Best Compost Bins Under $30 for Your Countertop
It's a simple solution to a more sustainable kitchen.
Chef'n/Amazon
Fact or myth: Collecting food waste for composting means keeping a big, ugly, stinky bin on your kitchen countertop? Myth!
In fact, making your kitchen more eco-friendly (without sacrificing style) is easier than you think. Here are the basics: As a general rule, include fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and tea bags, nut shells and non-greasy food scraps like rice or bread in your bin. Steer clear of meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products and you won’t have any pests or odors. If you have your own system for recycling organic waste, the food scraps you collect in your countertop bin can be added to your outdoor pile or tumbler. You'll be able to use that compost in your garden later on. It gives plants all the nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong. If you're not into DIY, check with local farms or your nearest greenmarket — many accept food scraps for their own compost programs — which means you can simply drop yours off when you’re out running errands. Here are some affordable finds for a compost bin.
* This story was originally published April 10, 2019 and has been updated with new products chosen by our editors. *
This bin has a 5-star rating and more than 6,000 reviews on Amazon. Fans love it for the natural charcoal filter which protects your kitchen from the odors that many composters tend to produce.
For the composting newbie, this budget buy from OXO is a great deal. With a 12-cup capacity it's large enough to hold all your scraps for a day or two before you'll need to empty it.
For less than $30, you can get this super-adorable compost bin that reminds you why this waste is all worth it in the first place. With a 4.5-star rating on Amazon and more than 600 reviews, we have a feeling this bin goes beyond just good looks and actually works. "These are unobtrusive (actually kind of cute) and there is NO smell," says one Amazon reviewer.
If you're not into countertop composting, these compostable trash bags are an affordable place to start. Use one of these in place of your usual small trash bag (they're only 3 gallons). Or you can use one to store your food scraps separately from the rest of your trash for composting later.
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