Make It Yourself!

4 DIY Compost Bins You Can Build in One Day

(got this from treehuggers.com)
You can compost at home with one of many commercially available compost bins, but making your own compost bin is really easy. Depending on the type of compost bin you choose you can build a compost bin in a matter of minutes-for little money-and be on your way to reducing the waste you send to the landfill.

Here are four examples of DIY compost bins you can build in a day. These bins are made from a plastic barrel, trash can, wood pallets, and cinder blocks. Further down you'll find detailed directions you can follow to build one of these bins yourself.

1. Trash Can Compost Bin
To create this compost bin all you need is a trash can and a power drill. In this video, Theviolist18 describes how he made his compost bin and uses bungee cords to secure the lid. While this compost bin is made out of a plastic trash can, an aluminum trash can would work just as well. Choose a trash can with wheels to make your compost bin easier to move when full.

2. Wood Pallet Compost Bin
I'm not a big fan of using wood pallets in the garden but Judo Puff‘s wood pallet compost bins are really nice. He uses two pallets and chicken wire to make these 3x3 compost bins which look pretty easy to build and move around. He creates a chimney out chicken wire that he then places in the center to provide aeration deep within the compost pile.

3. Cinder block Compost Bin
In this video, Jonehughes3384 shows off a four bin composting system he built out of cinderblocks over a concrete foundation. Building something like this is a great solution if you are producing a lot of waste. Unlike wooden compost bins these will not rot after a couple of years and are a more efficient compost bins than the trash can composters.

4. Rolling Compost Bin
Envirosponsible's version of the rolling compost bin combines the best of the rotating compost bins with the simplicity of the trash can compost bin posted above. Instead of using a trash can you make this composter out of a plastic barrel with a lid. The secure lid allows you to roll the barrel around to turn the decomposing material inside.

Instructions for Building a Homemade Compost Bin

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery provides detailed instructions for building a portable wood and wire composting bin, single compartment wooden bin, wire mesh composter, and rotating barrel composter. The University of Missouri Extension has instructions on building a rotating barrel composter, wire mesh holding unit, and a snow fence holding unit.

What kind of compost bin do you have? Did you build one yourself or do you have a bin manufactured by company?