We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Shopping Gardening Reviews Gardening Tool Product Reviews The 8 Best Compost Bins of 2024, According to Research and Testing After testing 18 options, we’ve dug up the dirt on the composters worth your time and money. By Paige Bennett Paige Bennett Paige is a contributing writer for Better Homes & Gardens with over six years of professional writing and editing experience. She has contributed to various publications, covering decor, cleaning and organizing, kitchen gadgets, food, sustainability, and more. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on February 16, 2024 In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Our top picks Reviews The Bottom Line Our Testing Process What to Know Before Shopping Others We Tested Your Questions, Answered Who We Are What Is BHG Recommends? Better Homes & Gardens / Jeanne Geer Composting can seem intimidating. After all, nutrient-rich compost is often referred to as “black gold,” which can put pressure on people who are new to making their own to get it just right. But if you can find the best compost bin for your needs—whether you’re looking for something simple to put on a kitchen countertop or a large bin to set up outdoors—composting can be way easier than expected. First thing’s first: While any composting product is often referred to as a compost bin, there actually is a difference between a compost bin and a composter. Bins simply collect the compost and use airtight seals and filters to prevent odors. On the other hand, composters break down the material into compost. But aside from knowing if you want a countertop setup or something more complex, several factors go into finding the best compost bins. For instance, Andy Tait of True Green Nursery, recommends considering the compost bin material and checking for ventilation features, like holes or slits around the sides or top of your bin. “Compost bins are available in various materials such as plastic, wood, or metal,” Tait says. “Plastic bins are lightweight, affordable, and easy to move. Wooden bins provide better insulation and airflow, but may require more maintenance. Metal bins are the most durable but can be susceptible to rust.” Capacity, or how much compost the bin can hold, is also important based on your garden size. Aaron Steil, a consumer horticulture extension specialist for the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University, says that a 3 x 3 x 3-foot compost setup is a good place to start in order to maintain the ideal balance of moisture and heat. Of course, every person has a different need, so whether your vegetable garden is the talk of the town or you simply want something to collect food scraps to drop off to a local compost facility, you may need something much larger or smaller. What We Tested Design: In addition to its aesthetics, we evaluated how easy the composter or bin was to use and any features it included.Capacity: We evaluated the overall size of each composter and compost bin and recorded how long it took to fill.Odor Control: We noted how effectively each bin controlled odor through airtight lids and filters.Quality: Throughout testing, we assessed the quality of each composter, considering how outdoor bins held up to weather conditions.Value: We compared each composter’s features and quality to its price to determine its overall value. Key Terms to Know Vermicomposting: A type of composting that uses live earthworms to break down organic matter. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Black+Decker Tumbling Composter at Amazon ($138) Jump to Review Best Budget: Geobin Compost Bin at Amazon ($36) Jump to Review Best Splurge: Lomi Bloom Smart Composter at Wayfair ($454) Jump to Review Best for Worms: Worm Factory 360 Composter at Amazon ($135) Jump to Review Best Tumbling: FCMP Outdoor Dual Chamber Tumbling Composter at Amazon ($80) Jump to Review Best Large: Greenes Fence Co. Cedar Wood Outdoor Stationary Composter at Amazon ($160) Jump to Review Best for Kitchens: Epica Stainless Steel Compost Bin at Amazon ($29) Jump to Review Best Colors: Bamboozle Compost Bin at Amazon ($40) Jump to Review Best Overall Black+Decker Tumbling Composter Amazon View On Amazon $138 View On Walmart $149 View On Blackanddecker.com Our Ratings Quality 5/5 Design 5/5 Odor Control 5/5 Value 5/5 Capacity 5/5 Why You Should Get It The dual chambers allow you to collect waste on one side while simultaneously producing usable compost on the other side. Keep in Mind This is on the smaller side for an outdoor composter, so it may not be suitable for larger gardens. Earning high marks across all categories by our testing team, the Black+Decker Tumbling Composter