How to Make a DIY Compost Bin: 13 Easy Builds for Beginners

You can make a DIY compost bin from almost anything: garbage cans, plastic containers, pallets, wood, chicken wire, metal sheets, and straw bales. You just need a few tools and materials, plus the proper bin-building tutorial to lay down the basic steps. In a few hours (or less), you can have your own compost bin and prepare nutrient-rich, natural, crumbly compost to improve the soil and support healthy plants.

We have thirteen ideas you can try depending on the composting method you want to use, your resources, and how much compost you need. They’re all easy-to-build bins, even for less crafty beginners, so give it a try!

Note: If you’re new to recycling waste as compost, here is a detailed guide on how to compost for your lawn and garden that will teach you all about the most prominent composting methods. 

1. Convert a plastic trash can into a composting bin

Turning a garbage can into a composting bin allows you to produce organic fertilizer for your lawn and garden in a small space, like a porch, garage, or a cramped yard corner. It creates a closed environment, so moisture and heat are easier to control, making it an excellent option for hot and cold composting. 

Tools and materials

To build it, you’ll need the following:

• A trash bin with a tight closing lid. If the space and budget allow it, go for a container at least 32 gallons large. 
• Drill and a 2 or 3-inch drill bit.
• Aluminum screen fabric. 
• Silicone caulk or epoxy adhesive.

Here are some examples of supplies you can find online:

32 Gallon Heavy Duty Plastic Garbage Can – Walmart
20V MAX Cordless Drill and Driver – Amazon
Aluminum Window Screen, 36″ x 84″ – Amazon
Gorilla Expoxy 0.85 fl. Oz. – Home Depot

Money-saving tips: You’ll be drilling the garbage bin, so use an old one if possible. You can also repurpose aluminum fabric from an old window mosquito screen. 

How to build the compost bin 

Step 1: Use the drill to make holes around the trash can walls, 6 to 12 inches apart. You need them for ventilation.

Step 2: Cut square pieces from the screen fabric, about 4-5 inches in size. 

Step 3: Use the pieces to cover each hole from the inside and secure with silicone or epoxy. The fabric prevents pests from getting inside while allowing air to flow freely.

You’re all set!

Pick a place for your composting bin and place it there. Start adding organic matter to your bin. Close the lid. Turn the pile at least once a week if you’re hot composting. Let it be if you’re using the cold composting method.

Note: If you decide to buy a bin after all, we have a detailed guide with the best compost bins on the market you can choose from.

2. Build a DIY compost bin from pallets

Since free pallets are easy to find, many gardeners use them to build structures for outdoor compost piles. They don’t offer the same protection against the weather but make the heaps look neat, keep the compost in place, and are easy to build.

A pallet bin doesn’t have a closed bottom. The organic matter sits directly on the soil, allowing beneficial microbes and decomposing organisms to climb up the pile. Pallet bins look nice in your yard and are large enough for composting grass clippings,  twigs, fallen branches, dry leaves, and other garden waste. 

Tool and materials

To make a pallet compost bin in your garden, you’ll need the following tools and materials:

• Four wood pallets similar in size
• Power drill
• Screwdriver
• Hammer
• Four L brackets
• Two heavy-duty strap hinges
• Wood screws
• One gate hook and latch
• Cupboard handle/utility pull
• Gloves
• Safety glasses

Pro tip: You can find free pallets at construction sites, hardware and flooring stores, small garden shops, furniture, equipment, pet, grocery, and stationery stores, restaurants, bars, and liquor stores, and home improvement stores. You can also purchase used pallets at lower prices online.

You can repurpose the accessories (hinges, hook, latch, etc) from any old shed door. If you don’t have any, you can buy them online. 

Here are some options:

1-1/2 in. Zinc-Plated Corner Brace (4-Pack) – Home Depot
6 Inch T-Strap Heavy Duty Shed Door Hinges (2 Pack) – Amazon
3.93-in Silver Steel Gate Hook and Eye – Lowe’s

How to build the compost bin

Step 1: Choose a shaded, leveled place with good drainage to place the bin and bring your materials there.

