Before constructing or buying a compost bin there are some points well worth considering before spending money and / or time and effort. The list below will help you make you make the correct decision:

1. How much money would you consider spending to make the composting process as easy as possible? Let’s face it, if the budget is virtually zero then one set of options will be relevant to you. If money is no object then possibly a different set of options become possible.
2. How tall are you and how strong are you? Some compost bins, notably the dalek types can be a problem to manage if you are short in stature and / or not high on strength.
3. Where can you site your compost bin or heap? This can be very different for different situations. On an allotment appearance probably won’t matter much but in a smallish garden it may be very important to hide or mask the composting area. The size of the bin, its appearance and even its colour may all be important. It’s a case of “different strokes for different folks”.
4. What space (as opposed to where) do you have for composting? The more compost bins / heaps you have the easier the composting process becomes.
5. Adding the correct ingredients in the correct sequence can be crucial for good compost. How competent do you feel you are at doing this? Some methods are much more forgiving compared to others, after all there is no point in spending a year or so adding kitchen waste to your compost only to find it smells to high heaven and is of no use at all on your garden / allotment.

It’s difficult to really compare the pros and cons of various compost bins because many articles are biased towards one manufacturer or another for financial. You can rest assured that at GardenFocused we have no sponsors connected with this article and all the information is totally unbiased and based on our real life experiences.

THE DALEK TYPE COMPOST BIN

So called because they resemble the daleks in the Dr Who series, in fact some people decorate them to look like daleks, great fun and a way to involve kids in the composting process. Tell them they can go into the garden and feed the daleks and you never have to add material to them yourself, the kids will do it for you!

These are made from recycled plastic and are good for cold composting. They are the most common compost bin used in the UK and as long as the basic rules are followed they reliably make good quality compost.

KEY FACTS : DALEK COMPOST BINS

COST
The cheapest of all the usable plastic compost bins, they cost around £13 for a 330 litre capacity. Almost invariably the cheapest way to buy a new one is through your local council which frequently sell them at a discount. For example Warwickshire County Council sell them for £12.99 with a second one for only £6.49. Most councils will deliver to your house for a small charge (typically £6 or so). They come as one piece containers so can be difficult to fit in some cars.

FEATURES
Screw on lid to protect from rain and retain heat. These lids can sometimes jam so don’t screw them on tightly. There is a small opening at the bottom which is virtually useless for removing compost because it is always too small to get a spade in. Many have an optional base plate to provide even more protection from mice, rats etc. We recommend not using the base plate but placing these bins on soil / grass though to allow worms and other good creepy crawlies in.

POSITIONING
In sun or in shade. Works quicker in sun.

SIZE AND SPACE REQUIRED
Size is approximately 1m / 3ft high and 80cm / 2ft 6in wide. The larger bins are 330lites and the smaller ones are 220 litres. The larger ones will produce usable compost quicker compared to the smaller ones if filled near to the top.

A key drawback with dalek-style compost
bins is that the opening at the bottom is too small for emptying the bin. This means that you need to lift the bin up to get at the compost. To do this successfully you will need space at the front or rear of the bin to put the contents on.
Allow at least 1 sq m / 3sq ft for this.

HOW STRONG ARE YOU?
Because you need to lift up the bin to get the contents out some strength is required to do this. Having said that, there are several articles on the internet about how to do this with relative ease. See our more information pagefor links to relevant
websites explaining how people have eased the problem.

HOW COMPLICATED TO USE?
The dalek-style bin is simple to use, you unscrew the top, add the waste and then screw the lid on. Time to achieve good quality compost is between one and two years. The quickest compost is achieved when the bin is sited in sunlight. You do need to add a mix of brown and green ingredients but the bins are very tolerant.

Some gardeners with a dalek-style compost bin and an open one will often start their compost off in the dalek bin in spring / summer and then after three months transfer it to an open compost bin to finish off the composting process. Because the dalek bin encloses the compost it will rot down significantly in the first three months. Emptying it at this point onto an open compost heap allows the dalek bin to be refilled again, making the best use of its limited capacity.

ADDING THE CORRECT INGREDIENTS
These compost bins are relatively forgiving as far as adding the correct amounts of different compostable materials. However, they won’t compost down if filled entirely with grass or other green material, they do need to rougher materials mixed in as well.

LARGE PLASTIC DUSTBIN

This is just a cheaper, often free, alternative to the dalek compost bin described above and is used in exactly the same way (see above). As far as value for money goes, this option only works if you get the plastic dustbin for free. The reason for this is that most plastic dustbins have an average capacity of only 80 to 100 litres.