is one of the best compost bins available today. It has a durable design that can withstand warm temperatures and rain and has a user-friendly lid that is still strong and secure enough to keep out pests. We liked that the lid easily slid away from each chamber. There are two chambers, one that holds fresh waste and another that holds the waste that is breaking down into compost. This is a tumbler-style composter, and our team found it was easy to use the hand crank to turn the compost for aeration. “Tumbling compost bins are typically made of UV-resistant plastic in the design of a drum or barrel,” says Fern Berg, plant expert and founder of Tree Vitalize. "They are mounted on a stand that allows you to turn or ‘tumble’ the compost materials inside, eliminating the need to manually turn the compost with a garden fork.” This composter withstood rain, which didn’t get into the bin to wet the compost, as well as sunlight and temperatures in the 80s and 90s. While the 40-gallon capacity works well for small households and gardens, it’s not quite as large as some of the other outdoor compost bins we tested. How It Performed After Three Months We’ve been incredibly impressed with this composter’s sturdiness. Despite sitting under a walnut tree during long-term testing, it still shows no dents or signs of wear. We also never noticed any obscure scent or excessive pest attraction stemming from the compost. Product Details: Type: Tumbler | Material: Plastic, metal | Dimensions: 32.5 x 40.3 x 29.1 inches | Capacity: 40 gallons | Intended Use: Outdoor Better Homes & Gardens / Jeanne Geer Better Homes & Gardens / Jeanne Geer Better Homes & Gardens / Jeanne Geer Best Budget Geobin Compost Bin Amazon View On Amazon $36 View On Home Depot $39 Our Ratings Quality 4.5/5 Design 4.3/5 Odor Control 5/5 Value 5/5 Capacity 5/5 Why You Should Get It This expandable compost bin has the highest capacity of products we tested, but it can take up more or less space to suit your yard size. Keep in Mind This is a taller compost bin, which can make it hard to reach down into the center to turn the compost. Composting doesn’t have to involve an expensive setup. If you’re okay without all the bells and whistles and just want to get started on your own compost for your garden, the expandable Compost Bin from Geobin is a budget-friendly option with a capacity of 246 gallons, the largest capacity of any of the best compost bins we found in our research. We threw in buckets of saw dust, yard waste, and food scraps and still only filled this bin about 25% full during the testing period. The Geobin compost bin expands from 24 to 44 inches wide, depending on your needs. There are ventilation holes all around the sides, which helps with oxygen and preventing bad odors. The tall, thin plastic walls are sturdy enough to withstand weather and larger animals, but they won’t keep out smaller pests, like gnats and other insects. One downside to consider with this bin is that the sides are pretty tall, which can make it more difficult to turn the compost at the bottom of the bin. A tall shovel makes this chore a bit easier, though. How It Performed After Three Months After three months of regular use, we still haven’t filled this composter, ensuring that this is a suitable pick for large gardens. This isn’t the most solid composter on our list, and we’ve noticed that small bits of compost fall out the sides when we turn the pile. This hasn’t been a dealbreaker, but it may be something to consider especially if your composter will sit on a concrete surface. Product Details: Type: Stationary | Material: High-density polyethylene (HDPE) | Dimensions: 24 to 44 x 36 x 70 inches | Capacity: 246 gallons | Intended Use: Outdoor Better Homes & Gardens / Emily Johnson Better Homes & Gardens / Emily Johnson Better Homes & Gardens / Emily Johnson Best Splurge Lomi Bloom Smart Composter Wayfair View On Wayfair $454 View On Lomi.com View On Moma.org Our Ratings Quality 5/5 Design 5/5 Odor Control 5/5 Value 3.5/5 Capacity 5/5 Why You Should Get It This high-tech compost bin connects to your phone to track your impact and uses smart sensors to efficiently grind, heat, and aerate waste. Keep in Mind This system may require ongoing purchases of filters and microorganism pods for best results. For a more hands-off approach to composting, the Lomi Bloom is a splurge-worthy composter that can break down your food scraps with just the touch of a button. At nearly $500, it’s certainly an investment. But this stood out as one of the best compost bins because of its smart features. The device, which is designed for indoor use, connects to a smartphone app that tracks your composting and gives you insights to your environmental