The 14 Best Compost Bins of 2024

Well, if you’ve been looking for a way to convert your kitchen waste into gold, then it’s time to get a compost pit. Besides, composting in your home is quite an easy task if you have the best compost bins. They are also environmentally friendly, and instead of complaining about plenty of vegetables and other leftovers in your home, you can convert them into manure for home use. Besides, with coronavirus making most people stay home, food wastes are quickly increasing and disposing of them may be less convenient.

Besides, most compost bins have a large capacity and will help you get rid of the bad odors of your food wastes. Most of them can also hold up to two days of waste in your kitchen. Therefore, instead of rushing outside every time you have waste material, you can just store it in this convenient container.

Best Overall: FCMP Outdoor IM4000 Tumbling Compost Bin

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FCMP Outdoor IM4000 Compost Bin is the top-rated composter in the market according to user reviews. It is available in two colors: black and blue and has a tumbling design which makes it easier and more efficient to mix the materials. You only need to close the door and turn it about six times every two or three days. In favorable conditions, it completes the composting process in only two weeks.

It’s also easy to use owing to its removable door and large openings which makes its loading and unloading of compost materials and compost respectively easier. It also comes with dual chambers two: one for storing wastes and the other for the composting process. Finally, the aeration holes and deep fins ensure better airflow in the composter to hasten the decomposition process. Its durable construction also ensures it is long-lasting, allowing you to use it for many years after purchase.

Best Pick: Jora Composter Tumbler JK270 Compost Bin

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If you are looking for a large and durable composter, then Jora JK270 tumbler is your best choice. At 70-gallon capacity, it’s one of the largest composters in the market and is ideal for large households. Besides, it is lightweight and will last you for years due to its sturdy construction. It’s also elevated and fully-enclosed, which makes it pest-resistant and helps reduce bad odors.

The dual chambers also allow you to store your wastes on one side as the composting process occurs on the other chamber. This ensures you have a good supply of compost all year round. It’s also fully-insulated enabling it to heat quickly for fast composting. But it’s quite an expensive composter and is ideal for those looking for a high-quality composter.

Best Value: Algreen Products Soil Saver Classic Compost Bin

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Rated #4 in our review, the Algreen Products Soil Saver Compost bin is ideal for anyone who desires a large and stationary composter. It has thick resin walls and comes when fully assembled. The recycled plastic construction materials are free from BPA and other toxic materials. It is also large, which makes it ideal for average households.

The moment you open this compost bin, you’ll realize that it has a large opening and other two sliding doors. These openings make it easier to remove the compost and insert materials into the compost bin. Also, it has an open base that allows the microorganisms in the soil to enter it for a faster and more efficient composting.

Good Ideas CW-2X12 Senior Wizard Dual Tumbler Compost Bin

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Rated #5 in our review, Good Ideas CW-2X12 makes the turning of compost heaps easier with its practical design. This compost bin is made of recycled and environmentally-friendly materials. Its barrel removes the liquid by-product of decomposition while the base design enables it to collect this “compost tea” ensuring it doesn’t go to waste. The liquid is nutrient-rich and hence used as fertilizer.

It’s also dual-chambered which makes it ideal for large homes as they can store the composting materials in one chamber for composting and store other kitchen wastes to the other chamber.

Lifetime 60058 Compost Tumbler

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This 80-gallon compost tumbler is a piece of handy garden equipment but not for beginners. Its decently priced and if you’re familiar with most tools, then assembling it will be easy. It is so spacious and can accommodate different kitchen wastes and household scraps. Loading and unloading of materials are also easier, thanks to the removable door

This tumbler is quite effective and will help you produce nutrient-rich dark soil. You should position it to face the sun for faster composting. It also features an internal aeration bar that ensures better airflow in the composter. Finally, it has a DVD manual that provides a step by step process of how to compost.

FCMP Outdoor HF-DBC4000 Dual Body HOTFROG Tumbling

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FCMP Outdoor Tumbler consists of 100% recycled materials and will last you for a long time while creating rich compost for garden use. It comes with a galvanized and corrosion-resistant steel frame, which makes sure it looks good and remains in better working condition for a long time. Besides, you don’t have to mix the compost materials with your hand as there is an easy and efficient mechanism for doing it.

This composter also comes with aeration holes that ensure a better flow of oxygen around the composter for a faster-composting process. It’s ideal for beginners as it features large openings for easier adding of materials and removal of compost.

