The 8 best compost bins of 2025, with tips from experts

Composting — a term used and promoted by the environmentally minded, but not something all of us are all-knowing about.

If you’re a New York City resident, however, you should probably begin getting familiar with it.

As of October 2024, compositing was mandated in all five boroughs, which means most residents should be separating scraps from their trash in an effort to reduce the environmental impact — and yes, curb the city’s notorious rat problem, too.

The Big Apple doesn’t have the best track record with trash collection; complaints are common, with gripes over sidewalk trash skyrocketing about 30% last year. The City Council’s new composting measure was rolled out as a strategic element of the Big Apple’s war on rats, according to Gotham’s Department of Sanitation.

“Curbside composting fights rats and helps the planet,” Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement. The agency explained that food scraps, garden waste, and food-soiled paper would be collected on regular recycling days year-round as a part of the new program.

Of course, mandate or not, composting is an effective way to promote a healthier environment in your garden and beyond. With spring about to take bloom, it’s sustainability’s shining moment — an opportunity to reduce the amount of waste your household creates and reduce your carbon footprint. That starts with selecting the right compost bin.

You’ll want to factor in the size of your family and the amount of waste you produce, as well as whether you want an indoor compost bin or an outdoor compost bin to take care of your waste. Some may prefer an electric compost bin, to save the time, hassle, and mess of rotating their waste.

Now that the color green is in mind, it’s time to talk with the experts. The New York Post turned to Rick Carr, farm director and master composter at Rodale Institute, for a beginner’s guide on composting — along with learning about the best compost bins to shop for your backyard.

Carr has a wealth of knowledge on the subject, from his experience as a technician at Cornell University who then “took composting to the max” (as he described), researching it in graduate school and taking it to the field in Argentina when managing a large-scale composting facility. He knows all things large-scale in a farm setting and small-scale in your backyard.

Looking to cut your carbon footprint by 127%? Lomi claims they can achieve just that. Rather than spend days waiting for your food scraps to turn into plant food, this electronic compost bin will do it in up to four hours. The smooth, simple design means that it can seamlessly blend into your kitchen leaving behind a mess-free, waste-free, and odor-free composting experience.

Material: Polypropylene | Capacity: 3 Liters | Lid Style: Locks down (must align properly)

Yes, cute compost bins do exist and these Bamboozle designs prove it. Featuring a smooth bamboo handle and odor-preventing lid, you can easily add these to your countertop without worrying about loss of space. The dishwasher-safe Bamboozle design comes in four colors to match your countertop, too. Plus, even the bin itself is compostable — it’s made with 100% plant fiber that breaks down easily when the time comes.

Material: Plant-based Astrik | Capacity: 18.5 Cups | Lid Style: Vented and filtered

This sleek silver contraption can easily attach to the side of simplehuman trash cans making it a seamless process when separating your trash and compost. What’s even better is that the lid locks in odor to keep your home from smelling. The brushed stainless steel build is a popular choice among composting materials, as it’s exceptionally durable and easily wipes clean.

Material: Brushed Stainless Steel | Capacity: 4 Liters | Lid Style: Manual Lift

As an Amazon’s Choice item, VivoSun’s Outdoor Tumbling Dual-Batch Compost Bin is a durable hub for all your food waste. Its two chambers allow for one side to “cook” while you add more items to compost on the other side — genius and organization-approved. Instead of rotating your compost manually (and getting your hands dirty in the process) the VivoSun offers a rotating design, to do the dirty work for you. Garden gloves are even included to complete your composting checklist!

Material: Brushed Stainless Steel | Capacity: 43 Gallons | Lid Style: Manual Lift

If you’re looking for a quality compost bin, Home Depot is your destination. This wooden composter features an open design to provide airflow and allow for plenty of space to rotate your waste. The sustainably-sourced cedar is naturally rot-resistant and the wooden planks interlock together for easy installation. Included in the purchase is a free book on garden beds and composting. Most customers agree the setup is intuitive, which leaves you more time to get right to work (composting)!

Material: Cedar | Capacity: 77 Gallons | Lid Style: Open

If you’re new to the composting world, OXO’s Good Grips Easy-Clean Compost Bin may be up your alley. For less than $25, you can’t go wrong, especially if you want to get a feel for how it works on your countertop. While the capacity isn’t as large as some of the others on this list — it only weighs a pound, making it exceptionally easy to move around. The lid flips down to lock in odors, and the plastic material wipes clean easily.

Material: Plastic | Capacity: 2.8 Liters | Lid Style: Flips down

For less than $50, this outdoor compost bin resembles your trash can for a seamless, environmentally conscious addition to your backyard. Made of plastic, it expands up to four feet (or 246 gallons) and also comes in green and tan. Reviewers say it breathes well and offers enough ventilation to effectively compost a large load.

Material: Plastic | Capacity: 246 Gallons | Lid Style: Open

Utopia Kitchen makes a great kitchen composter, according to nearly 20,000 Amazon reviews. The sleek stainless steel build comes with a lid and charcoal filter to help eliminate odors, and most customers agree that it does the trick. The material also washes easily and is attractive enough to mesh with other kitchen appliances.

Material: Stainless Steel | Capacity: 1.3 Gallons | Lid Style: Manual placement

Compost Bins FAQ

First things first: What is composting?

Composting has two parts to it: the front end and the back end. “The front end is waste management; rather than throwing food waste in the trash, we take what someone considers a waste material and process it into a valuable soil amendment for plant growth and reproduction in our backyards,” Carr told me over a phone call, right after he said, “I’ll call you back in 10 minutes, I’m in the field.” A true expert, to say the least.

The other part is conferring the benefit of making our plants healthy — using composting as a resource rooted in conservation. Once your compost bin’s pile is ready, it can be dispersed into your soil as a natural fertilizer.

“For the individual, it can save you money,” Carr explains further. “Your waste costs are lower and you don’t have to buy fertilizer and, at the end of the day, it kind of feels good that you can take this nasty food waste material and turn it into this nice dark, crumbly valuable soil amendment.”

How to shop for the best compost bin for you

Everybody is going to want something different in a compost bin, with a few considerations to take into account, according to Carr.

“You have to keep in mind how large you want it, which is dictated by how much waste you and your family generates,” he said. “Convenience is another thing: where are you going to put it? Is it a plastic bin you’re going to place next to your house, or is it a chicken-wire bin that’s going to be moved a little farther away?”

Material is another frame of reference when scouring the market for a good compost bin. The outdoor containers are mostly made of wood, plastic or metal. After years of experience, Carr’s favorite is a welded-wire bin. “It’s metal, holds up, can be shaped into whatever size you want, is lightweight and seems to be the most cost-effective and user-friendly as well.”

What can you compost?

“You can compost anything nature can break down,” Carr explains. “With that said, there are some items that can cause problems if you don’t do it right; meats, dairy, fats, oils and fermented items aren’t recommended for beginner composters.” But, if you’re experienced, “you can take an entire cow and compost that,” he said.

Yes, you can compost weeds, too. “Over time, the compost pile will break down some of those weed seeds,” Carr said. “You’re going to have weeds in your garden regardless if you compost.”

When will my compost be ready?

According to Carr, turning a compost more than once a year is a tall order (even taller depending on the size of your bin. “I turn it once a year in the spring and let it sit for a year,” he said, explaining the process he mastered over time. “After two years, 100% of the bin is ready to go. After one year, 50% is ready to go.”

So, if you were to begin composting this month, you can handle your compost pile in the fall, though your top pile wouldn’t be ready, per Carr. Your bottom pile will, though, and in a year from now, most will be ready to disperse into the soil.

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