impact through the scraps you save from landfills. Keep in mind that the mix the Lomi creates is technically not compost, but a pre-compost that can be added to larger piles or mixed into soils. We personally used the mixture on our outdoor plants and found it made a difference. This is one of the smallest bins we tested, but we still found that it took at least a few days of collecting scraps before it was full enough to turn on. Depending on which mode you set it to, the Bloom can break down waste in as little as a few hours. While it does make sound when it’s operating, it is about the same noise level as a dishwasher. It also has a cleaning cycle for easy maintenance. The kit comes with the device and a 45-cycle starter supply of filters and microorganism-boosting LomiPods, which the brand claims help speed up the composting process and reduce odors. We found that the filters did seem to work well at keeping out odors, but these are extra purchases that you will need to buy at least every few months. How It Performed After Three Months We used this composter in our apartment kitchen, adding in scraps throughout our day-to-day cooking. The secure lid alleviated all our concerns that the food waste would attract pests or emit odors. While some of our composters still haven’t produced usable compost after three months, this device was able to break down food in just a few hours. Product Details: Type: Electronic countertop bin | Material: Polycarbonate | Dimensions: 16 x 12 x 13 inches | Capacity: 3 liters | Intended Use: Indoor Better Homes & Gardens / Cassie Basford Better Homes & Gardens / Cassie Basford Better Homes & Gardens / Cassie Basford Best for Worms Worm Factory 360 Composter Amazon View On Amazon $135 View On Walmart $130 Our Ratings Quality 5/5 Design 4.5/5 Odor Control 5/5 Value 4.5/5 Capacity 4.5/5 Why You Should Get It This small worm tower can be set up indoors or out, and the worms help quickly turn waste to compost. Keep in Mind Worm composting systems require extra care, including cutting up scraps into small pieces and rotating each bin. Whether you’re new to composting or you’re ready to take your compost pile to the next level, vermicomposting, or composting with worms, makes the process more efficient and results in better compost. To get started with vermicomposting, we recommend the Worm Factory 360 as the best compost bin for worms. “Worm bins are an ideal composting solution for people who want to recycle their kitchen waste into high-quality compost and those with limited space,” Berg says. “They are higher maintenance than some of the other options, so they won’t be suitable for those who want a hands-off approach to composting.” We kept the Worm Factory 360 in a shaded but warm enclosed porch, which kept the four stackable bins safe from harsh weather and pests. The food scraps started breaking down quickly, within a few days of adding scraps into each bin, and the quick-working worms helped prevent odors. However, this type of setup does require more work than a tumbling composter. We found it worked best to fill one bin at a time, then keep it in a rotation, moving new or emptied bins to the top. Additionally, we used a rake, which came with the compost bin kit, to rake over the worm bedding in each bin. How It Performed After Three Months There was a learning curve while using this composter as our initial batch of worms overheated and died after storing the composter in direct sunlight. After moving the device to a warm (but not hot) sunroom, it took about a month for the worms to create enough compost for us to use. We found ourselves with more scraps than the worms could handle, so we needed to use a second compost bin to store the excess—something to keep in mind for larger households that produce more food waste. Product Details: Type: Vermicomposter | Material: Plastic | Dimensions: 17.95 x 14.95 x 17.95 inches | Capacity: 1 liter | Intended Use: Indoor or outdoor Better Homes & Gardens / Claire Spollen Better Homes & Gardens / Claire Spollen Best Tumbling FCMP Outdoor Dual Chamber Tumbling Composter Amazon View On Amazon $80 View On Wayfair $83 View On Walmart $80 Our Ratings Quality 4.5/5 Design 5/5 Odor Control 4.8/5 Value 5/5 Capacity 5/5 Why You Should Get It This dual-chamber tumbling composter is easy to turn and closes securely to keep out pests. Keep in Mind This tumbling composter requires assembly, and we found it a little challenging to put together. Tumbler composters are elevated on a frame and typically have a hand crank to turn the scraps and compost, rather than using a shovel. “These are a fairly user-friendly and efficient method of composting that will be ideal for those with small to medium