Nature’s Footprint Worm Factory 360 WF360B Worm Composting Bin

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If you would like to increase the fertility of your garden, then go for this worm composter from Nature’s Footprint. This device composts your household wastes and kitchen scraps using composter worms in a technique called vermicomposting. These worms feed on your material wastes and generate rich soil for garden, containers and flower bed use.

It has four trays with each having a capacity of 12 pounds, and you can expand them to 8 trays. It also comes with a DVD instruction material that guides you on the composting process. And there is a spigot at the bottom of this composter which enables you to collect “worm tea” which you can then use as a fertilizer.

Spin Bin Composter 60 gal. Large Capacity Outdoor Tumbling Compost Bin

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Rated #9 in our review, Spin Bin composter promises its users well-composted materials with less effort. It has openings at both ends which you can fill the materials into and tumble them. It also contains 20 ventilation holes that ensure better oxygen flow in the compost bin.

And there is a mixer bar inside too which breaks up the materials. Its insides are ripped to ensure better circulation of oxygen. Overall, it comes from strong plastic and is easy to assemble. The black color also enables it to gain more heat to ensure faster decomposition.

Miracle-Gro Dual Chamber Compost Tumbler Bin

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The Miracle-Grow Tumbler bin is manufactured with the gardener’s ease of use in mind. It’s one of the compost bins with the highest capacity in the market. It’s easy to use and high capacity enables it to store large quantities of waste at a time.

It’s also made using durable & heavy-duty materials which ensure it remains in good working condition for a long time. Overall, it’s a reliable composter and is both UV and corrosion-resistant, which makes it ideal for outdoor uses.

SQUEEZE Master Large Compost Bin Tumbler

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If you’re looking for a high-quality composter at a reasonable price, then go for this compost bin. It is manufactured from high-quality PP Plastic that is free from PPA, PP and other harmful plastics. Besides, it is easier to rotate, making it highly effective in making high-quality compost.

Moreover, it has air holes for better aeration which are vital for faster decomposition. The two compartments are also water & ultraviolet proof, which prevents them from reacting with some chemicals. This ensures it lasts for longer, even in outdoor environments while offering you high quality and effective composting.

VermiHut Plus 5-Tray Worm Compost Bin

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If you’re that person who loves recycling household scraps, then this VermiHut composter is your best match. It is manufactured from recycled materials and since it’s made from plastic material, you should keep it in a dark place. If you don’t put it in a shaded place, then the temperature will rise inside it, which is unideal for the red wigglers.

This compost bin is uniquely designed with five trays for holding about 1200 worms each. You can reduce the number of trays. Those who fail to use it well will get bad odors, but once they learn how to use it well, then the odor will be eliminated. The base of this kit also collects worm tea, and there is a faucet that helps you when draining.

EJWOX Composting Tumbler

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Gardeners looking for an affordable and durable compost bin should buy this EJWOX model. It is simple, easy to assemble and will convert your household wastes into nutritious fertilizers in a short time. This tumbler has two easy to open sliding doors for accessing the tumbler.

This compost bin is ideal for small households with fewer kitchen wastes. It has a capacity of 43 gallons enabling you to compost different types of wastes such as eggshells, banana peels and other food wastes. Finally, it’s rodent-proof, and you won’t have to worry about rats or mice feeding on your materials.

DF Omer Garden Large Compost Bin

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DF Omer Garden Large Compost Bin is one of the top budget composters in the market. This tumbler creates nutrient-rich soil for your garden. Unlike most compost bins, it’s quite easy to use it, and beginners can quickly make their gardens into paradise.

It is also manufactured from premium recycled plastic which is free from BPA and other harmful toxins that can take nutrients from your soil. Plus, its black plastic material maintains heat which ensures faster composting. Finally, it’s easy to assemble and comes with a secure lid that keeps away pests and rodents from your food scraps.

Redmon Since 1883 8000 Compost Bin

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Though it’s the last item in our review list, this Redmon composter is a well-performing bin and ideal for indoor and outdoor uses. It takes a very short time to assemble and is lightweight making it easier to move it to another room without much effort.

It has a capacity of 65 gallons and its build material (rugged plastic resin) enhances its durability and effectiveness. The composting process also takes a short time as it has ventilation holes. Finally, it’s also weather-resistant, and you can access it conveniently via four doors.

What you Should Look for When Buying a Compost Bin

When you buy a composter for home use, you are making the best decision on reusing the yard and household wastes by putting them into the compost pin so that they’re converted to nutrient-rich soil for the lawn or garden. But before purchasing a countertop compost bin, you should consider some factors. By following the things below, you will buy a composter that is ideal for your needs.

Capacity

The first thing to consider when choosing a composter is its capacity. Some models can handle any load from the small amount to a large number of kitchen scraps and wastes. If you have a large family and want to manage your wastes such as newspaper shreds, food scraps and lawn materials, then it’s best to buy a composter which can accommodate large quantities of garbage.

Smaller households, on the other hand with fewer waste quantities, should save their money by buying a composter of lower capacity, i.e. a 17 or 35 gallons tumbler.

Size

There is a direct relation between the size and volume of a composter. As the capacity increases, so does the size of the bin. This is an important consideration as it’s bad to buy a model which won’t fit well. If you own a large yard and want to utilize your home waste well, then buy a bin with a large footprint.

On the other hand, if you own a small yard or you want to place the bin on a patio or deck, it’s not a must to have a bigger compost bin as it’ll take your valuable space.

Style

Once you know the ideal size of your compost bin, it’s vital to choose the type of compost bin to buy. There are three main types of composters: tumblers, countertop compost bins and vermicomposters. Each of them has its pros and cons. A traditional composter is a container for storing used for storing household scraps. Their structure includes lids for keeping out wildlife and rodents out of your trash and has larger capacity than the other models.

This makes them the best option for those planning to recycle tons of wastes. Besides, they’re easy to use as you only need to toss the garden scraps to the bin and leave them. The disadvantage is that they tend to be pretty large, making them a bad choice for anyone who doesn’t have a lot of space. Also, converting the materials into compost using this method can be quite slow, therefore limiting the amount of compost you can make in a year.

Therefore, they’re a bad choice for those who want to fertilize their lawns often and quickly. Tumblers utilize a tumbling action for accelerating their composting. Just turn the tumbler each day and ensure there’s optimum moisture inside these composting containers. In between 4 and 8 weeks only, the new compost will be ready.

This makes the models ideal for homeowners who require frequent fresh compost for use in their lawns. And since compost bins are larger than them, they’re ideal for small yard and decks use. The disadvantage of compost tumblers is they’re unsuitable for people looking for “set it and forget it” as you have the task of turning the ingredients every day in order to hasten the process. Also, you won’t be able to add new materials, while others are composting.

This means you have two options: starting a compost pile in your yard or tossing the new scraps into a composter until the composting batch is ready. Vermicomposters are also referred to as worm bins and are made for indoor gardeners who want to make little compost indoors. This suits them to the city people who have less outdoor space. These compost bins are just outdoor bins that house many worms (referred to as worm farms, worm bins or worm factories).

These worms feed on food waste and scraps and make compost soil for use in fertilizing the houseplants. These types are the best choice for those who don’t own a backyard but want to enjoy composting benefits on a lower scale. Their disadvantage is they’re smaller and can only handle a small volume of organic garden wastes.

Durability

The cost of most composters can range to hundreds of dollars. While it may save your money in the long-term as you won’t have to buy expensive chemical fertilizers, it’s vital to ensure your investment and money are well protected. It’s the top reason to buy a model from top-grade materials and one which can resist the harsh outdoor elements for many years.

To get a great deal on a cheaply manufactured product, you will spend more money and also aggravation in the long-term. Therefore, if you want a long-lasting model, then look for ones made of materials such as metal or thick & heavy plastic.

Regardless of whether you want to save money, get an environmentally-friendly model, boost your garden, then composting is your best choice. It allows you to convert the household scraps you frequently dispose of away to soil rich in nutrients that you can utilize as fertilizer for your garden or lawn. But when researching the best types of composters for your home, you’ll find many options.

Since you have many choices of doing the same job, picking the most ideal model can be both confusing and time-consuming. However, we’ll help you save your time and aggravation by compiling a list of the top ten home composters of 2020. Therefore, when the time comes to buy one, you’ll know what to look for.

What is a Compost Bin?

Composting is an activity that is ideal for those looking to be eco-friendlier, improve their garden’s health, or save on the costs of purchasing chemical fertilizers.

Rather than disposing of scraps of food waste, i.e. apple peels, eggshells, old bags of salad, coffee grinds, and chopped produce, you make them reusable and nutrient-rich which is highly beneficial to your lawn or garden. And you can even put household organic gardening materials, i.e. weed, dead leaves, grass clippings, and shreds of newspaper.

Some few years back, the only option for making compost was piling compost in the yard. Though it was quite effective, it was less practical. Pests or rodents could easily enter the materials on your lawn. You can move the waste into a new composter bin using a wheelbarrow. Besides, decomposing the pile of debris was a less attractive thing you would want in your backyard.

But now, you can buy many types of compost bins at hardware or online stores.

Though there are fewer types currently in the market such as tumblers, bins and compost bins, their general purpose is the same. The bins are metallic or plastic structures that you build to contain your compost. These outdoor bins are made for nurturing the decomposition process via aeration and moisture retention.

Designed to ensure the proper mixing of air and moisture, they promote the microbes and small microorganisms’ activities. These are responsible for the decomposition of the household wastes and scraps, turning them to compost rich in nutrients.

Besides, composters are enclosed structures. Therefore, you can use them in the yard or deck without piling unpleasant compost in the open. Moreover, most models are made from durable materials and have a lid. You won’t have to worry about pests and rodents from entering the trash and messing them up. If that fails, then use rat poison. These devices are also easy to use while some, like compost bins are hassle-free.

Just put the scraps continuously and let them be.

Even the tumbler composter that requires more labor only requires the tumbling of the pile by turning the handle once a day. But before throwing the trash to a new compost bin, check the materials you can put to your compost pile.

How Does a Compost Bin Work?

Compost bins have a simple design, and they allow the decomposition of organic food materials in their structure, therefore, converting them to natural fertilizers rich in nutrients which you can use in your lawn or plants. The end product of these devices is the dark, rich, earthy and clump mixture you apply on your garden soil to boost the fertility of the soil and hence improve the health of plants. But the processes vary depending on the type of compost bin.

Though the decomposition process varies depending on the type of composter use, the items below are universal. You’ll require a proper mixture of newspaper shreds, eggshells, coffee grounds, straw and nitrogen-rich materials such as fruit peels, vegetable peels and waste. You will also require some shows of the garden soil and introduce nitrogen by turning the pile over.

Provided you follow these steps and put enough water to moisten the compost pile but not oversaturate it you’ll get compost as the final product. There are many types of compost bins with the most popular one being a simple compost bin. These composting containers are made to accommodate large quantities of household wastes well, and their feature lids keep the pesky vermin out.

You have to add new waste to the top of the pill and turn it occasionally using a pitchfork.

As microbes feed on the organic gardening matter and heat comes up as a result of the decomposition process, the nutrient-rich compost will be formed, but it’ll take some months. Barrel and tumbling composters are smaller models that can be mounted on a turning-like mechanism or can be manually rotated. You only add the household waste into the container as a single batch and then turn them over each day for mixing and aeration.

These fully-sealed composting devices will make will hot compost which bakes rapidly for quicker results. As you turn it each day, all ingredients will be integrated with oxygen so that the microbes can make the decomposition process to proceed along. The result is frequent, small batches of ready-to-use compost. The last kind of composter on the market is called worm compost bin. It’s also referred to as worm factory or worm bin. The short term for worm composting is vermicomposting and it involves the use of earthworms to make compost.

You only fill a plastic bin with worms, brown compost, and kitchen compost scraps and then allow the worms to feed on the waste. While the worms excrete waste, the result is rich compost you can use in the garden or for your plants.

How Do You Start a Compost Pile?

Making a compost pile should not be complex. It’s a quite easy process.

If you’re wondering on the reason we are starting a compost pile, then your answer is quite simple. Composting is one process that is crucial to your lawn or garden as they boost their health and fertility while getting rid of the kitchen and yard scraps efficiently. It also eliminates the need to use chemical fertilizers which are not that great to apply on your fruits and vegetables.

The first step is to collect the materials you’ll use in the compost pile. You can use a variety of organic waste products that are typically found in the kitchen and yard. On the outdoors, you can gather plants, weeds, dead leaves, and grass clippings, and other garden waste. From the indoors, just pick the kitchen wastes and pile them into a bucket which you normally use for organic kitchen waste. Collect the kitchen wastes from fruits, eggshells, vegetables, filters, coffee grounds and newspaper shreds.

Empty your waste bucket daily, then place the materials onto your compost pile. To get rid of the unwanted household odors, first, rinse the bucket before you return it to the kitchen.

As the amount of household waste starts to accumulate in the compost bin, nature will take its course, and as long as you are patient, you will get nutrient-rich compost at the bottom of the pile which you can spread to the lawn and your garden.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are compost bins worth it?
A: Compost Bins make it easier to make compost fast; they offer an excellent airflow to the compost and can produce more heat due to their casing. Easy to care for:

These compost bins are quite easy to work with as you only need to throw the wastes to them and be patient, similar to a passive compost pile.

Q: What materials can you use in a compost bin?
A: Put the right items in. Good items to use include teabags, fruit waste, vegetable peelings, grass cuttings and plant pruning. These materials break down easily and offer crucial nitrogen and moisture. It’s also good to include items like fallen leaves, cardboard egg boxes and scrunched up paper.

Q: Should compost bins be in the sun?
A: You can place the compost pile in the shade or sun, but you’ll fasten the composting process by placing it in the sun. Sun helps in raising the temperature so that fungi and bacteria work faster. This also means the pile will dry out faster, especially in some warm southern climates.

Q: What to Compost

• Animal manure from herbivores (not meat-eaters like dogs or cats)
• Cardboard rolls, cereal boxes, brown paper bags
• Clean paper
• Paper towels
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Cotton and wool rags
• Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint
• Crushed eggshells (but not eggs)
• Fireplace ashes
• Fruits and vegetables
• Grass clippings, yard trimmings
• Hair and fur
• Hay and straw
• Houseplants
• Leaves
• Nutshells
• Seaweed (rinse off saltwater)
• Shredded newspaper
• Wood chips, sawdust, toothpicks, burnt match
• Tea and tea bags

Q: What NOT to Compost and Why

• Egg, meat, egg or poultry scraps (odor problems and pests)
• Dairy products (odor problems and pests)
• Fats, lard, oils and grease (odor problems and pests)
• Coal or charcoal ash (contains substances harmful to plants)
• Diseased or insect-ridden plants (diseases or insects might spread)
• Pet wastes (dog or cat feces, cat litter) (might contain parasites or germs)
• Yard trimmings treated with pesticides (might kill composting organisms)
• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs (substances harmful to plants)

Q: Do compost bins smell?
A: Properly balanced compost piles should not have a foul smell. Compost usually smells like dirt, and if it doesn’t, there is something wrong, and the compost pile is not heating down well and decomposing the organic material. The rule doesn’t apply in one case only which is when you are carrying out the process in a compost pile.

Q: Can one compost tea bags?
A: Besides composting tea bags to become fertilizer in the composter, you can also dig the compostable tea bags and loose leaf teas around the plants. Tea Bags contain high amounts of nitrogen, and adding them to compost ensures you balance the carbon-rich materials.

Q: Does a compost bin require a lid?
A: A compost heal doesn’t need to contain a lid. However, a lid helps in regulating the temperature and moisture levels. You can easily use a piece of old carpet (preferably Hessian backed rather than foam backed), or a thick piece of plastic tarpaulin weighed down with stones.

Q: Can you compost in a plastic bin?
A: The advantage of using plastic containers in the composting process is they require little space, and you can place them anywhere. However, to make it more convenient, position it near the door of your kitchen to enable you to drop kitchen wastes easily after meals.

Q: How often should I turn my compost?
A: That depends on a different factor such as the size of the pile, amount of moisture in the pile and green to brown ratio. Therefore, a good rule to follow is turning the compost tumbler every 3 to 4 days and the compost pile every 3-7 days.

Q: Should you add water to compost bin?
A: To ensure you create good compost, you should have some moisture in the mix. So if there is a lack of moisture, then the process will slow down in a pile. The best solution to a dry compost pile is to add some water. You should also be careful when adding water to the pile, as you’ll not want to drench it completely.

Q: How long does it take to produce compost?
A: On average, it takes almost three months for the full decomposition process, provided the temperatures are hot, and the compost pile remains moist. However, if you aren’t in any of these conditions, then it can take as long as a full year to make full compost.

Q: How can I hasten the composting process?
A: You can hasten up the process of composting by:

• Shredding your waste before putting it into a composter. This will increase the speed of decomposition.
• Turn your compost tumbler at least once daily.

Q: How Can I avoid maggots and fruit flies on my Compost Bin?
A: Fruit flies love the smell of your waste so always remember to close the compost bin whenever you’re not using it. A fruit fly only requires a few seconds to lay her batch of eggs. These eggs will later hatch to maggots, therefore, increasing the problems in your compost bin.

Composting in style involves getting a solid and well-designed compost pin. And getting the best compost bin nowadays is quite challenging as the market is flooded with similar products. We have listed the best compost bins in our review as well as a guide for choosing them.

When buying one ensures its modern, eco-friendly and is made from renewable materials. Since you’ll be using your compost pit for some time, its best to get a high-quality one. Buy one of these compost bins today and enjoy converting your wastes into useful substances.