Compost Bin & Tumbler Buying Guide

Most compost bins fail for boring reasons. The bin is too small to heat up, too awkward to turn, or too open for the neighborhood rats. Shopping by price or by the photo on the box makes all three mistakes easy to make.

This guide sorts the main bin types by what they are actually good at, backed by university extension advice, the RHS, and independent testing, then shows how to match one to your yard, your scraps and your patience. It is written for US and UK gardeners, and October is a convenient time to read it: fallen leaves are the best free ingredient you will see all year.

Start With What You'll Compost

The bin question is really a question about your material. UConn Extension lists price, convenience, usability and looks as the practical criteria, but the first filter is simpler: what goes in?

• Leaves, clippings and garden trimmings in bulk. You need volume. Bigger and simpler wins.
• Mostly kitchen scraps. You need something enclosed that resists pests and does not turn into wet sludge.
• Kitchen scraps and no outdoor space. You need an indoor method, which means a worm bin or a bokashi bucket.

Then ask how hands-on you want to be. The Saskatchewan testers found that people who tend their piles actively can manage smaller bins, while hands-off composters do better with large bins that can run slowly without filling up. Be honest about which one you are.

The Main Types at a Glance

Stationary Bins

The default choice for most backyards

A stationary plastic bin is a bottomless, upright container with a lid. You fill it from the top and, in many models, pull finished compost out through a door at the bottom. UConn notes that these bins are typically cheaper than tumblers, and that closed bins in general discourage pests but can turn soggy if you add too many greens.

Their weakness is turning. UConn says mixing is difficult in smaller plastic bins, so plan on a compost aerator or on lifting the bin off and forking the pile back in. If you will never turn it, that is fine: the RHS says well-balanced compost still breaks down without turning, only more slowly.

A 65-gallon stationary bin is a sensible entry size. Reviewed.com tested compost bins for two months, with the outdoor bins set up in direct sunlight, and picked this one as its overall winner.

Stationary option

Redmon Compost Bin, 65 Gallon

Reviewed.com listed it as easy to fill, easy to empty and large, with the one drawback that it needs flat ground. It does not spin, so you are choosing it for capacity and simplicity rather than convenience. Check the current listing for dimensions before you buy, and see the rodent section below if you plan to add food scraps.

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Wooden Bays and Pallet Systems

The best value if you have the space

The RHS suggests a large wooden bay, such as one made from pallets, for bigger gardens and allotments, and keen composters can run several in a row to hold compost at different stages. UConn goes further: two or three bins let you separate storage, active composting and curing, with each bin at least 36 x 36 x 36 inches.

UConn gives workable build advice. Leave air gaps between slats, make the front removable, add a lift-up lid to keep out heavy rain, and confirm any pallets are untreated. Chicken wire is too weak to serve as a holding unit on its own.

This route costs the least and scales the best. It also has the least rodent protection, so skip food scraps unless you add mesh, as described below.

This is also the setup that produces the most compost, which pairs well with the no-till approach in our guide to no-till gardening and soil health products, and with the raised beds in our piece on elevated metal raised beds. If you would rather build than buy, our weekend DIY garden projects are a good place to start.

Tumblers: An Honest Look

Tidy and rodent-resistant, but slow and small

A tumbler is a sealed drum that you rotate to mix the contents. The appeal is obvious: no forking, no open pile, and a raised drum is harder for rats to reach. The evidence is more mixed than the marketing.

• Small capacity. In the Saskatchewan trial, tumblers suited hands-on users, were easier to aerate and more rodent-resistant than stationary bins, but cost considerably more, held little, performed poorly in winter, and had doors that sometimes froze shut.
• Slow results. An Oregon State University Extension answer calls the process very slow, and its author finishes partly processed material in a turned hot pile.
• Wet balls. UConn warns that fresh, moist material can clump into a heavy ball, so you need to balance greens with browns.
• Leaks. The OSU answer says tumblers can leak dark liquid, especially with plenty of food scraps or grass clippings, and that raised models keep animals out but not insects.

What to look for if you buy one

• A sturdy frame and turning mechanism. OSU's advice is that cheap models with weak legs and mechanisms are not worth buying.
• Two chambers. Bob Vila notes that a batch typically takes at least 10 weeks, so a dual-chamber model lets one side cook while you fill the other.
• Double walls or a large size for cold climates. OSU says small two-chamber tumblers are too small to stay warm in winter unless they are double-walled.
• Secure doors. Bob Vila's testers had trouble with doors on one model that slid open while rotating, so look for latching or threaded closures.
• Size to match your scraps. Bob Vila suggests 15 to 25 gallons for kitchen scraps and 50 to 80 gallons for large, irregular loads.

One option that came out well in independent testing is the RSI Maze 65-gallon two-stage tumbler. Bob Vila tested 11 tumblers over eight weeks and ranked it best overall.

Tumbler option

RSI Maze 65-Gallon Two-Stage Compost Tumbler

Bob Vila's write-up lists a geared handle with a ratchet lock, vents on all sides, a dual-chamber design, a UV-protected plastic barrel, a zinc-coated steel frame and 15 inches of ground clearance. It praised smooth turning even when full, and flagged that the unit is heavy and hard to move once loaded. These are the reviewer's findings, not ours.

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Kitchen Caddies and Worm Bins

The right answer when there is no yard

A countertop caddy does not make compost. It holds scraps until you carry them to an outdoor bin, a municipal drop-off or a worm bin. A worm bin does the composting indoors, and the Saskatchewan testers found indoor methods worked well and kept going through winter, though odor and pests are a bigger risk indoors and the methods are not suited to yard waste.