sized gardens, where both kitchen waste and garden waste is available for composting,” Berg explains. “Just make sure you choose a good quality product that uses a sturdy framework as the bin will become very heavy once it is full!” We like the dual-chamber FCMP Outdoor IM4000 composter, which we found easy enough to turn one-handed. While one side holds fresh scraps, the other side can sit full of older scraps that are breaking down into compost. This composter product takes at least a couple months for the scraps to cure into usable compost. We tested with a household of three and a yard full of fruit trees and were able to fill one side of this 37-gallon composter within a few weeks. We thought this composter had a somewhat difficult assembly, but the ease of use and budget-friendly price made it worth the hassle to put together. While the recycled plastic bin held up to high temperatures, it did show some fading from being in the sunlight in the mornings. How It Performed After Three Months We’ve enjoyed using this composter so much that we bought a second for our home. The only sign of wear we’ve noticed is the black plastic fading. While this hasn’t affected its performance, it’s something to keep in mind if your composter will sit in direct sunlight. Product Details: Type: Tumbler | Material: Polypropylene | Dimensions: 28 x 36 x 30 inches | Capacity: 37 gallons | Intended Use: Outdoor Better Homes & Gardens / Emily Teel Better Homes & Gardens / Emily Teel Better Homes & Gardens / Emily Teel Best Large Greenes Fence Co. Cedar Wood Outdoor Stationary Composter Greenes Fence Co. View On Amazon $160 View On Wayfair $139 View On Walmart $160 Our Ratings Quality 5/5 Design 4.5/5 Odor Control 5/5 Value 5/5 Capacity 5/5 Why You Should Get It This sustainable cedar compost bin makes it easy to adjust the width, add on extra bins, or even shorten one side to make turning the compost easier. Keep in Mind The open design of this bin means the compost is exposed to the elements. This bin from Greenes Fence with a 173-gallon capacity is just the right product to start building a healthy compost pile. The solid, untreated cedar construction is strong enough to hold a high volume of compost, but openings between the slatted sides allow for plenty of ventilation. This system starts at 36 by 36 inches, but you can also purchase add-ons to create a multi-bin system. For instance, you can have one bin for fresh scraps, one bin for waste that is in the process of breaking down, and one bin for your ready-to-use compost. The bin parts slot together, and while the manufacturer says no tools are required, we found that a mallet made construction go much quicker. We decided to leave off the top wood slat on one side of the bin, and this made it easier to reach in with a shovel to turn the compost from time to time. You might think you’re paying for convenience with this bin compared to building your own wood compost bin, but we also priced out what it would cost to build a similar size bin on our own and found the Greenes Fence composter was actually a better deal. How It Performed After Three Months This bin hasn’t kept bugs or rain out of the compost pile, but the cedar did hold up to the inclement weather. The material only faded slightly from sunlight exposure. Product Details: Type: Stationary | Material: Cedar wood | Dimensions: 36 x 31 x 36 inches | Capacity: 173.92 gallons | Intended Use: Outdoor Real Simple / Margot Cavin Better Homes & Gardens / Margot Cavin Better Homes & Gardens / Margot Cavin Best for Kitchens Epica Stainless Steel Compost Bin Amazon View On Amazon $29 Our Ratings Quality 5/5 Design 5/5 Odor Control 5/5 Value 4.5/5 Capacity 5/5 Why You Should Get It This stainless steel bin has an airtight, carbon-filtered lid to keep nasty smells and pests out of the kitchen. Keep in Mind The lid filters need to be replaced about every 6 months. If you don’t have outdoor space for a composter or you want a convenient bin in the kitchen to collect food scraps after prepping each meal, a kitchen bin like the Epica Countertop Compost Bin can fit the bill. One fear that people have about countertop bins is that they will stink or attract bugs in the kitchen. But we were thoroughly impressed with the carbon filter on this bin. Even though we added a lot of aromatic scraps, like onion and garlic, the bin didn’t smell at all. The lid is also airtight to prevent pests. As for durability, this stainless steel compost bin is strong and sturdy, so no one is likely to knock this over when working in the kitchen. We liked the wide opening, which allowed for scraping food scraps directly from a cutting board or plate into the bin without making a mess. While the lid’s filter