Simply cut off the base of the bin and place it on grass or open ground. If the dustbin lid is missing a small piece of carpet can be used to avoid too much rain on the compost and it will also help retain some heat.

HOMEMADE COMPOST BIN FROM PALLETS

This is the ideal compost bin as far as we are concerned. It can be as large as you want, as simple or as complicated as your skills will allow and it works well. It has the added benefit that you easily get at the compost to fork it over once in a while. Doing this allows air to get at the compost and also mixes up the ingredients allowing them to compost quicker.

INSERT PIC OF MY TIMBER COMPOST BIN HERE

The most basic type of these bins require absolutely no diy skills at all, if you can tie a knot you can make one! What you need is four pallets and some reasonably strong string. Position the pallets so they form a box and tie them together with the string to hold them in place. Perfectionists may want to line the compost bin with weed proof fabric, those on a budget will find that about ten layers of newspaper on the base and up the sides does the same job for a year. The sides of your pallet bin will have gaps in them and they are best lined with layers of cardboard.

This will give you a voluminous and ideal compost bin. A piece of old carpet over the top will deflect most of the rain and keep some warmth in. Cost, nothing, a perfect compost bin, very nearly. If you fork over the compost every three months it will compost quicker but it’s not necessary. To get at the compost simply untie the front pallet and remove it.

If you can’t get pallets then the diy stores, garden centres and some of the supermarkets sell flat-pack kits for making timber compost bins. We bought one from Aldi for £12.00 and it’s not as big as a bin from pallets but it does a good job.

KEY FACTS : HOMEMADE COMPOST BIN FROM PALLETS

COST
Can be totally free if you use spare pallets. Kit forms cost from £12.00 to £20.00.

FEATURES
Easy to get at the compost to turn over and when you need to use the compost simply remove the front pallet.

POSITIONING
In sun or in shade. Works quicker in sun.

SIZE AND SPACE REQUIRED
The average pallet is 1.2m x 1m (4ft x 3ft) so the compost bin will occupy 1sqm. You will need a metre or so free in front for easy removal of the compost

HOW STRONG ARE YOU?
The average pallet weighs about 20kg so most people should be able to move a single pallet on their own. Once constructed the actual making and removal of compost requires no special strength at all.

HOW COMPLICATED TO USE?
Very easy to use and very forgiving of what materials you put in. Simply chuck the waste material in and let it compost down. If the contents are turned twice in a year they should be composted down in around a year to eighteen months. Left entirely to its own devices it will take 2 to 3 years. If the compost becomes dry, simply sprinkle on water using a watering can.

ADDING THE CORRECT INGREDIENTS
As long as a reasonable mix of ingredients is used good compost is easy to make using this method. It has the benefit that you can easily see the materials as they compost and can make a judgement if they are decaying satisfactorily.

TUMBLING COMPOST BINS

There are many variations on this type of compost bin but they all share the same basic idea. You fill the container with raw ingredients and then manually turn the container every couple of days using a lever, handle or some other mechanism. By turning the bin frequently, which is meant to be an easy task, you will end up with good quality compost in a relatively short period of time. Some manufacturers claim the time to as short as two months

INSERT PIC OF TUMBLING COMPOST BIN HERE

When you see this type of compost in the garden centre or on websites they look impressive and seem easy to use but in our opinion they don’t live up to expectations. One key problem is that as the compost breaks down it then sits at the bottom of the container and makes turning the bin difficult, very difficult in some designs. They are prone to breaking because the container is normally suspended and sheer weight of the compost puts a strain on the support legs and the turning mechanism. This type of compost bin gets a definite low rating as far as we are concerned.

KEY FACTS : TUMBLING COMPOST BINS

COST
One of the most expensive ways to make compost. Prices range from £90 to £200.

FEATURES
See the introductory paragraph for the principles on which this type of composter works.

POSITIONING
They can be sited in sun or shade, sunny positions produce compost the quickest. All look ugly and unnatural in varying degrees.

SIZE AND SPACE REQUIRED
Typically they take up about 1.5sqm (5sqft) and can be as high as 1.5m / 5ft. They need an area of at least 1sqm / 3sqft in front of the bin for emptying out the contents.

HOW STRONG ARE YOU?
If you have doubts about your strength (and in some cases height) give these products a miss. Turning them can be a problem and some are difficult to load up.

HOW COMPLICATED TO USE?
They are very forgiving of what materials you use as long as you remember to turn them every couple of days.

ADDING THE CORRECT INGREDIENTS
Most people will find getting the mix of ingredients correct is an easy task if you turn the bin frequently.

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