Step 2: Set one pallet to be the backside of the bin and fit a second one on its right side, forming a square angle. Ask a friend to help you keep them in place and attach the two pallets using two L brackets.

Step 3: Set the third pallet on the left side and attach it to the back pallet using the other 2 L brackets.

Step 4: Choose which side you want the door to open and use two strap hinges to install the front of the bin. You’ll use this side of the bin to add organic matter and turn the compost. 

Step 5: Add a hook and latch to keep it closed and a handle to open it easily.

You’re ready to start adding materials to the bin. 

3. Wire fence compost bin

Compost bins made of chicken wire are fast to build, inexpensive, and perfect for collecting grass clippings, dry leaves, and yard waste to turn into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. You can also give it any shape you want that fits your space. Most are made round or square. 

Wire fence bins are perfect as secondary bins for collecting garden scraps. You can also use them for cold composting. Hot composting is more difficult since the bin offers no protection against rain, dry air, and cold. You can hot compost in a wire fence, but you’ll need more care in managing the compost’s moisture and interior temperature.

Tools and materials

• Wire fencing – about 10 feet for a round bin with 3 feet in diameter
• Wire cutters
• Zip ties or wire
• Work gloves

You can use chicken wire, hardware cloth, and even rabbit wire if rodents are not an issue. 

Here’s where you can buy some for cheap:

Galvanized Steel Chicken Wire – 24in H x 10ft L – Walmart
Hardware Cloth – 1/4 in. x 3 ft. x 10 ft. 23-Gauge – Home Depot
Fence, 25 feet – Silver – Amazon

How to build the compost bin 

Step 1: Put the gloves on and cut the fencing wire to the appropriate size for your bin.

Step 2: Lay the wire on the ground and walk back and forth over it to flatten the fence and make it easier to work with.

Step 3: Pick up the wire and make it into a circle.

Step 4: Fasten the ends of the material together and use wire or zip ties to secure it on the top, bottom, and middle.

Step 5: Place the bin in its place and ensure you have enough space around it to turn the composting materials regularly. 

4. Make a wood compost bin

Untreated wood is a popular solution for gardeners looking to make their own compost bins. Wood bins are resilient and easy to put together. They’re also excellent for hot composting, helping regulate moisture and heat. Here’s how you can make one at home.

Tools and materials 

• 3 2×3 or 2×4 boards for the verticals, 3 ¼ feet tall
• 1×6 or 2×6 slats, 24 pieces (5 for each side), 3 ¼ feet long
• Saw 
• Two C-clamps
• An electric screwdriver
• Screws

You can find lumber in local stores and online. Here are some affordable options:

Pine S4S Lumber 2-in x 4-in x 2-ft – Lowe’s
Pine S4S Lumber 2-in x 6-in x 4-ft – Lowe’s
Maple Board 1-in x 6-in – Home Depot

How to build the compost bin 

Step 1: Have the wood cut to the size of your bin at the store where you buy it from, or do it yourself at home with a saw. Use the proper safety equipment. 

Step 2: Start by putting the lateral panels together. Lay down two 2x3s on their thin side, parallel to each other, about 3 feet apart. 

Step 3: Use a horizontal slat to fasten them together. Attach it with four screws, two on each side. 

Step 4: Keep adding horizontal slats, making your way to the top. Leave one inch between the slats for ventilation. If you cut the wood yourself, you should have some scraps from the 1x6s to use as a spacer. 

Step 5: Finish setting all six slats, then turn the panel upside down. On the front side, you’ll add another 2×3 to create a channel that lets you slide in the slats for the front part of the bin. 

Leave 1 ¼ inches between the two 2x3s to allow the slats to slide in easily. Use C-clamps on both ends to keep the 2×3 in place, turn the panel over again, and fix it with screws on the horizontal slats.

Step 6: Repeat steps 1 through 4 to create the second side of the bin.

Step 7: Take the panels outside and get a friend to keep them standing while you screw in the back slats, joining the two sides together. Use six slats 1 inch apart.