is effective at preventing odors, it does need to be replaced about every six months. Another thing to note is that this is a bin, so it simply holds food scraps, rather than turning waste into compost. If you’re planning to turn your kitchen scraps into compost for your garden, you’ll want to pair this with another composter. How It Performed After Three Months With regular cleaning, this bin still looks as good as new. The airtight lid and carbon filter have made us more confident in adding smelly scraps like onions to our pile. We’ve found that it can hold up to a week’s worth of scraps before needing emptying. Product Details: Type: Countertop bin | Material: Stainless steel | Dimensions: 7.16 x 11 x 7.16 inches | Capacity: 1.3 gallons | Intended Use: Indoor Better Homes & Gardens / Kyle McKinnon Better Homes & Gardens / Kyle McKinnon Better Homes & Gardens / Kyle McKinnon Best Colors Bamboozle Compost Bin Amazon View On Amazon $40 View On Wayfair $50 View On Verishop.com $40 Our Ratings Quality 4.5/5 Design 4.8/5 Odor Control 4.8/5 Value 4.5/5 Capacity 5/5 Why You Should Get It Available in 10 colors, this compost bin is ideal for those who want to proudly and stylishly display that they compost. Keep in Mind While the colors and design are attractive, this bin needs to be wiped down frequently, as the material tends to show smudges easily. Your compost bin needs to be functional, but you can also find fashionable options, too. This is especially ideal if you plan to keep your bin on a counter or table. To round out our list of the best compost bins, we chose the stylish Bamboozle Food Compost Bin, which comes in 10 impressive colors like a deep pink (pomegranate), light purple (wisteria), or bright yellow (saffron). The bin has a minimalist design with a sleek, wood handle for easy carrying. It’s made from bamboo fiber, so it is similar to plastic bins in durability and weight. The Bamboozle bin is dishwasher-safe, although we were concerned about ruining the wood handle, so we opted to hand wash instead. Still, it was incredibly easy to clean after dumping the food scraps off to a community collector. The wider mouth made it easy for our tester to scrape food scraps into the bin without any pieces falling off onto the countertop. Although the design and colors are attractive, we noted that this bin, especially the lid, shows fingerprint smudges easily. Keep a towel handy to wipe it down after opening the lid to dump in food scraps. The hemp filters for this countertop-friendly composter need to be replaced about every two months, although you don’t have to stick to brand-specific filters. How It Performed After Three Months After regularly using the bin, there isn’t anything we’d change. It does such a great job at filtering odors that it’s easy to forget the compost is sitting on the counter. While it shows smudges easily, we’ve found that they’re easy to wash off. Product Details: Type: Countertop bin | Material: Bamboo fiber | Dimensions: 7 x 8.75 x 7 inches | Capacity: 1.2 gallons | Intended Use: Indoor Better Homes & Gardens / Jenica Currie Better Homes & Gardens / Jenica Currie Better Homes & Gardens / Jenica Currie The Bottom Line Our favorite compost bin is the Black+Decker 40-gallon Tumbling Composter, which earned high marks across all categories during testing. The durable plastic container held up well to hot temperatures and rain, and the steel frame was able to support the heavy weight of the bin as it filled up. The sliding doors made it easy to keep out pests while adding scraps and removing compost, and the handle to turn the compost made it even easier to aerate the waste than a traditional compost pile. Our Testing Process We spent a collective 12,000 hours testing 18 composting products, including bins and composters, to narrow it down to the best compost bins. We assembled our compost products, then filled, or at least attempted to fill (some of these are pretty large!), the bin to capacity. We added a wide variety of organic waste to our composters and compost bins, including pizza boxes, napkins, coffee grounds, eggshells, and fruit rinds. We kept notes on the indoor or outdoor location of the bin, local weather conditions during the testing period, sunlight and shade exposure for outdoor bins, and how quickly the organic waste began to break down into compost. We rated each product for overall design, capacity, odor control, quality, and value, and these ratings were then compiled into an overall average. The products with the highest averages were selected as our best compost bins. Better Homes & Gardens / Margot Cavin What to Know About Compost Bins Before Shopping Before you start shopping, Berg recommends asking yourself a