11 best compost bins UK 2023, including hot compost bins

WITH eco issues such as climate change, pollution and sustainability high on the agenda, we’re all becoming more environmentally aware, which for many of us means recycling and – if we have a garden – composting.

But what is the best compost bin to buy and is there even a difference between the various models?

At a basic level, you could just have a compost heap at the bottom of the garden, but these can be smelly and if you have a small garden you may not have space for one. With a compost bin you make sure any smells stay inside the bin.

Different sized bins suit different sized spaces – larger bins will obviously generate more compost if you have a large garden, but even if your outdoor space is minimal, you can find a compost bin to suit.

You can add to your compost bin year-round and it’s an ideal way to get rid of garden and kitchen waste, rather than putting it out with your rubbish.

For those of us who care about our impact on our planet, composting offers an opportunity for real recycling using nature – taking waste and turning it into fertiliser that improves the quality of the soil, so enabling us to grow fruit and veg, the waste from which is then composted before again returning to the soil. A true circle.

If you’re a beginner composter then the Royal Horticultural Society has a on their website that tells you all you need to know.

For our part, we’ve rounded up 11 of the best compost bins available for you to buy, no matter what the size of your garden.

Best compost bins at a glance:

• Best hot compost bin:
• Best recycled compost bin:
• Best value compost bin:
• Best compost bin for small gardens:
• Best self-aerating compost bin:
• Best eco compost bin:

Johanna Hot Composter

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• Johanna Hot Composter, £144.95 from Original Organics –

Great for composting kitchen waste and it’s a suitable bin for beginners, according to the website. Mix two parts food waste – including dairy, bones, fish and meat – with one part garden waste for ready-to-use compost in four to six months.

Holes in the base allow access to worms and insects, while the twist lid lets in air and allows you to adjust the ventilation inside. Temperatures inside reach 65° creating optimal conditions for micro-organisms to do their work. Optional accelerator powder adds useful bacteria to the mix giving your composting a bit of a boost.

There’s also an optional winter jacket to insulate your composter during the coldest days of the year, keeping temperatures inside toasty and warm.

Capacity: 330L.

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Thermo-King 900-Litre Thermal Compost Bin

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• Thermo-King 900L compost bin, £135.99 from Primrose.co.uk -

If you need something large for your garden, then opt for the Thermo-King compost bin, a 900-litre bin that will eat up just about everything.

It has two large hatches on top so you can easily pour your garden or kitchen waste in, and you can regulate the air circulation inside in summer and protect against the wind in winter.

The easy-lock system means no tools are needed to build it, with two access panels making it easy to load and unload. It's ideal for big gardens.

It's made from 100% recycled material, and its dimensions are optimal for fast composting.

Capacity: 900L.

Blackwall 220L Recycled Plastic Compost Bin

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• Blackwall 220L compost bin, from £49.99 at Even Greener –

The Blackwall is a popular and affordable option with millions sold in Britain. It's even been voted Best Budget Buy in Gardeners' World Magazine — you're in good hands with this compost bin!

Solid and sturdy, it's made from recycled plastic and has a lid on top to remove for easy filling, as well as an extra-large access hatch, so it's simple to collect your finished compost.

The bin holds in the heat and moisture for fast composting. It also comes in two sizes – 220 litres and 330 litres – so you can choose the best size for your garden and your lifestyle.

A compost bin that’s both cheap and reliable — what's not to like?

Capacity: 220 litres and 330 litres.

4smile Thermo Garden Compost Bin

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• 4smile garden composter, £34.47 from Amazon -

Ranked a number-one bestseller among garden compost bins on Amazon, this two-tier composter will transform your waste in just six months.

The anthracite bin is weatherproof and has an ample 300-litre capacity for waste. The stable hinged lid lets you fill the compost bin easily from above. It's suitable for a variety of waste including fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee and tea grounds, crushed egg shells, grass cuttings, dried leaves or herbs, leaves and shrub cuttings.

A favourite among users and experts, it clicks together without the need for any tools, with the sliding drawer giving you instant access to your fertiliser.

Capacity: 300L.

Hotbin Compost Bin

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• Hotbin composter, £279.99 from eBay -

The award-winning Hotbin wowed experts with the quality of its compost – and how fast it produces it.

As you might expect from its name, the Hotbin hot composts. It breaks down kitchen and garden waste to create rich compost in just 30 – 90  days and there’s no need to turn over the contents either.

You can add all kitchen waste to the bin, including cooked and raw food – the airtight lid and bio filter ensures there’s no nasty odours escaping into the air.

Its super thick 50mm walls keep the compost warm and dry, with an internal thermometer allowing you to keep track of temperature for optimum operation.

The Hotbin is self-contained with a base, and is perfect for small and medium gardens.

Capacity: 200L.

Utopia Kitchen Stainless Steel Compost Bin 

• Utopia Kitchen stainless steel compost bin, £39.38 from Amazon -

This compost bin is perfect if you’re looking for something a little bit stylish for your kitchen worktop.

Collect your fruit and vegetable peelings, tea bags and egg shells over the course of the week before emptying to your garden compost bin.

Made from stainless steel so it won’t rust from all the kitchen waste you put into it, the bin holds five litres. The built-in charcoal filter in the lid stops odours escaping so you can add to the bin until it’s full, with no need to empty the scraps after each meal.

Wash with warm soapy water – the charcoal filter can be washed too and will last around six months.

Capacity: 5L.

OXO Good Grips Easy Clean Compost Bin

• OXO Good Grips easy clean compost bin, £27.04 from Amazon -

Busy cooks will love this compost bin, as it stands on the worktop and can be kept close at hand during food prep.

It’s lightweight and has a generous 6.6L capacity, so is the perfect size for storing food scraps until you get round to transferring them into the bigger compost bin in the garden. The lid is removable too for easier emptying.

The soft close lid allows air to flow through, but it stops food smells escaping, keeping your kitchen odour-free.

Use with or without a liner – the smooth plastic construction makes the bin easy to clean even without an inner bag. Available in white or grey to suit any kitchen colour scheme.

Capacity: 6.6L.

Toomax 260L Plastic Garden Compost Bin

• Toomax 260L Plastic Garden Composter, £35 from Argos -

This garden composter is made from recycled polypropylene, providing year-round durability. Flip up the lid on top to add garden and kitchen waste, and access rich compost through the hatch at the bottom.

Ventilation holes allow air through and help with the composting process, while the lid keeps water out. It’s ideal for small to medium gardens – it stands 73cm tall – and it doesn’t need a base, just stand it on soil or grass.

The bin is supplied flat packed, but is relatively simple to put together, with assembly taking just a few minutes, according to the supplier.

Capacity: 260L.

Lacewing Large 893 Litres Outdoor Wooden Compost Bin

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• Lacewing Large 893 Litres Outdoor Wooden Compost Bin, £64.99 from Amazon -

For those who prefer a natural look to their garden or allotment, this wooden compost bin looks great and is just the ticket.

The slatted design allows ample airflow to the contents, while at the same time letting insects and beetles in. Although the bin has no lid, covers are available – such as this which has an adjustable fastening. As well as keeping rain out, it keeps heat in, so speeding up the composting process.

The bin comes flat-packed and the wooden pieces simply slot together. The wood has been pressure treated and is guaranteed against rot for 15 years.

Capacity: 893L.

VonHaus 480L Plastic Compost Bin For Garden

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• VonHaus Compost Bin For Garden 480L, £52.99 from Amazon -

This recycled plastic compost bin is resistant to frost and sunlight, and you can peg it into the ground so the wind doesn’t blow it around.

Add kitchen and garden waste through the lift-up lid on the top, and collect rich compost through the two hatches at the base.

Ingeniously, rainwater collects in the lid and drips down into the compost, keeping it moist, while the slatted design allows air to get to the contents of the bin, helping with the composting process.

Easy to assemble. Position it on grass or soil for the best results. The bin comes with a two-year manufacturer warranty.

