There’s so much to love about composting. It’s the most eco-friendly way to dispose of your food scraps, making it a favorite among those trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle. You can also use your finished compost to nourish your gardens and house plants. If you don’t know how to make compost, however, the first thing you’ll need is a composter. Not all composters are alike, so it’s important to find one that makes sense for you.
If you don’t know too much about composters, don’t worry. We’re here to help you figure out which type of compost bin works for you, your home, and your lifestyle. Below we’ll list the best kitchen compost bins, outdoor bins, vermicomposting bins, and more. We’ll also discuss:
Table of contents
Before we get into our various recommendations, let’s first define and discuss the many different types of composters. This will help you determine which type is best suited to you.
Common types of composters for home composting
There are several ways to make your own homemade compost. Some composters rely on an aerobic method (with oxygen) while others deprive their compost pile of oxygen. Some composters can be used outdoors while others fit on your kitchen counter. To find the right composter for you, you’ll need to know the most common types and what sets them apart.
Stationary composter: Stationary bins are among the most common composters out there, as they’re very straightforward and user-friendly. With these outdoor bins, all you have to do is open the lid, dump in your food waste, and you’ll have finished compost in a few months.
Tumbler composter: Compost tumblers usually consist of one or two chambers that you can rotate using a handle. This allows you to turn your waste and have oxygen dispersed evenly through the pile with little effort.
Electric composter (Lomi): Unlike most of these composters, the Lomi electric composter can be used inside and fits nicely on your countertop. Lomi uses oxygen, heat, and abrasion to break down your waste in a matter of hours rather than weeks or months.
Worm composter: Worm composters are bins designed for vermicomposting - a composting method that involves using worms to transform waste into usable fertilizer faster. There are both indoor and outdoor worm composters.
Bokashi composter: Bokashi composters are indoor bins that rely on an anaerobic method, meaning without the use of oxygen. Your food scraps are degraded by being deprived of oxygen and exposed to a dry mixture of bokashi bran.
How to choose the right composter + our top picks
So, how do you choose the right composter? You can eliminate a lot of options right off the bat by deciding if you’re going to go with outdoor or indoor composting. This decision is often based on where you live and how much yard space you have. You’ll also need to consider how much food waste you produce. If you create large amounts of waste, you may need something more substantial than a basic indoor bin.
If you live in an apartment, you may be somewhat limited in your selection of outdoor bins. The good news is there are still plenty of indoor composting options at your disposal. You’ll just need to consider whether you’d like an odorless electric composter and whether or not you’re comfortable dealing with worms.
Naturally, those living in homes with backyard space will have more options. This is largely because some composters are simply too large while others need access to the ground. If you live in a home, use this guide to get a better idea of what type of home composter is suited to you.
We have plenty of more detailed composter recommendations listed down below. That being said, here are three excellent composters from each major category that we consider the best of the best.
- The most easy-to-use composter for houses & apartments: Lomi composter
- The best outdoor composter: Vivosun Outdoor Tumbling Composter
- The best worm composter: Essential Living Worm Composter
3 countertop composters to go in your kitchen
If you live in an apartment building, or simply prefer indoor composting, these kitchen composters are for you. Though they vary in how they operate, their efficiency, and their capacity, they’re all conveniently compact and easy to use.
1. Lomi
What sets Lomi apart from the vast majority of composters is that it’s electric. This electric kitchen composter uses oxygen, abrasion, and heat to transform your food scraps into nutrient rich dirt. Simply drop your food waste into Lomi, turn it on, and you’ll have a natural fertilizer for your gardens and house plants.
Part of what makes Lomi so appealing is its compact size. Though it doesn’t have the largest capacity on the market, it’s small enough that it can fit conveniently on your kitchen counter. It’s also odorless, requires no maintenance, and can break down a wide range of Lomi Approved items.
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2. SCD Probiotics All Seasons Indoor Composter
Though not quite as compact as Lomi, the All Seasons Indoor Composter is still a great choice for small spaces. This composter is a bokashi bin, meaning it uses the microbial power of bokashi to activate fermentation and break down your food scraps. It holds 5 gallons of waste and is about the size of your typical indoor trash bin.
One of this composter’s unique features is its strainer and spigot. This allows you to drain liquid from the bin, which helps reduce odors and deter pests. You can then use this liquid as a plant fertilizer or even a drain cleaner.
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3. Bokashi kitchen composter
This indoor bin from Essential Living also relies on the powerful dry mixture of bokashi. It has quite a bit in common with the All Seasons composter, as they’re both compact, use bokashi, and offer a filtration drain and spigot. The only notable differences are in price and size, as this bin is slightly smaller and a bit more expensive than the All Seasons bin.
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4 best tumbling composters for indoor & outdoor composting
Compost tumblers are best suited to the outdoors, as they tend to be quite large. That said, you may be able to fit one of the smaller ones onto a balcony. In any case, here are a few of the best compost tumblers on the market today.
4. Miracle-Gro One-chamber Composter
This tumbler from Miracle-Gro is fantastic for anyone that wants to try this composting method but doesn’t have much yard space. With only enough capacity for 14.5 gallons, this slim tumbler can’t hold a ton of waste. Still, it’s very effective, straight forward, and comes with a good aeration system and stoppers to better control its rotation.
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5. Vivosun Outdoor Tumbling Composter
Need something with a little more capacity for kitchen and yard waste? This tumbler from Vivosun can take tons of kitchen scraps, leaves, weeds, and more. This dual rotating bin comes with sliding doors that makes it easy to drop in your waste. It also has adjustable air vents to ensure that your pile gets the oxygen it needs for the composting process.
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6. FCMP Outdoor Dual Chamber Tumbling Composter
If you want a compost tumbler that allows you to have two separate piles going at once, look no further than the FCMP Outdoor Dual Chamber Composter. This tumbler is on the smaller side, but its dual chambers can help you produce finished compost faster. It offers good aeration and is easy to use, though its color may clash with your other outdoor decor.
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7. Jora Composter Tumbler JK270
The most notable feature of this tumbler is its size, as it can hold 71 gallons of kitchen scraps and yard waste. This huge Jora composter boasts several others qualities, including its dual chambers and fully-enclosed design. The latter feature is great for preventing odors and keeping out pests. If you live in a household that produces large amounts of waste, this tumbler is definitely worth considering.
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Top 3 worm composters for vermicomposting
As mentioned above, vermicomposting is a composting method in which worms are used to break down food and yard waste. Worms can effectively break down everything from grass clippings to banana peels, making them an excellent addition to any pile. If you want them to thrive, however, you’ll need one of these specialty worm bins.
8. The Squirm Firm Worm Factory 360
Unlike some compost bins, this composter is designed to help worms thrive. Each one comes with 4 trays for your organic waste. The Squirm Worm Factory also comes with a kit of accessories to help you maintain your new bin, including a scraper, hand rake, and thermometer.
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9. Essential Living Worm Composter
Create your own compost with ease using the Essential Living Worm Composter. This compact bin is designed with worms in mind. That’s why there’s a moisture control water retention channel, which you can use to create worm tea. There’s also 52 migration tunnels that allow the worms to easily migrate between the trays.
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10. Urban Worm Bag
What sets this device apart from other worm bins is that it’s really not much of a bin at all. With the Urban Worm Bag, you can insert your food waste and other organic materials into a large suspended bag. You then seal the top of the bag and let the worms do their job. The Urban Worm Bag comes with a fully removable bottom so you can easily collect your finished compost afterwards.
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3 outdoor composters that make garden composting easy
If you have the yard space, an outdoor composter is a great choice. What sets them apart from most composters is their massive capacity. Though these bins take longer to produce finished compost, they’re relatively low maintenance and can take significant amounts of food waste.
11. GEOBIN Composter
If you’re interested in composting for beginners, this GEOBIN Composter is a solid choice. Designed to retain moisture and heat, this composter can easily break down all of your food waste and garden waste (not pet waste or human waste). All you have to do is throw out your scraps and let nature do the rest. It also blows most compost bins out of the water with its massive capacity of 216 gallons.
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12. D.F. Omer Garden Composter
The D.F. Omer Garden Composter is a reliable choice if you opt for an outdoor bin. It’s made from recycled BPA-free plastic and has doors that allow you to insert waste in the top or bottom of the bin. It’s not the cheapest and doesn’t have the highest capacity, but it’s a well made bin that you can count on to create usable compost year-round.
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13. EJWOX Garden Compost Bin
The EJWOX Garden Compost Bin is similar to the D.F. Omer Bin in that it has doors that allow you to insert waste anywhere in the pile. It’s easy to assemble and offers a decent capacity of 80 gallons. One of its standout features, however, is its four air vents on each side of the bin. This helps improve the air circulation within the bin, which can speed up the decomposition process.
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Now you have all the information you need to select the right composter for you, your family, your home, and your lifestyle. Whether you opt for an efficient electric composter like Lomi or a bulky compost tumbler, you can rest assured that you’re buying the best of the best. Not sure how to use Lomi or any of the other composters mentioned above? Check out this helpful guide on how to use different composters. You’ll be making your own compost in no time!
Written by: E Sawden