few key questions, including how much food and garden waste your household produces, how much space you have for a compost bin, what type of pests may be common in your neighborhood, and what your composting goals look like, such as reducing food waste sent to landfills or boosting soil health in your garden. These factors can help determine what type and capacity compost bin is best for you, and it can help you seek out added features like odor control to keep pests at bay. Type Compost bins typically serve as a collection point where you can add in food scraps and other organic waste until it’s time to empty the bin into your outdoor compost pile or you deliver your scraps to a local waste management organization. On the other hand, a composter helps break down the waste into compost that can be used to improve soil health in your garden. A composter needs heat, moisture, aeration (from turning the compost regularly), and time. Ultimately, you may benefit from having a three-bin system, Steil says. You can use a compost bin to collect scraps, a composter to break down the waste into compost, and a third container to store your fertilizer until you’re ready to use it. While you’re shopping for a compost bin or composter you can consider different types, like tumbling composters, compost systems that use worms, or indoor kitchen compost bins. The type you choose can depend on how much space you have, how much maintenance you’re willing to take on, and even how much experience you have with composting. Tumbling Composters If you’re new to composting, tumblers like our Best Overall pick from Black+Decker “are a fairly user-friendly and efficient method of composting that will be ideal for those with small- to medium-sized gardens, where both kitchen waste and garden waste is available for composting,” Berg says. Tumbling models spin the entire pile to provide aeration so you don’t need to keep a rake or shovel nearby. They also have the advantage of being fully enclosed to keep out pests. Berg adds, “Just make sure you choose a good quality product that uses a sturdy framework as the bin will become very heavy once it is full.” Stationary Composters Stationary modeels, like our Best Budget pick from Geobin and Best Large pick from Greene, are the most simple (and often most affordable) composters available. These house open compost piles, which may be ideal if you have an oversized garden or large compost heap. Unlike tumbling composters or worm-based options, you’ll need to manually turn your compost pile with a shovel, rake, or garden fork to provide aeration. These open-air options can also attract more pests and emit odors. Vermicomposting (Worm-Based Composting) For those more familiar with composting or willing to put in more work to maintain their compost system, a worm-based system can be a great option that churns out some top-notch compost to make next year’s veggies better than ever. “Worm bins are an ideal composting solution for people who want to recycle their kitchen waste into high-quality compost and those with limited space,” Berg says. “They are higher maintenance than some of the other options so won’t be suitable for those who want a hands-off approach to composting.” Location A compost bin can be set up indoors or outside, so you’ll want to consider if you have enough space to keep your composting system. Smaller bins with tight-sealing lids can go on a kitchen counter or under the kitchen sink, hidden away behind a cabinet door. Outdoor setups typically need at least a cubic yard of space, and Steil says its best for the compost area to get some sun and some shade to keep the pile moist but not too cool or wet. “If it's in full sun, it's more likely to dry out too quickly, but if it's in full shade it's not likely to get warm enough and may stay wet too long,” Steil explains. Capacity It’s important to choose the right size compost bin to meet your household’s organic waste and garden needs. A household with one or two people that is simply collecting food scraps but won’t be using their own compost can get away with a smaller capacity bin, about 1 to 2 gallons. Just keep in mind that even if you opt for a large indoor bin as the best compost bin for your home, it still needs to be emptied regularly, at least once per week or so, to keep odors and pests at bay. For outdoor composting, you’ll need a space at least 3 x 3 x 3 feet for your bin or composter. Many outdoor bins start around 60 to 80 gallons, a good size for a small garden, with some models holding several hundred gallons of waste. The largest composting product we included in our best compost bins list, the Geobin bin, has a capacity of 246 gallons. Odor Control Compost, when done correctly, shouldn’t have any foul odors. It may not smell like much of anything, or it could have a pleasant, earthy smell that may even be slightly sweet. Steil says that if your compost pile stinks, it may be because the ratio of brown to green material is off. While the ideal ratio can vary, you can aim for about 30 brown to 1 green; brown being carbon-rich material like dead leaves, twigs, or newspaper and green being nitrogen-rich matter like fruit and vegetable scraps. However, even with the right ratio, indoor bins in particular can get a bit smelly since these are often designed just to hold organic waste until you can send it to a waste management facility or add it to your outdoor compost pile. To keep odors at bay, you can look for added features that trap or neutralize smells. “Look for compost bins with a charcoal filter or an airtight lid to help trap unpleasant smells,” Tate says. “The charcoal filter absorbs odors and prevents them from escaping. Additionally, regularly turning and mixing the compost helps to aerate it and reduce odors.” Better Homes & Gardens / Jenica Currie Other Compost Bins We Tested SCD Probiotics All Seasons Indoor Composter Starter Kit For those new to composting, a starter kit like this pick from SCD Probiotics can be a great way to start. Using the bin and the included compost starter was easy and didn’t create any unusual odors. We found it only took three weeks to produce rich compost. However, we wish the compost starter came in resealable bags and that the kit included other accessories like a sifter or collection cups. Vitamix Eco 5 FoodCycler Although we love Vitamix for the best blenders, and we did like the Vitamix Eco 5 FoodCycler, it fell short of joining our list of the best compost bins. We found it easy to operate; you just need to put in the organic waste and press the power button to have the FoodCycler break down the contents, which takes about eight hours. When the waste was fairly dry, the resulting compost was easy to clean. However, because of the interior blades, we had to use a utensil to get any food scraps stuck to the bottom of the bin, especially when the waste was damp. OXO Good Grips Easy-Clean Compost Bin The OXO Good Grips Easy-Clean Compost Bin is a budget-friendly option that can hold 0.75 to 1.75 gallons of food scraps. True to its name, we found that this compost bin was easy to clean. We also liked the lid design, which was easy to open and stayed in place, so scraping food into the open bin while cooking was a breeze. However, we thought this compost bin could have better odor control, as the scent could be pretty strong, especially if the lid was open. Better Homes & Gardens / Cara Milhaven Your Questions, Answered Does a compost bin need air holes? Composters require air flow to properly break down the organic matter. Outdoor bins often include slats to provide ventilation without letting in pests, while indoor composters use a combination of air holes and carbon filters to prevent unwanted odors. If you’re looking for a kitchen compost bin to simply hold your food scraps, a lid with an airtight seal is recommended so that odors don’t bypass the filter. How expensive are compost bins? Compost bins can range significantly in price. For instance, our splurge pick for the best compost bins costs just under $500, but you may be able to source free kitchen compost bins from your local waste management facility. Many of our top picks cost around $30 to $150, or handy homeowners may even be able to build their own compost bin with low-cost or recycled materials. Who We Are Paige Bennett is a freelance writer and editor with experience covering sustainability, home, travel, beauty, and fashion. Our research and testing team purchased and reviewed popular compost bins on the market, analyzing the design, capacity, odor control features, quality, and value of each product to choose the best compost bins. Additionally, we interviewed Aaron Steil, a consumer horticulture extension specialist at Iowa State University, for insights on composting. Paige also interviewed plant experts Fern Berg of Tree Vitalize and Andy Tait of True Green Nursery for advice on shopping for compost bins. What Is BHG Recommends? Next to all of the products on this list, you may have noticed our BHG Recommends seal of approval. Products that earn the seal have been put through rigorous testing to make sure they're worth a spot in your home. We buy most of the products we test ourselves, but occasionally we are provided samples by companies if buying isn't an option. In these cases, we use the same testing criteria we use to test the purchased products. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit