# Can I make a compost bin out of a wheelie bin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 3, 2013, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-make-a-compost-bin-out-of-a-wheelie-bin/651893 "2013-03-03T05:03:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-make-a-compost-bin-out-of-a-wheelie-bin/651893/1 "2013-03-03T05:03:43Z")
I was about to give away my ex-rubbish bin, a hot-pink miniature [wheelie bin.](http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1152&bih=773&q=wheelie+bin&oq=wheelie+bin&gs_l=img.12..0l10.2291.3952.0.5779.11.11.0.0.0.0.200.1224.7j3j1.11.0...0.0...1ac.1.5.img.0OiTb-w7c3Y) when I realised I desperately need a compost bin. Even though I live alone, I make enough organic waste to do a small compost thing…but living in a unit, didn’t want to make a compost ‘heap’ in the backyard. And I don’t believe I make quite enough waste to justify buying one of those over-priced green bins. I was thinking if I could just cut the base out (the bin doesn’t have wheels, despite being a wheelie bin :D) and place it directly onto the soil, would it suffice as a compost bin? Y’see, I feel terribly guilty every time I peel veggies and chuck the stuff straight into the general waste bin. Looking for a bit of ecological absolution here. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-make-a-compost-bin-out-of-a-wheelie-bin/651893/2 "2013-03-03T05:23:17Z")
letting air in is needed. if it would be a garbage can sized container maybe 50 1/2" holes might be about enough. you could either drill holes or cut rectangular slits. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-make-a-compost-bin-out-of-a-wheelie-bin/651893/3 "2013-03-03T05:27:46Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > letting air in is needed. if it would be a garbage can sized container maybe 50 1/2" holes might be about enough. you could either drill holes or cut rectangular slits. Yet the commercial compost bins like [Gedye](http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1152&bih=773&q=gedye+compost+bin&oq=gedye+&gs_l=img.1.0.0i24l9.1766019.1767779.1.1769703.6.6.0.0.0.0.204.882.2j3j1.6.0...0.0...1ac.1.5.img.gguFqlPhwaQ) don’t have holes. Is there something about that shape that lends itself to composting then? ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-make-a-compost-bin-out-of-a-wheelie-bin/651893/4 "2013-03-03T05:37:10Z")
Yeah, you are going to need more air flow than a plastic bin will offer. The other thing to consider is that when a compost pile/bin is working as it should the bacterial action generates a lot of heat. Enough for the compost to catch on fire. I sometimes see my compost pile steaming away in a cool Spring morning and I have turned it over with a garden fork to find carbonized hot spots within. If you try composting in a plastic container like that I would image that rather than usable compost you will end up with some awful, soupy, smelly bucket of barf. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-make-a-compost-bin-out-of-a-wheelie-bin/651893/5 "2013-03-03T13:04:21Z")
I see no reason why you shouldn’t- I know people who keep wormeries in converted wheelie bins, and it seems to work well enough. Is it a reasonably wide one? Tall narrow ones can be a bit too thin to work properly, as they lose heat too fast, and can be a bit unstable (especially the tapered type). I considered using one for the purpose last year, but it’s doing duty as a water butt instead. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-make-a-compost-bin-out-of-a-wheelie-bin/651893/6 "2013-03-03T13:10:17Z")
I think you could do it. You need to figure out how you’re going to turn the compost, which might be a challenge in a tall, narrow container, especially if you cut the bottom out rather than drilling holes, so you probably want the container half-full at most. To avoid the bucket of barf that **Dallas Jones** predicts, you’ll need “browns” (dry material, like dry leaves, straw, pine needles, black-and-white newspaper, etc.) in addition to “greens” (your vegetable peels.) The most effective ratio of green to brown is 2:1. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-make-a-compost-bin-out-of-a-wheelie-bin/651893/7 "2013-03-03T14:27:57Z")
drill holes in the bottom for drainage, put holes in the side for air. then you you can do some turning of the compost by flipping the container. you need to keep it moist but not wet. you may need to spray with water if too dry, you may need to leave the lid off on occasion if you add lots of wet stuff like melons. it shouldn’t stink or be slimey. smelling like a forest after a rain is fine. ---
**Author:** ![Dano83860](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Dano83860](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dano83860)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-make-a-compost-bin-out-of-a-wheelie-bin/651893/8 "2013-03-03T16:13:17Z")
Yea that should work fine. Water tight lid will keep excess moisture out. Cutting the bottom out will make it a snap to turn the pile. If you turn it every four to six weeks it should get plenty of air. I used one at a small house we had in the city. It provided the compost for our small garden. ---
**Author:** ![j\_sum1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-make-a-compost-bin-out-of-a-wheelie-bin/651893/9 "2013-03-04T02:47:38Z")
You will need [one of these](http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRUqdtW0W0vSh13v5ZAA6H9GoHt7x5PrBT-JWCmK4beWsn52XwP). ---
**Author:** ![Aestivalis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Aestivalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aestivalis)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-make-a-compost-bin-out-of-a-wheelie-bin/651893/10 "2013-03-04T04:56:31Z")
There’s some over-thinking going on here. I know you don’t have a round wheelie bin, but you can still draw some inspiration from [here](http://acultivatednest.com/2009/04/how-to-make-compost-tumbler-for-cheap/). Just drill holes in the bin, secure the lid, and roll it on its side every time you want to aerate it. You don’t need a dedicated aerator like in the post above. I myself have a big dedicated square plastic bin, completely open to the ground on the bottom. It doesn’t compost so much as vermipost, as during the warm months the bin is filled with hundreds if not thousands of worms. Since the worms chew through it so fast, I don’t worry so much about keeping the browns/greens balance right or keeping it well aerated. I just run a pitchfork through it occasionally. My only regret is that I don’t have two, so that I can do a full cycle through one bin while I load up the other one.