Step 8: Place the bin in its place, check that everything is square, then measure the distance between the two grooves. 

Step 9: Cut six horizontal slats to fit in the grooves. Slide them into the two vertical channels to complete the front of the bin. Screw in place the bottom one to keep the entire structure rigid. 

Your bin is ready to make compost! 

5. Pallet DIY bin with hardware cloth

If you want to spend less money on wood and have some chicken wire in your garage, you can use it to build the laterals of your bin. It’s easy. Here’s what you need and how to put it together.

Tools and equipment

• 2x4s or 2x3s, 4 feet-long, 12 pieces
• Screws
• Screwdriver
• Chicken wire
• Wire staples

How to build the compost bin

Step 1: Screw four 2x3s together to build the frame for one of the bin’s sides. 

Step 2: Add a third 2×3 vertically in the middle. It helps secure the wire better.

Step 3: Repeat the first two steps twice to create the back of the compost bin and the second lateral side.

Step 4: To build the front side, make the frame from four 2x3s and add a third horizontal slat in the middle. You’ll use it to close only half the front with wire.

Step 5: Screw all the sides together.

Step 6: Use wire staples to attach the chicken wire to the frame’s interior on three sides (back and the two lateral sides).

Step 7: Add chicken wire to the bottom half on the front side. Leave the top free to add the composting materials. 

That’s all! Now you can add waste and make natural, nutrient-rich, crumbly compost for your lawn and garden.

6. DIY compost tumbler

A tumbler bin makes mixing and turning compost materials easier. It helps ensure all the organic matter inside your compost passes through the center, where high heat kills pests and weed seeds. It also speeds up the composting process. Since commercial models can be expensive, making one DIY is always a good idea. Here’s how.

Tools and materials

• Plastic or metal drum with a closed top or a tight lid
• Two 4×4 posts 
• ¼ inch steel rod
• Two hinges
• A latch
• Screws
• Screwdriver
• Jigsaw
• Drill
• Cement

Here’s where you can buy some of the materials:

55 Gal. Blue Industrial Plastic Drum – Home Depot
60 lb. Concrete Mix – Home Depot
4-in x 4-in x 6-ft #2 Ground Contact Wood Pressure Treated Lumber – Lowe’s
1/2 in. x 36 in. Plain Steel Round Rod – Home Depot
3-Pack Hinge 4″, Satin Nickel – Amazon
1-in x 6-in Maple Board – Home Depot

How to build the tumbler bin

Step 1: Clean the barrel or drum inside and outside very well to ensure no chemicals are left.

Step 2: Use a marker to draw a door large enough to add vegetable scraps and yard waste easily. A one-foot square door is a good option for a 32-gallon barrel.

Step 3: Cut out the door and attach one side to the barrel with two hinges and screws.

Step 4: Attach the latch that will keep the barrel door closed while you roll it to mix the compost.

Step 5: Drill some holes into the barrel to allow airflow.

Now, it’s time to make the supporting structure. 

Step 6: Measure the barrel’s diameter and cut two pieces of wood to fit it. 

Step 7: Screw one to the bottom of the barrel to cover its diameter. Screw the other one to the top of the barrel. Their role is to support the steel rod so the compost weight doesn’t stand only on plastic material.

Step 8: On the bottom of the barrel, find the center (the middle of the wooden piece) and drill a hole to fit the steel rod. Do the same to the top of the barrel.

Step 9: Pass the steel rod through the two holes.

Step 10: Dig two holes into the ground to fit in the 4×4 poles. The distance between them must be ½ to 1 inch longer than the barrel length to allow it to roll easily in between. 

Step 11: Put the two poles into their holes and add cement to fix their position. Let the cement dry.

Step 12: Cut two small notches into the top of the wood posts to place the steel rod and prevent it from jumping out when you turn the tumbler.

Step 13: Mount the barrel on the two posts, and you’re done.

7. Build a DIY Bokashi bin using buckets

If you want to compost slow-decomposing organic material like dairy, eggs, and meat scraps, you’ll need to use the Bokashi method. It works by anaerobic fermentation, turning the organic waste into a pre-compost that decomposes fast and without smell in the soil or your compost bin. 

