Easy Home Compost Bin

by jsrubianoch

8.2K1209

Intro: Easy Home Compost Bin

Being an avid gardener, I have always wanted to have a composting system for my home. Using leftover materials I had from previous projects and experiments I decided to make a compost bin and try it out to turn kitchen and garden waste into food for my plants.

I hope you enjoy this Instructable and feel free to leave your comments and feedback in the comment section below.

STEP 1: Bin Preparation

For the preparation of the compost bin what you will need to do is drill holes in the bottom of the bin for worms and beneficial fungi to enter and help in the composting process.

Additionally, you will need to drill holes in the sides of the bin and throughout the pipe for airflow, as you do not want the system to be anaerobic (without the presence of oxygen) as it will start to ferment and smell, and nobody likes smelly compost.

Make sure to clean the holes properly as you do not want plastic shavings in your composting process.

STEP 2: How to Use It

To assemble and use your new compost bin what you need to do is position your pipe in the middle of the trash can and start filling the donut shape around the pipe with garden soil. The better the garden soil the less time it will take your bin to start working because your garden soil is where the worms and beneficial microorganisms come from.

After putting the initial layer of soil, you can start filling your bin with green materials such as garden and kitchen scraps and then filling with newspaper or leaves or other type of brown material. By adding these layers in your compost you will generate a balanced ecosystem and avoid any anaerobic fermentation or smells.

Make sure not to fill the inside of the tube as this will be crucial in maintaining airflow throughout your bin!

STEP 3: Finished Compost Bin

Once finished you can put your compost bin on top of your garden so that it fills up with worms and other beneficial microorganisms, in my garden when it rains worms tend to crawl up to the surface (to avoid drowning I suppose), so by putting the compost bin on top of the garden as a dryer place for them to live an eat I guess will be a great situation.

When your compost starts to break down you can add more greens and browns and any compost tea can directly fertilize the spot in your garden where the compost bin is located, so no need to put anything to collect it as it goes directly into the soil.

I hope you enjoyed my easy home compost bin build and make one for your home so you can be greener and make proper use of your compostable scraps.

7 Comments

MTKapp27 2 years ago

Does the inside tube need to get cleaned out often? I can imagine how that will keep on filling up with small debris over time.

jsrubianoch 2 years ago

For around a month that I have been using it it hasn't filled with much debris, when I'll take the finished compost I'll give everything a wash and start again.

valhallasmine 2 years ago

Thanks for a clean, simple design and construction. Two questions: Is a lid necessary? (Does that affect "cooking" or pest control?) How do you dump/turn it? Thanks for contributing!

ivak245 2 years ago

If you cut the bottom of the bin out completely you can lift the bin straight up, and you will be left with a "tower of compost" which you can then spread around. This also lets a lot more worms in too. If you find that it is difficult to lift off (because the bottom is smaller than the top), you could just use a normal bin and turn it upside down, keeping the lid down with a brick.

george57 2 years ago

In my long experience of composting....
@BR95510 Wait a lot longer for it all to compost down (yes, at some point you have to stop adding stuff to it and let it finish rotting) OR, empty it out and sieve out the good stuff and put the rest back to start the next lot. But those answers aside, if you can get a long-handled fork in there or a long handle with a rigid hook of some sort on the end, and push it through the layers to the bottom and pull it all up / around, this aeration will help. I've never bothered with a central aeration tube/channel and I am sure it helps.

Alternatively, cut a small 'door' in the bottom of the compost bin to access the good stuff.

@valhallasmine A lid is nearly always necessary. If you live in a cold place it helps keep a bit of heat in. If you live in a very rainy place it keeps rain out. If you live in a hot dry place it keeps some moisture in.

BR95510 2 years ago

How do you harvest the composted material to use on your garden? I had one a while back, and all the "good stuff" was at the bottom despite diligent stirring. Suggestions for stirring and using please! Looks like a great plan!