• The simplest method of home composting is starting an open pile in a corner of your yard, but that can be unsightly, smelly, and attract insects and animal foragers. It may also be against the laws in your town.
  • A tumbling composter like our top pick, the FCMP Outdoor Tumbling Composter, speeds up the decomposition of organic scraps by generating heat, and keeps the compost out of sight.
  • Read more: The best gardening and landscaping tools

Compost is like gold for your garden, encouraging healthy growth, strong roots, and bountiful blooms. Plants need vitamins and nutrients just as you do, and compost is like a multi-vitamin for greenery.

Composting isn’t just a great way to nourish your plants, it is also an environmentally sound way of disposing of materials that would otherwise end up in the garbage. You can buy pre-made compost at the garden center, but why pay good money, then haul a heavy bag when it’s so easy to turn your kitchen scraps and rubbish into the very same (or better) stuff?

Although it does take some time and a little effort, composting isn’t difficult, and the right composter makes it even easier. There are a few different types of composters, though, and the one you choose depends on the amount of compost you anticipate using and the time you’re willing to spend tending to the process.

Here you’ll find recommendations for several different styles, from open bins and worm composters to kitchen-specific composters designed to fit under your sink. Our top pick is a tumbling composter, which we think most people will find effective and convenient, thanks to its compact size and easy maintenance. Check out the full list of our favorite composters, below.

Here are our choices for the best compost bins:

Prices and links are current as of 7/24/20. We’re not currently testing any new composting bins, but as always, we’re keeping an eye out for new and improved options.

The best overall

The FCMP Outdoor Tumbling Composter has double inner bins, holds lots of compost, and makes mixing easy.

Compost tumblers, such as the FCMP Outdoor Tumbling Composter, typically resemble a large sideways barrel on a stand. These composters are easy to use, and a great choice for the gardener who doesn't have a lot of extra space in the yard.

Fill the FCMP with up to 37 gallons of organic waste and give the barrel five to six spins every two or three days. The tumbling action aerates the compost, breaking it down more quickly for use in the garden - no need for digging, shoveling, or mixing the compost by hand. If it's warm enough, and you've balanced your ingredients properly, you'll have compost ready for the garden in as little as two weeks.

There are two inner chambers in the FCMP, so you can have two batches of compost in different stages of decomposition going at the same time. The large door makes it easy to add scraps and dump out finished compost. The composter is made of BPA-free, UV-inhibited, recycled polypropylene, so it won't break down in direct sunlight or leach harmful chemicals into your compost. The galvanized steel frame is corrosion-resistant.

Pros: Well-constructed, effective, easy to use

Cons: Difficult to assemble

The best mobile compost bin

Foto: Source: Envirocycle

You can roll the Envirocycle Tumbler Bin to wherever you are working in your yard to conveniently load or unload the contents.

Rolling composters, such as the Envirocycle Tumbler Bin, are large plastic balls with tightly fitted lids. The bin sits on a stand, making it easy to give it a roll or two each day, thus keeping the compost aerated and circulating for quicker decomposition. The Envirocycle Tumbler Bin, which bills itself as "the most beautiful composter in the world," comes in two sizes: a 17-gallon bin for smaller gardens and a 35-gallon bin for those with larger yards. You can also get it in black or hot pink.

What's great about rolling compost bins is that when your compost is completely "cooked," you simply roll the composter right where you want it, open it up, and dump or shovel the contents around your plants. No need for a bucket or wheelbarrow to transport the compost. It's fairly easy to roll the Envirocycle even when it's full.

The Envirocycle is made of BPA-free, food-safe plastic that won't fade, warp, or crack even in rough weather conditions. A small spigot in the base lets you pour out "compost tea" to use as fertilizer. Plants love this nutrient-rich liquid product of compost decomposition.

Pros: No assembly required, easy to turn, can be rolled right where you need it in the garden

Cons: The composter comes off its base too easily

The best kitchen compost bin

Foto: Source: SD Probiotics/Erica/Amazon/Business Insider

The SCD Probiotics All Season Indoor Composter Kit fits under most kitchen sinks, and its unique spigot allows it to drain moisture, thus eliminating odors. If you just need an attractive container to collect your kitchen scraps before you add them to your outdoor compost bin, the Natural Home Stainless Steel Compost Bin, gets the job done.

While you can't complete the full decomposition cycle indoors, the SCD Probiotics All Season Indoor Composter Kit lets you get a head start on your compost-making, and provides plenty of compost tea, as well. Don't worry - this anaerobic composter won't stink up your home, and it fits right under most kitchen sinks.

The kit includes a 5-gallon airtight bucket with a handy spigot for releasing compost tea, but what really sets this system apart from traditional outdoor models is the included gallon bag of Bokashi compost starter, which activates the anaerobic fermentation process. Just drop your food scraps into the bucket, add a layer of Bokashi, and fasten the lid.

The compost will not fully "cook" inside this composter, however, so when the bucket is full, you'll need to bury or scatter the contents in your outdoor garden to finish the composting process.

If you simply want an attractive container to hold kitchen scraps until you have a chance to add them to your outdoor compost bin, the Natural Home Stainless Steel Compost Bin will get the job done. It looks good enough to keep on your counter, has a charcoal filter to prevent odor, and holds up to 1.3 gallons.

Pros: Fits under most kitchen sinks, unique spigot to release compost tea, gallon bag of compost starter included

Cons: Won't fully "cook" your compost

Natural Home Stainless Steel Compost Bin

Product Card Module: Stainless Steel Compost Bin Card size: button

SCD Probiotics All Season Indoor Composter Kit

The best worm bin composter

Foto: Source: Nature's Footprint/Facebook

Red worms are highly effective at rendering organic waste into nutrient-rich compost, and Nature's Footprint's easy-to-manage Worm Factory 360 composter hosts thousands of them in a compact space.

As with all things, what goes in must come out, and that's what makes worm composting - also called vermicomposting - so effective. Worms devour your food scraps, digest them, and then poop out super-rich, fertile compost loaded with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients. The action of the worms also keeps the compost aerated and tumbled, so there's no need to do that yourself. When tended to properly, your worm composter should have no smell.

The Worm Factory 360 is small enough to set up on a sun porch or a kitchen corner, or you can tuck it into a protected area of your patio. Worm bins do need to be kept in a temperature range of 40 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, so you may need to bring the bin indoors for the winter or summer months (perhaps both), depending on where you live.

The composter includes four trays, although you can add additional trays if you want to expand. The process of vermicomposting is simple: add worms to the bottom tray along with organic scraps, and the worms will start their magic. When the bottom tray is full, add a new tray on top.

The worms will work their way up, allowing you to rotate trays as compost breaks down. There's a spigot to drain out compost tea, and small "ladders" that make it easier for your worms to crawl into the upper trays.

You will need to stock your worm bin with red worms, so look to Uncle Jim's Red Worms for a source of 1,000 live red wigglers.

The Worm Factory 360 comes with a link to instructional videos that teach you everything you need to know about vermicomposting. The composter is available in black, green, or terracotta.

Pros: Compact, spigot to drain compost tea, comes with access to instructional videos, option to expand with additional trays

Cons: Can't withstand extreme heat or cold

Uncle Jim's Red Worms

Product Card Module: Starter Pack of 1,000 Live Worms Card size: button

Worm Factory 360

The best open compost bin

Foto: Source: GEOBIN/Facebook

The Geobin Compost Bin is the perfect alternative to open, messy compost piles, plus it's easy to set up and move, and the size is adjustable.

For those who prefer the ease of an open compost pile, but aren't too fond of the uncontrolled mess, the Geobin Compost Bin is the answer. This sturdy composter holds up to 216 gallons of organic scraps when fully assembled, and closes along the sides with heavy plastic closure keys.

The plastic mesh material provides plenty of ventilation and moisture control, and holds up well to all types of weather conditions. If properly maintained and balanced, odor and insects shouldn't be a problem, but critters have easy access, so keep that in mind if you live in an area with abundant wildlife.

When you want to take compost from the bottom of the pile, just remove one or two keys, open the bin up to provide access, and shovel out your rich and fertile compost. You don't have to mix the bin's contents while they decompose, but if you want to speed up the process you can do so with a shovel or pitchfork.

Pros: Well-ventilated, can withstand harsh weather conditions, no mixing required

Cons: Some complaints that the bin is easy to tip over, not recommended for areas with abundant wildlife

How to compost: The basics

Foto: Source: REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

Compost is the end result of decomposing organic materials, which release nutrients as they break down. Mixing compost into your garden soil not only makes it especially fertile, it also improves drainage and makes the soil lighter and more resistant to becoming compacted.

You can compost a surprisingly wide range of household waste, including:

  • Grass clippings
  • Dead leaves
  • Leather
  • Hair
  • Wood ashes
  • Cardboard
  • Coffee grounds
  • Corncobs
  • Vegetable and fruit peelings and scraps
  • Dryer lint
  • Tea bags
  • Eggshells
  • Feathers
  • Newspaper
  • Sawdust
  • Peanut shells

You should NOT compost:

  • Coal ash
  • Cat or dog feces
  • Meat or bones
  • Oil or grease
  • Toxic materials
  • Dairy products
  • Tissue paper

By combining both fresh material and dried waste, such as dead leaves, your compost pile will maintain the colonies of microorganisms essential for the decomposition process. A rough guideline is to mix three parts brown materials (dead leaves, paper, sawdust, corn cobs) to one part green materials (food scraps, weeds, coffee grounds).

A healthy compost pile generates heat - sometimes up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit at the center - which accelerates the composting process. Other essentials for composting are oxygen - which is provided by turning the pile frequently - and moisture, which is added in the form of water if the materials being composted aren't already moist enough.

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Foto: Source: Shutterstock

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