Bokashi bins are popular and easy to find in home & garden shops, but they can be expensive. Since they are easy to build DIY, making your own at home might be a good idea. Here’s how.

Tools and materials

• One bucket with a tight-fitting lid
• One bucket without a lid
• Drill with a ⅛ or ¼ drill bit

You’ll drill holes in one of the buckets, so try to use an old one you won’t miss. They can be round or square as long as they are the same type and similar size so that you can put the drilled bucket into the other. 

Utility buckets are available online at prices starting at $4. Here are some examples:

5 Gallon Plastic Bucket – Airtight Lid – Amazon
5 gal. 70mil Food Safe Bucket White – No Lid – Home Depot
5 Gallon Food-grade Plastic General Bucket – Lowe’s

How to build the Bokashi bin

Step 1: Drill 20 to 30 holes into the bottom of one bucket.

Step 2: Stack the buckets. Put the drilled bucket into the second bucket.

Your bin is ready, and you can add the kitchen waste to make Bokashi compost. Remember, you’ll also need a Bokashi activator to start the fermentation process. 

8. Metal compost bins

Metal bins are more expensive to build than wood, plastic, or wire models. But they are also more resilient. Made of galvanized steel, they can last a few good years, while wood typically rots in one or two years, and plastic is damaged by the sun and high and low temperatures. Let’s see below how you can make a metal compost bin.

Tools and materials

• Four galvanized steel posts
• Post level 
• Four galvanized steel post caps
• Six galvanized steel studs (used as U-channels for the metal sheets on the back and lateral sides)
• Two 1-inch steel U-channels for the front side
• Corrugated metal siding – 3 sheets
• Self-tapping screws
• Electric screwdriver
• Saw
• Six 1×6 wooden slats cut at the width of the bin
• Sledgehammer

This type of bin is excellent to make if you already have some of the materials lying around your yard from an old construction project. If not, you can buy most materials online with the right budget. 

Here are a few options:

16-Gauge Galvanized Steel Line Fence Post, 1-5/8 in. x 6 ft. – Home Depot
Round Dome External Post Caps 1-5/8″, 4 Packs – Amazon
25-Gauge EQ Galvanized Steel Wall Framing Stud, 1-5/8 in. x 8 ft. – Home Depot
Plain C-Channel, 1/2 in. x 1 in. x 36 in. – Home Depot
Corrugated Silver Galvanized Steel Roof Panel, 2.16-ft x 8-ft – Lowe’s

How to make a metal compost bin

Step 1: Choose the bin location, measure the contour of the bin, and set the place for the four corners.

Step 2: Put on the post caps and pound the posts into the ground with a sledgehammer until you have the desired height.

Step 3: Attach the studs on the posts with self-tapping screws to create frames for the back side and laterals. The back poles will have two studs perpendicular to each other to support two perpendicular metal sheets. The front poles only need one stud at this stage.

Step 4: Slide the metal sheets in place. Attach them to the studs with screws.

Step 5: Attach the 1-inch U-channels to the front posts using screws. They are the frame for the front side of your bin which you make of wood slats.

Step 6: Slide in the wood slats to build the front of the bin. Remove the slats when you are adding more compost to make your work easier.

9. Straw bale compost bin

Using straw bales to create a compost bin is an ingenious way to convert a larger area into a composting zone. You can create straw bins around eroded areas in your garden, on land that has not been planted for a while and has a tough texture, or on land that has been heavily planted and needs nutrients. Here’s how you do it.

Tools and materials

• Organic straw bales free of pesticides and herbicides
• Shovel or pitchfork

You can buy baled straw from local farmers, home & garden stores, or online retailers like Home Depot and Amazon.

How to build a straw bale compost bin

Step 1: Choose the composting area. Make sure it’s large enough to allow you to stack the bales.

Step 2: Clean, level, and aerate the soil using a pitchfork or a shovel. You want a clear zone, as level as possible, to ensure the stacked bales are stable. Soil aeration improves drainage and supports the infiltration of the compost juice into the soil. Good pile drainage regulates moisture and prevents overheating and nasty smells.

