By now most people are familiar with home composting systems, but which one is best? In this article we’ll look at what’s available in different composting categories, highlighting the top recommendation for each.
Top choices for 2019 at a glance
Best urban composter
Green Cone Solar Waste Digester
“It is absolutely amazing how many food scraps this cone can break down!”
Best countertop model
Food Cycler
“It has been a great addition for my garden but even if you don’t have somewhere to put the compost, it will reduce the amount of waste significantly!”
Best compost bin for your garden
Aerobin 400 Insulated Composter
“Whoever designed this knew what they were doing. This is the best composter I’ve seen.”
Best compost tumbler
Jora JK 270
“…this is the best composter that we have ever had, and we have had quite a few different models and configurations.”
Best large capacity composter
Jora JK 400
“Very happy with this unit, and saving to buy a second one.”
Best apartment composter
Worm Factory 360
“The compost made is amazing!!”
Best small-batch compost bin
EZ Compost Wizard Junior
“It is easy to turn, does not need assembly and seems to be the perfect answer for urban composting.”
Getting started
Composting your food waste is one of the easiest ways to tackle climate change at home. In addition to diverting unnecessary trash from the landfill, making compost prevents the build-up of greenhouse gasses. It also creates low-cost, nutrient-rich garden fertilizer.
But where should you start when you want to buy a home compost system? Begin by asking yourself a few questions:
- How much food waste do you generate each week? This will help determine what size composter you need. Check the capacity of various models to find the one that fits.
- How quickly do you want to process your waste? This will help determine what style of composter fits your home and lifestyle. In general, tumblers process waste faster than stationary bins.
- Do you have outdoor space for a composter? If you don’t, you can still compost using countertop or worm-based models.
- Do you have a garden that needs compost? If not, you can still reduce your food waste to virtually nothing with a solar waste digester.
Things to look for in a compost bin
Whatever the size of your yard or family, there are important things to watch for when purchasing a composter. These are the criteria that go into making a composter the best it can be.
- Vermin proof: Make sure your composter comes with a lid that locks into place.
- Durable: Long lasting materials will ensure your composter gives you years of service.
- Easy slide door: Struggling with a sticky door makes compost harvesting a chore.
- Insulated chamber: If you live in cold climates, you’ll need this to keep your compost working through the winter.
- The right capacity: Buying something too small will sabotage your efforts.
- Food safe plastic: If you plan to spread compost on your garden, look for designs that won’t leach plastic into your homegrown fertilizer.
Types of Compost Bins
Like almost any product on the market, composters fall into categories designed to meet the different needs of consumers. You can now buy worm composters, compost tumblers, stationary composting bins, and food waste digesters. The one you ultimately choose will depend on where you live, the size of your family, and how much you want to spend.
Worm composting models use nature’s soil makers—earthworms—to break down organic matter. They’re great for indoor use thanks to their size and portability, but they don’t compost meat, dairy, citrus, and handful of other food waste items. Read Worm Composting Basics for Beginners.
Compost tumblers are excellent for quick composting and larger volumes. Their handy design makes turning your compost a cinch. Compost tumblers are also impermeable to vermin and other pests thanks to their sealed chambers and (often) elevated designs. For more information, read our guide to compost tumblers.
Stationary compost bins are probably the most common design thanks to their simple operation and affordability. They can be a little more work to turn, but you can make them yourself from scrap material or buy one of many excellent models. Like worm bins they don’t usually accept meat and dairy. Citrus and avocado pits can take longer to compost.
Food waste digesters break down almost anything—including meat, bones, pits, starches, and more—usually through heat or agitation. These now come in countertop models for apartment-style composting.
Best Compost Bins and Tumblers Comparison
For at-a-glance information, these comparison tables provide key information about the different composters reviewed in depth below. Scan for details about material, size, capacity, cost, and important features.
Best Composters Comparison Chart
| Composter | Type | Capacity | Key Features | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Cone | Digester | 3.5 cubic ft | Reduces meat, dairy, cooked and uncooked food to water and CO2. | ++ |
| Food Cycler | Digester | 3 lbs./1.5kg | Digests food in 3-6 hours. | +++ |
| Aerobin 400 | Compost bin | 15 cubic ft | Insulated and aerated. | ++++ |
| Jora JK 270 | Tumbler | 9.5 cubic ft | Dual chamber, insulated, steel hardware. | ++++ |
| Jora JK 400 | Tumbler | 14.2 cubic ft | Dual chamber, insulated, steel hardware. | +++++ |
| Worm 360 | Worm bin | 2.85 cubic ft | Multiple chambers, worm tea spigot. | + |
| EZ Wizard | Tumbler | 7 cubic ft | Easy to turn, animal resistant. | + |
Composter Reviews: Best Bins on the Market in 2019
Beneath you’ll find the top composters available in a variety of categories. These compost reviews provide in-depth descriptions for each model, along with information about features, size, capacity, cost, and material. Each listing has a review from certified customers.
Best urban composter
Green Cone Solar Waste Digester
If you think you’re too busy to compost, this is the model for you. The Green Cone digests food waste of all kinds, reducing your meat, dairy, cooked and uncooked food to water and carbon dioxide. In fact, 90% of those scraps get absorbed into the soil as water (through the bottom of the Green Cone), so you never see them again. That’s why the Green Cone is best for non-gardeners who are looking for a simple food waste digester: this model doesn’t produce compost for your garden. It leaves virtually nothing behind as it works. Talk about efficient!
Size: 23″ L x 17″ W x 28″ H
Capacity: 3.5 cubic feet (25 gallons)
Material: 100% Recycled plastic and UV stabilized polyethylene exterior
Best Features: Reduces waste to zilch without turning or odors.
Review: Great device!
“This is our second green cone – we are a household of 7 and felt we needed a little more capacity. It is absolutely amazing how many food scraps this cone can break down! There is almost no smell and it is very easy to use. We occasionally have critters dig around the outside, but they’ve never gotten into it.” –Amber V.
Best countertop composter
Food Cycler Food Waste Recycler
This countertop food waste digester transforms your food waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer in as little as three hours. Resembling a bread machine, the Food Cycler grinds and dehydrates everything from fruit and vegetable scraps to chicken bones, meat, avocado pits, and cooked leftovers. After a complete cycle, the resulting material is odorless and dry, making it the perfect (and free!) organic fertilizer to dig into your garden beds.
Size: 12.5″ L x 11″ W x 14″ H
Capacity: 3 lbs. or 1.4 kg of food scraps
Material: Cast-iron bucket nested inside plastic and metal casing
Best Features: Digests your food in as little as three hours!
Review: Must have for any kitchen!
“I love my Food Cycler! It has been a great addition for my garden but even if you don’t have somewhere to put the compost, it will reduce the amount of waste significantly! It also eliminates your compost getting smelly and slimy when before it’s time to take it out.”
–Ashley B.
Best composter for your garden
Aerobin 400 Insulated Composter
Owners of the Aerobin composter love this model because of its size and effectiveness. The double-walled, insulated design keeps the internal temperature of composting material warm enough to break down quickly. A vertical aeration tube further speeds up decomposition and prevents you from having to turn the pile. The bin is also large enough to accommodate yard and garden waste, making it the perfect choice for plant scraps.
Size: 29″ x 29″ x 47″
Capacity: 15 cubic feet (133 gallons)
Material: 80% Polypropylene, 20% HDPE. Polystyrene insulation.
Best Features: Insulated and aerated, with a solid bottom to lock out pests.
Review: BIG and no need to turn anything…easy!
“We chose this composter over the tumbler models because we have a pretty large yard and a 500 square foot vegetable garden, and this can handle all the materials we have to compost. The full width lid makes it easy to add plant skeletons from the garden and large clippings from the shrubs. Easy to dump in. The volume is BIG. We don’t need the second bin we used to use. There is no turning the compost or spinning a drum. The tumbler composters are hard to rotate when they get full. With this composter there is no need to turn it…Whoever designed this knew what they were doing. This is the best composter I’ve seen.” –Vic C.
Best compost tumbler
Jora JK 270
This continuous-use composter is an all-time favorite and the same composter used by our founder for over a decade. Its dual-chamber design means that you can keep adding to one chamber while the other works its magic making compost. The insulated lining extends your composting season well into the winter, even in the coldest climates. It also helps your food waste compost faster—without unpleasant odors. An elevated design discourages pests and vermin, while the high-quality hardware resists rust. Compost both raw and cooked food scraps, including meat, eggshells, bread, and all fruits and vegetables.
Size: 44.5″ L x 28″ W x 50″ H
Capacity: 9.5 cubic feet (71 gallons)
Material: Rust-resistant galvanized steel
Best Features: Insulated and elevated, with stainless steel hardware that lasts.
Review: A very excellent composter!
“My wife and I assembled this composter in less than an hour…It can be said that this is the best composter that we have ever had, and we have had quite a few different models and configurations. We are really impressed with this Jora 270, and even though it was a bit more expensive than some of the other composters, it was definitely worth it, and we recommend it, especially to those who live in colder climates.” –James M.
Best large capacity composter
Jora JK 400 Compost Tumbler
Jora composters consistently receive top reviews wherever they’re sold. Their solid, rust-resistant construction and durable materials makes them some of the longest lasting composters around. Plus, they heat up quicker and stay warm longer thanks to their insulated chambers that keep working well into the winter. This version of the classic Jora tumbler features two hard-working chambers so you can keep adding material while composting your chosen side. It’s high capacity means it is suitable for large households, schools, restaurants, and shared gardens.
Size: 55″ L x 32″ W x 53″ H
Capacity: 14.2 Cubic Feet (106 Gallons)
Material: Powder coated steel.
Best Features: Insulated dual chambers, pest resistant design, and quick turnaround time.
Review:
“If you are considering getting a dinky bunch of plastic jobs, because they will total more cubic feet holding capacity, don’t…This JK400 will be done and emptied, with the contents out of your way, many weeks before the dinky plastics will even be giving you rough ‘mulch’. Not to mention, half through with the next run through of mass. This composter is also easier to turn and empty than the usual plastic versions. They are lower to the ground, sometimes even on the ground, with usually just one wide opening. Both sides of the JK400 are unloaded, and refilled, in less time than I can unload one single plastic tumbler…Very happy with this unit, and saving to buy a second one.” –Suzanne G.
Best apartment composter
Worm Factory 360 When working at capacity, the worms will consume about 5-8 pounds of waste every week. The unique design allows you to add further trays to expand capacity as needed (up to 7 trays).
Size: 18″ L x 18″ W x 24″ H
Capacity: 2.85 cubic feet with 4 trays
Material: Post consumer recycled plastic
Best Features: Odorless operation, minimal maintenance, and a ‘worm tea’ spigot for collecting worm castings for your plants or garden.
Review: Great!
“The compost made is amazing!! Just remember to keep the greens/browns balanced like the instructions say and it’s quite easy. It took only moments to setup and the worms are happy and healthy.” –Jgg.
For more information, read How to Compost in an Apartment.
Best small-batch composter
EZ Compost Wizard Junior
This low-maintenance compost tumbler is perfect for small yards and households of one or two people producing mainly kitchen waste. It’s FDA approved for contact with edibles, so you can spread the finished compost on your garden without worrying about adding plastic toxins to your soil. Aeration holes on either end provide ample air flow to speed decomposition and reduce odors. The small wheels mounted on its base makes tumbling this model a breeze. Turn it once a week and you’ll see compost in as little as 14 days.
Size: 30″ L x 22″ W x 23″ H
Capacity: 7 cubic feet (45 gallons)
Material: BPA-free, 100% Recycled Polyethylene Plastic
Best Features: Fully enclosed, animal resistant, easy to turn.
Review: EarthEasy EZ Compost Wizard Jr. Composter
“This composter is small enough to fit anywhere. It is big enough for a two-person household. It is easy to turn, does not need assembly and seems to be the perfect answer for urban composting.”
–Nancy C.
More thoughts on composting
With so many designs to choose from, it’s comforting to know that you can reduce food waste at home while creating compost for your garden. Keeping scraps out of the landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are a few of the reasons to start composting. Creating nutrient-rich fertilizer is another great reason.
View Eartheasy’s full line of durable, easy-to-use composters.
To learn more about composting, visit our articles below.
Composting: A Complete Eartheasy Guide
Compost Tumblers vs. Compost Bins: Pros and Cons
Tips for Winter Composting
The Best Compost Tea Recipe to Help Your Plants Thrive
7 Signs Your Compost is Struggling (and What You Can Do About It)
How to Compost in the Desert
How to Build a Compost Bin
Who’s At Work in Your Compost Pile?
How to Fix a Soggy Compost Pile