Oklahoma State Extension says red wigglers (Eisenia fetida) work best at 60 to 75°F and begin to die above 85°F. Cornell Cooperative Extension gives a similar 55 to 77°F range and notes that a shallow 2 x 2 foot box handles 3 to 4 pounds of food waste a week, the average for a small household.

For the caddy, a stainless steel pail with a replaceable charcoal filter is a common design. Bob Vila picked one as its best overall kitchen bin and noted that it holds scraps rather than composting them.

Kitchen caddy

Utopia Kitchen Compost Bin, 1.3 Gallon

A 1.3-gallon stainless steel pail with a charcoal filter, plus a spare filter in the box. Bob Vila says it works with or without a liner and is easy to open, empty and clean. Its only job is to hold scraps between trips outside, so empty it often.

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If you want the scraps turned into compost right at home, a stacking-tray worm bin is the compact way to do it. Oklahoma State advises buying red wigglers from an established worm farm rather than a bait shop, and says to avoid greasy food, meat, dairy and pet waste, which bring flies.

Worm bin

Worm Factory 360 Composting System

Bob Vila named it best for urban gardeners: four stacking trays under 2 feet tall and wide, with a kit that includes a thermometer, hand rake, scraper, bedding and a spigot for liquid. The worms are not included, so budget for those separately.

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How Big Should It Be?

Capacity decides how well the pile heats and how often you have to stop filling it. The sources give different benchmarks depending on the method.

Where to Put It

The RHS advises a sheltered spot in partial or full shade, to avoid extremes of temperature and moisture, and one that is easy to reach, because a bin you have to trek to will not get used. On an earth base, soil organisms can move in and excess moisture drains away. On a hard surface, add a few spadefuls of soil to start.

Cornell's guidance on animal nuisances adds a layout rule: keep the bin away from bird feeders, outdoor pet bowls, garbage cans, fruit plants and nesting spots like woodpiles, sheds and brush piles.

Keeping Rodents Out

This is where cheap open bins show their limits. Cornell Cooperative Extension recommends the following.

• Build or line the bin with half-inch hardware cloth or welded wire. Rats can chew through plastic, so cover any vents with mesh too.
• Use a tight-fitting lid.
• Protect the floor. Set the bin on a pallet covered with 1/4 to 1/2 inch mesh, or dig out the soil, add 3 to 4 inches of coarse gravel and lay galvanized hardware cloth on top.
• Bury food scraps. Put yard waste around the inner wall, food in the center, and cover it with leaves, grass, wood chips or soil. Avoid dump-and-run composting.
• Leave out meat, fish, oils, cheese and oily leftovers.

Cornell adds that if problems persist you can stop adding food scraps and consider indoor vermicomposting instead.

Filling It: Browns and Greens

Any bin works better with the right mix. Extension sources give slightly different ratios, so treat them as a range rather than a rule.

• Virginia Tech: 1 to 3 parts brown material (dry leaves, dead plants) to 1 part green (fresh plant matter, manure), by volume.
• University of Illinois Extension: about 1 part green to 2 parts brown, with fallen leaves counted as the browns.
• RHS: 25 to 50 percent green material, the rest brown.

Virginia Tech says to keep the pile as damp as a wrung-out sponge and to chop or shred materials, since smaller pieces break down faster. A healthy hot pile should reach 140°F (60°C) at the center and hold it for 3 to 5 days to kill most weed seeds, insects and disease organisms. A long-stem compost thermometer is the simplest way to check. If the pile does not heat within a few days, Virginia Tech suggests it may lack nitrogen or moisture, or be too small.

Fall is when browns are free. Illinois Extension suggests alternating leaf layers with greens like kitchen scraps, coffee grounds and fresh grass clippings, and turning the pile every 30 days. If your pile smells off or of ammonia, add more browns. If it is damp and sweet-smelling but not heating, add greens.

How Long Compost Takes

The RHS describes mature compost as dark brown, crumbly and smelling of damp woodland. When yours looks like that, spread it on beds, or use it to fill raised beds. Our vegetable garden ideas show where it can go to work.

Which One Should You Buy?

Common Mistakes

1. Buying too small. Capacity was the strongest performance factor in the Saskatchewan test.
2. Buying on price alone. The same test found price was not a reliable indicator of how well a system worked.
3. Skipping mesh. Cornell notes rats can chew through plastic, so vents and bases need wire.
4. Filling with greens only. UConn warns that too many greens turn closed bins soggy and tumblers into heavy balls.
5. Expecting a tumbler to finish in weeks. Independent testers put batches at 10 weeks or more.
6. Putting it somewhere inconvenient. The RHS says a bin that is hard to reach will not get used.
7. Adding meat, fish, oils or cheese. Cornell and Virginia Tech both advise against it in home bins.
8. Ignoring local rules. Some towns and homeowner associations have requirements for compost bins, so check before you buy.

US and UK Differences

In the UK, the RHS names 'Dalek' plastic bins, wooden beehive shapes and rotating tumblers as the main purpose-made options, and says a compact plastic bin is often a good choice for beginners and small gardens. It also points out that many local councils run green-waste schemes if home composting is not possible. Check for council-subsidised bins before buying. The products linked in this article are Amazon.com listings; UK readers should look for equivalents from local retailers.

In the US, climate varies far more. Winter performance matters in the north, where the Saskatchewan test found tumblers struggled, and rodent pressure varies by neighborhood. Your county extension office can tell you about local rules, municipal programs and what works in your zone. Temperatures here are in Fahrenheit, with Celsius in brackets where it helps.

FAQ

Product Summary

Every product below also appears in the article above. We have not tested any of them. Details come from the independent reviews cited in the text.