Step 3: Decide what size and form you want the bin to be and start stacking the first row of bales. 

Step 4: Place each successive layer of bales perpendicular to the layer underneath to create an interlocking grid. This stacking style makes the straw walls more stable.

Once your straw bale wall has reached the desired height, you’re ready to start adding compost.

Note: Straw bales don’t let much air in. If you’re hot composting, turn the compost often to ensure oxygen for the aerobic bacteria.

10. Trench composting

You can enjoy the benefits of homemade compost without a bin by using the method of trench composting. It’s the cheapest method but not the easiest since it involves digging. In this case, your garden soil plays the role of a container.

Tools and materials

• Shovel
• Wheelbarrow or buckets

How to build the composting trench

Step 1: Use a shovel to dig trenches into your vegetable garden between plant rows. 

Step 2: Spread kitchen scraps and garden waste into the trench.

Step 3: Lightly water the waste to ensure enough moisture.

Step 4: Cover the waste with a layer of dirt, 6 to 8 inches thick, to keep pests away and the smell inside. 

Nutrients will slowly leach into the soil and support plant growth. This method feeds the garden directly, but you won’t be able to collect finished compost to spread it somewhere else. 

11. Two-tier DIY vermicomposting bin made from plastic storage boxes

Vermicomposting uses compost worms to decompose the organic matter. They eat kitchen scraps, digest them and secrete a nutrient-rich humus you can use for all your indoor and outdoor plants. 

Worm composting is clean, odorless, and faster than hot composting, making it ideal for indoor composting. You can place your compost bins anywhere: kitchen, balcony, basement, garage, and even living room. 

Various worm composters are available online in shops like Amazon, Home Depot, or Walmart. But in most cases, with a bit of time and a short list of tools and materials, you can build one or more at home for less money. 

A two-tier DIY worm bin is the simplest, most effective model to try for your worm farm. It includes:

• A drainage bin at the bottom collects the worm leachate, a nutrient-rich liquid draining from the compost.
• A composting bin at the top where the worms live, eat kitchen scraps, and produce nutrient-rich worm castings.

Tools and materials

• Two plastic bins (storage containers, buckets, etc.)
• One tight lid for the top bin
• Drill
• ¼ drill bit
• Larger bit
• Cooler drain plug. You’ll install this in the drainage bin to collect the worm leachate easily without moving any bin from its place.
• Epoxy adhesive.

Here are a few materials you can use to build your worm bin:

5 Gallon Plastic Bucket with Airtight Lid – Amazon
1″ Shaft Cooler Drain Plug Assembly – Walmart
Gorilla Expoxy 0.85 fl. Oz. – Home Depot

How to build the worm bin

Step 1: In the drainage container’s bottom or lateral wall, close to the bottom edge, drill a hole large enough to fit the cooler drain plug. 

Step 2: Install the plug, seal it with epoxy, and put the bin aside.

Step 3: Use the drill to make holes in the bottom of the second bin (the one without the drain plug). Place them about 1 – 1.5 inches apart. They allow ventilation and the worm leachate to flow into the drainage bin.

Step 4: Add one or two rows of holes around the composting bin’s top edge for airflow. 

Step 5: If the worm bin system is placed indoors, drill ventilation holes into the lid. If you plan to leave it outside, exposed to rain and wind, leave it as it is.

Step 6: Place the composting bin inside the drainage bin (the one with the drain plug) to have at least 2 inches of free space at the bottom. If the composting bin slides too much inside, add a few stones on the bottom to lift it.

Once your bin is built, don’t forget the most important ingredient – the worms!

12. Multi-tier DIY worm compost farm

A multi-tier composting system has one drainage tray and multiple composting trays towered one on the other. When one compost bin fills with worm castings, you add food scraps to the next tray, making the worms migrate. 

They slowly move up to the next composting tray, leaving the castings clean and ready to harvest. You must manually move the worms with a two-tier bin before collecting the compost. With a multi-tier, worms leave the castings by themselves for fresh food. 

