
Materials you’ll need:
- Gloves
- Safety glasses
- Galvanised wire mesh, approximately 1.25m x 1.25m to cover the bottom and lower sides of the bin. Mesh holes should be 1.25cm max (mice and rats can squeeze through anything bigger). Stainless steel would last longer and be less prone to rust but is more expensive and can be hard to find.
- Around 20 cable ties
- Pliers or tin snips
Step 1 – lay out the wire mesh
If your mesh is in a roll, it will spring back when you let it go. Weigh down the edges with bricks or pieces of wood while you work. Place your bin on top. Ideally you’ll have 10-20 cm extra on each edge (or enough to cover any air holes, doors or flaps where rats can get in).
Step 2 – fold and wrap the wire mesh
Fold the mesh up one side at a time. Each fold should be close to the bottom edge of the bin and extend up the sides. You can fold overlapping bunches of the mesh together (and cable tie them later).
You can also use tin snips or pliers to cut out sections of mesh so it doesn’t bunch together.
Step 3 – cable tie everything
Cable-tie bunches of mesh together. Or you can connect cable ties into a long string, weave it through the mesh and around the whole bin, then connect the cables. Make sure the air holes are completely covered.
Keep the ties loose until you’re ready to tighten them all. The mesh should sit tight against the sides of the bin, so no rats can squeeze in. You might like to trim the cable ties.
All done! Your compost bin will still smell delicious to rats, so it’s a good place for your trap.