Rach - I've heard that raw pet diets really reduce the poop, so that's a good place to start (like "reduce, reuse, recycle." That
compost bin is a great system. Now that you have more land and can do multiple bins, you could fill them part way, remove the bin, add soil and plant a tree or shrub on top. By the time the roots reach the poo, it will have degraded into fertilizer. This would have been a great way to plant those trees lining the entrance at Twelve Oaks in Gone with the Wind
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Maria - Aw - kittens! Wood shavings are also good litter. A shelter manager once told me that after switching to shavings they had fewer kitten respiratory problems. Maybe some cats react badly to the chemical additives in clay litter meant to minimize odor. But I haven't seen anything definitive on that.
I have a lot to learn, too, Anne. And I'm learning more with every post. Like you, affordability is key to me. Any time I consider adopting a better environmental alternative, I consider first cost and then effort. I'm notoriously economical, but I think the bigger factor is that expensive new items are fossil and resource intensive. As for effort, some things start out seeming like a lot of work. But you can usually figure out how to do them smarter.
Laurie - You've got the right approach to litter and diet. I like how you use water, ash and bits of yard waste to improve the degradation process. Recycling depends so much on instinct, climate, weather and materials at hand. You're always changing and adapting, so it's hard to pin things down with recipes. You might want to try my suggestion to Rach above and include partly filled pits into your landscape plans.
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