Compostable sleeping mats

Hello Permies!

I have a unique problem and thought that i might find the answers here. As you might already know there are a bunch of people camping out all over the country expressing their rights to assemble and free speech. i am part of this and have spent the past month sleeping on cold concrete. I do not wish to bring any political topics to this forum.

I am trying to work on a way to provide protection from concrete as low budget as possible.

I was thinking about the possible use of silage bag material or tarps fashioned into sacks to hold leaves and other organic debris for long term winter use. I would like to avoid materials that would break down easy and become messy. though i would also like to think that there may be a way to use these sacks to compost. i know it might be impossible to expect them to heat up but what matters is that they could act as isolation.

Any ideas on what materials to use? i would like to do this as low budget as possible and also love the idea that they would be doing something to help by creating compost. i know leaf debris might not make the best. 

Is this idea too far out there? Is it possible to make sleeping mats that could help compost as well?

Thank you.

Sleeping mats from plastic bags:
They dont compost, but it will keep them out of the landfills for an extra use.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Tools required: scissors

Something to do to keep the people active during the slow times.
Be sure not to run with those scissors, or the cops will take them away.
When done with the mats, the homeless could surely use them.

Awesome video thank you! we will try it out

seems like anything used for animal bedding would work, including bales of hay or straw or prepackaged bales of wood chips, even the sawdusty type ones, if left in the bags..use them in garden when done.

If you are in a city, plenty of newspapers should be available.  You can weave them into mats, and you could even paint them if you have a kind of paint that is nontoxic, though that might reduce their attractiveness to worms.  Worms love paper, and Toby Hemenway says that newspapers now use non-toxic soy inks.  Most insects do not like citrus oils, which you could spray on paper mats.

You could also stuff plastic bags, envelopes with paper for padding, layering, if you want a vapor barrier somewhere, but you don't want a sticky surface on top.

Cardboard is ubiquitous and less easilly recycled than paper. It also is somewhat insulative, especially the thicker sorts with more layers of corrugations. It wont handle wet very well though, if there is a downpour or something, although if it's fairly thick such as an apple box or thicker and isn't messed about with while wet it usually will dry out and keep its shape through a few rains...but perhaps  cardboard on top of those crocheted bags, or between two layers? You could  just unfold the suckers, flatten them out and use  like that or you could try tearing them along the folds and weaving them together. 

I am a creature comfort person so would likely be looking to make some sort of collapsable cardboard shelter to crawl into. even if it was just a triangle open at both ends. Those are easy if you can find big boxes, take a bit more thought if only apple boxes and such are available.The smaller the space you are trying to heat the less heat it takes.

The better you sleep the more energy and the better mental attitude you have the next day.

Good luck