15 DIY Compost Bin Plans

Ideas for How to Build a Compost Bin in Your Garden

Updated on 07/06/21

compost bin made from buckets — The Spruce / Candace Madonna

If you're looking for a way to get rich soil for your garden while sustainably getting rid of food waste, consider a DIY compost bin. Building your own compost bin is a great budget-saving alternative to buying one. Composting is an easy process that takes green waste (e.g., fruit, vegetables, weeds, eggshells, and coffee grinds) and brown waste (e.g., dry leaves, sticks, cardboard, and newspaper) and mixes it until everything decomposes. The resulting nutrient-rich mixture can be used to feed plants and improve soil.

Here are 15 DIY compost bins you can create at home.

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Under $5 Worm Bin

Attainable Sustainable

Creating a worm bin is a great way to begin composting, and it takes up a lot less room than a large composter. All you need are a couple of 5-gallon buckets and an hour to make this worm bin that costs less than $5 from Attainable Sustainable.
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Trash Can Compost Bin

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Making a compost bin out of a trash can is a great way to get a compost pile going quickly and without much of a budget. You'll need a plastic trash can with a lid and a few other materials to build it. The whole project will take you less than an hour.
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Pallet Compost Bin

Mike's Backyard Nursery

Here's a free DIY compost bin plan from Mike's Backyard Nursery that's an affordable choice for someone who wants a permanent area for compost but isn't looking to spend a lot of money. This plan uses wood pallets for the frame and some hardware to keep everything together. It's pretty easy to find free pallets, making this an inexpensive way to compost.
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Wooden Compost Bin

Practically Functional

If you're serious about composting and want to build something that will last, this wooden DIY compost bin from Practically Functional is a great option. A hinged lid makes it easy to add items to compost, and it's sturdy enough to keep out any animals. Added features include hardware cloth, which provides air circulation, and hinged access to the bottom of the bin to get out the finished compost.

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Wire Fence Compost Bin

mtreasure / Getty Images

If you have an area outside where you'd like to start a compost pile, this plan will show you how to make it secure. Inexpensive chicken wire surrounds the compost pile, though any type of wire fencing will do. You can easily change the size of this compost bin depending on the area you have.
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Tote Compost Bin

Just Call Me Homegirl

A plastic tote can easily make a compost bin with some holes to promote air circulation. For this project from Just Call Me Homegirl, you simply need a large tote and a drill to make the holes. Because this DIY compost bin is low to the ground, it's also a great way to get kids involved in composting.
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Straw Bale Compost Bin

ottoblotto / Getty Images

Another way to make a simple, inexpensive, and custom compost pile is by surrounding it with straw bales. This lets you decide the size of the pile, which you can easily adjust as needed. It also provides insulation to make the composting process happen more quickly. Plus, as the straw breaks down, it can be incorporated into the compost pile.
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DIY Compost Tumbler

Kinda Crunchy Kate

This DIY compost bin plan from Kinda Crunchy Kate creates a compost tumbler, which makes it easy to turn over the compost. Turning a compost pile is important for controlling odors and making sure material at the edges mixes in to heat up and decompose. Tumblers can be pricey to purchase pre-made, but this tutorial shows how to make one inexpensively with an old barrel and some sawhorses.

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Plastic Storage Container Compost Bin

BartCo / Getty Images

Here's a slightly different way to build a compost bin out of a plastic storage container. The twist is drilling holes 1 to 2 inches apart on all sides of the container, including the bottom and lid, and then using wire mesh or hardware cloth to keep rodents out of the compost pile. You also can put the container within a second container to catch the liquid that sometimes seeps out of the compost pile.
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Dig-and-Drop Composting

Mint Images-Henry Arden / Getty Images

The easiest, quickest, and cheapest way to start composting for a garden is by using the dig-and-drop method. All you need to do is dig a hole in your garden and then add your composting materials to it. Cover the hole back up, and you'll have automatically enriched the soil for nearby plants.
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Trench Composting

Sebastian Condrea / Getty Images

If you have rows of plants in your garden, consider taking the dig-and-drop method one step further with trench composting. Simply dig a trench alongside your plants that's roughly a foot deep, and then fill it with about 6 inches of compostable materials. Then backfill the rest of the trench with soil. This is a great method for vegetable gardens where the crops are in evenly spaced rows.
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Hot Composting

Matt Montagne / Flickr / CC by 2.0

Hot composting is a method that optimizes the microbial activity in a compost pile to decompose materials into compost faster. You can create your compost bin out of any typical material, such as wood pallets or wire fencing, but it must be at least 4 feet by 4 feet. It also should be positioned where it will get full sun.

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Old Dresser Drawer

Joel Dueck

If you’re not able to compost outdoors, there are still some options for indoor composting on a smaller scale. For instance, you can use a plastic storage bin. Or you can repurpose a salvaged item, such as an old dresser drawer. Cover the top with a hinged piece of wood or heavy fabric, and you’ll have yourself a composting vessel.
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Bokashi Bucket

Guido Mieth / Getty Images

Bokashi composting quickly turns organic materials into compost using microorganisms. You can purchase bokashi kits, but it’s easy to make the composter yourself. You need two 5-gallon buckets, one well-fitting lid, and a drill. Simply drill holes into the bottom of one bucket, set it inside the other, and you’re ready to add your composting materials.
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DIY Compost Screen

Kurt Wittman / UIG / Getty Images

Regardless of the vessel in which you keep your compost, you’ll often want a compost screen to sift out any large chunks that haven’t fully decomposed before you add the compost to your garden. And a DIY compost screen is easy and inexpensive to make. Simply make a four-sided frame out of lumber, and staple hardware cloth to all the sides. Then, you can hold the screen over a bucket or wheelbarrow and sift the compost through it before use.