Capacity: 480L.

Dripex Dual Chamber Tumbling Garden Compost Bin

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• Dripex Dual Chamber Tumbling Garden Bin Composter, £67.99 from Amazon -

If you don't want to dig through piles of waste, this rotating compost bin will make you very happy.

Simply turn the bin 5-6 times every few days and the contents will be evenly mixed without you having to put your hands in there and do it manually.

The two chambers mean you can have two lots of compost on the go at different stages of decomposition, replenishing each as required, creating a constant supply for your garden. Simply slide open the door to add garden or food waste.

Vents allow air in, but the sliding doors will stop rats or mice from getting at the contents.

Capacity: 160L.

What is composting?

When organic waste such as leaves and food scraps are naturally recycled, it turns into fertiliser that can feed soil and plants. This process is called composting.

A compost bin helps speed up this process by providing an ideal environment with the right amount of light and heat for nature to do its job.

How to choose the best compost bin

Size is the main consideration when choosing a compost bin.

If you have lots of grass clippings or garden waste, you’ll need a bigger bin. Plastic or hot box ones are the best options for this.

You should look for ease of access to the finished compost and check how easy it is to aerate if you want to speed up the process by turning the contents.

Those who live in small flats or homes without gardens might prefer a wormery or kitchen composter if they don’t like bugs.

Types of compost bins

You can buy four main types of compost bin.

The most popular and widely available are the plastic ones. They help keep out light to stop weeds growing and keep in heat and moisture to speed up the composting process.

Hot compost bins are a little more expensive, and they are better insulated to reduce the time needed for composting from six months down to three months or as little as 30 days.

Wormeries are great for composting kitchen waste, and as the name suggests, they use worms for the process. However, you may still need a separate composter as worms can’t process all organic waste.

Finally, there are kitchen composters, which are usually small caddies you use to store kitchen waste and then transfer to larger composters.

You can also get high-end kitchen composters that process food waste with the help of bacteria to produce compost right on your worktop.

How does a compost bin work and what can you put in it?

A compost bin basically allows organic waste to pile up and decompose with the help of bacteria, worms and insects.

Most organic waste can go in, including vegetable trimmings, grass clippings, tree leaves and even shredded paper and cardboard boxes.

Some compost bins are designed to take cooked and raw food, such as meat and fish, as well as fruit and vegetables, but double check the product description before buying. If not specifically designed for this kind of waste you could attract pests and end up with a bad smell in the garden! Ideally you’ll want a good mixture of different ingredients, and you'll need to aerate the contents of your compost bin, to help speed up the composting process.

You should also avoid composting weeds or diseased plants as you could end up spreading them around your garden when you come to add your compost to the soil.

How does a hot compost bin work?

A hot compost bin creates compost aerobically – using oxygen. They generate their own heat and don’t require electricity to function.

Whereas with cold composting you simply leave nature to get on with the decomposition process, with hot composting you have more of an input. Hot composting requires you to regularly turn or mix the contents of your bin (aerating it and increasing the oxygen), make sure the temperature stays at an optimal level, check the moisture content and add water when necessary (it mustn’t be too dry), and balance your input of garden and food waste.

With a hot compost bin you can add food waste you wouldn’t add if cold composting, namely meat, fish, dairy, other cooked food and bones. You can also add weeds as the heat inside the bin destroys the seeds so you won’t spread them around your garden when you use the compost.

Micro-organisms in the waste  break it down, resulting in rich compost, which is perfect for the soil. There are even accelerators available for hot compost bins that add in bacteria to power-start the composting process.

How much do compost bins cost?

Compost bins are available at a variety of price points. The garden composters in our round up range from under £35 up to around £280, but there are cheaper and more expensive composters on the market. Kitchen composters start at a few pounds for basic versions where you simply store scraps before adding them to your garden composter, up to hundreds of pounds for products such as the .

Where to buy compost bins in the UK?

You can buy compost bins from a variety of retailers, both online and on the high street. We found our bins at:

But also check out: