When most people think of compost bins, they think of a pile of garbage fenced in with chicken wire or the large plastic (typically quite expensive) bins that are available at your local hardware store. While I admit the plastic bins definitely have the advantage in aesthetic looks, they don’t really work any better. With a few inexpensive items, items that you may already have lying unused around your home, you can create a range of compost bins. Composting can be successfully done in a variety of sizes and shapes; the only thing that dictates how you compost is how much space you are willing to allot to this effort.

Composting can be done under your sink or even on your counter if you live in an urban area with little to no extra space. If you have a little extra space, you can use a couple of plastic storage bins to compost up to 30 gallons at a time. Below are a few options that I have used for small space composting and all of these were done free with items I had at home.