Building a multi-tier worm farm is not complicated. You just make more than one composting bin, as detailed above, and place them one inside the other, with the drainage bin on the outside. 

13. In-ground worm composting bins

An excellent way to grow compost worms and enjoy their nutritious castings is to insert a bin directly into the ground in your plant beds. It’s a good method to use in climates with hot summers or cold winters.

Worms need a constant temperature of 55 to 75°F. If you can’t ensure that in a bin, put the bin into the soil. The ground serves as insulation, and worms go deeper into the soil when the temperature is too high or too low.

Tools and materials

• A plastic container with a lid (a utility bucket will work)
• Drill
• ¼ drill bit
• Cutter 
• Shovel

How to build the in-ground  worm bin

Step 1: Cut off the bottom of the bucket.

Step 2: Drill holes around the bucket from the bottom, about ¾ of the way up the walls.

Step 3: Choose a place surrounded by vegetables or trees that can benefit from the worm leachate that will infiltrate the soil. 

Step 4: Dig a hole in the ground to fit the bucket’s diameter. The hole should be ¾ of the bucket’s height.

Step 5: Put the bucket into the soil so about ¼ of it stays above the ground.

The bin is ready! Add worm bedding and spread some water. Put in the worms, close the bucket with the lid, and let the worms accommodate for a few days. Add kitchen waste weekly to feed the worms. Ensure the compost stays moist.

How to mix and layer compost materials in your compost bin

The basic composting recipe requires you to mix carbon-rich materials, also known as browns (hay, shredded paper, twigs, wood pieces, sawdust, dry leaves, etc.), with nitrogen-rich materials, also known as greens (grass clippings, plant cuttings, fruit and vegetable peels, etc.). The mix offers decomposing bacteria the right amount of carbon and nitrogen to leave, multiply and convert waste into compost.

If you’re making cold compost, you only need to ensure you have more browns than greens without worrying about a specific ratio. If you’re hot composting, add 2 to 4 times more brown materials than greens to reach a suitable carbon-to-nitrogen ratio for the aerobic bacteria that decompose your waste. 

Learn more about compost and its ingredients from our guide on the basics of compost.

To build the compost pile:

• Start with a layer of carbon-rich materials to help with compost ventilation.
• Add a layer of nitrogen-rich materials and alternate between the two types of waste until you reach the top.
• Finish with a layer of browns to hide the fresh green waste, which might attract insects and pests otherwise. 
• Place cardboard or a tarp over the pile, if the bin doesn’t have a lid, to protect the compost from rain.

How to install compost worms in a new bin

Preparing a new home for happy worms starts with their bedding. You can use:

• Old compost
• Shredded (ground-up) cardboard, leaves, office paper, paper towels
• Coir (shredded coconut husk fiber)
• Aged manure from any vegetable-eating animal (rabbits, horses, cows, llamas, etc.) if not previously treated with dewormer medicine.

Fill the composting bin with a layer of bedding 5 to 6 inches thick. The bedding should be damp but not wet. If dry, apply some water with a spray bottle. Then add the worms. Put the lid on and let them settle for a few hours.

After a few hours, add some food, meaning kitchen scraps, such as:

• Fruit scraps
• Veggie peels
• Leafy green vegetables
• Cracked eggshells
• Tea bags
• Coffee grounds
• Newspapers
• Cardboard
• Paper
• Egg cartons, pizza boxes, other paper/cardboard containers

Avoid onions, garlic, citrus peels, and foods with a lot of salt, oil, or grease, and also vinegar. Add more food only when most of the leftovers are consumed. You’ll typically feed the worms once a week. 

FAQ about DIY compost bins

Keep your lawn and garden healthy with DIY compost!

Now you have thirteen methods to build a DIY composting bin for your yard. Enjoy the process and the benefits of your “black gold,” and remember you can always contact local lawn and garden experts any time you need help with your turf, flower beds, or vegetable garden. 

Main Photo Credit: ImageInnovation | Canva Pro | License

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