Home & Garden Garden The 8 Best Outdoor Compost Tumblers and Bins of 2023 Turn waste into garden soil with the EJWXO Compost Bin, our top choice. By Stacy Tornio Stacy Tornio Writer University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee University of Oklahoma Stacy Tornio has authored more than 15 books about animals, nature, and gardening. She is a master gardener and master naturalist. Learn about our editorial process Updated August 9, 2022 Fact checked by Elizabeth MacLennan Fact checked by Elizabeth MacLennan University of Tennessee Elizabeth MacLennan is a fact checker and expert on climate change. Learn about our fact checking process Share Twitter Pinterest Email Home & Garden Planting Guides Indoor Gardening Urban Farms Insects We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Treehugger / Chloe Jeong Composting is one of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint right at home. By collecting your excess veggie scraps, coffee grounds, and eggshells to compost, you can immediately decrease the amount of garbage you generate. With the right outdoor composter, you can turn this so-called waste into rich, organic garden soil. You’ll want to select a backyard composter that is easy to set up, can withstand the outdoor elements, and will pretty much do the work for you. Of course, you can just build your own. However, if you want a bin you can just fill and forget, there are a lot of different options. Here are the best outdoor compost tumblers and bins that will help you reduce your overall waste and get great garden soil at the same time. The Rundown Best Overall: EJWOX 43 Gallon Dual-Chamber Compost Bin Tumbler Outdoor at Walmart Jump to Review Best Budget: Miracle-Gro Tumbling Composter - 18.5 Gallons at Walmart Jump to Review Best Low-Maintenance: GEOBIN 246 Gal. Compost Bin at Amazon Jump to Review Best Dual-Chamber: FCMP Outdoor HOTFROG Dual Body Tumbling Composter at Walmart Jump to Review Best Tumbler: RSI 2-Stage Composter at Walmart Jump to Review Best Worm Composting: Maze 4 Gal. Worm Farm Composter at Amazon Jump to Review Best Large Capacity: Graf 160-Gallon Stationary Composter at Home Depot Jump to Review Best Solar: Green Cone Solar Waste Digester at Greenconeusa.com Jump to Review Best Overall EJWOX 43 Gallon Dual-Chamber Compost Bin Tumbler Outdoor 5 Walmart View On Walmart View On Amazon Capacity: 43 gallons | Dimensions: 28.5 x 26 x 37 inches | Material: Polypropylene and alloy steel You can find a lot of backyard composters in this basic style, so make sure you’re buying a quality product. This EJWOX model is big (capacity of 43 gallons), easy to use, and has great features like dual chambers and an aeration system. Plus, it won’t break the bank. It’s among the most highly rated and cost-effective composters on the market. The sturdy steel frame will help prevent rust and deterioration over time, while the tumbler will help you keep a regular and even rotation. The bin is high enough to store a cart underneath, and the doors slide back and forth for easy access. For tumblers like this, you’ll want to keep the bin turning a couple of times a day, so whenever you go outside with waste, give it a roll. This design comes in all black or you can add a little bit of color with green or yellow doors. Price at time of publish: $96 The 7 Best Countertop Compost Bins of 2023 Best Budget Miracle-Gro Tumbling Composter - 18.5 Gallons Amazon View On Walmart View On Amazon View On Michaels Capacity: 18.5 gallons | Dimensions: 18.1 x 23.6 x 33.1 inches | Material: Recycled plastic and stainless steel The Miracle-Gro line of composters comes in an array of sizes, and they all work well. This small, single-chamber bin (18.5 gallons) is perfect for anyone who is on a budget, has limited space, or just doesn’t need a large-capacity design. It’s slim, so you can easily wedge it between other items on your patio or garden. It’s made from recycled plastic, which is toxin-free, and you can rotate it just like you would bigger bins of similar designs. During hot weather, you can expect waste-to-soil results that you can then use in your garden in just four to six weeks. Price at time of publish: $75 Best Low-Maintenance GEOBIN 246 Gal. Compost Bin Amazon View On Amazon View On Home Depot Capacity: 216 gallons | Dimensions: 36.5 x 5 x 5 inches | Material: 50% recycled plastic content Big, low-maintenance, and as inexpensive as possible, you really can’t find a better value if you’re tackling a lot of waste. Made of 50 percent recycled plastic content, you can expand this GEOBIN composter up to 4 feet, which means you can hold more than 200 gallons of waste. Because of the design, it naturally has great ventilation. If you have a large yard, set it up and pile up your leaves, old plants, and even kitchen scraps. As the materials decompose, you’ll be creating a nutrient-rich area for a future growing area. Then easily take it down and assemble in a new area to keep the cycle going. Price at time of publish: $36 Best Dual-Chamber FCMP Outdoor HOTFROG Dual Body Tumbling Composter Amazon View On Walmart View On Amazon View On Home Depot Capacity: 37 gallons | Dimensions: 30 x 28 x 36 inches | Material: Recycled polyethylene Several composters have dual load options these days. It’s a design that works well and gives fast results. The chambers are completely separated; not only can you have two different batches going at the same time, but you can also keep them on separate spinning cycles. Together, the chambers are about 37 gallons, giving you 5 cubic feet of finished soil when full. The composter itself is made of recycled plastic and is BPA-free. This really is a good composter for beginners because you don’t have to worry about aeration. You pretty much add materials, give it a spin, and the composter does the rest. Price at time of publish: $158 The 8 Best Eco-Friendly Reusable Grocery Bags of 2023 Best Tumbler RSI 65 Gal. 2-Stage Composter Tumbler Amazon View On Walmart View On Amazon View On Wayfair Capacity: 65 gallons | Dimensions: 30 x 41.3 x 44.5 inches | Material: Zinc coated metal frame, UV protected plastic body The MAZE heavy-duty composter has a sturdy handle, so you’ll never have a problem keeping your waste rotated. The doors are nice and big for loading and unloading, and it’s high off the ground so you can easily put a bin or cart (sold separately) underneath to gather your newly composted organic soil. This tumbler allows you to have one giant bin with a large capacity (one of the largest in the tumbler category), or it also comes with a divider so you can have two compost piles going at once. It has adjustable air vents and is resistant to rodents, so you can feel confident it will hold up over weather and time. Price at time of publish: $281 Best Worm Composting Maze 4 Gal. Worm Farm Composter Amazon View On Amazon View On Wayfair Capacity: 4 gallons | Dimensions: 15 x 15 x 11 inches | Material: Recycled plastic Start vermicomposting and let the worms do the work for you. Made from recycled materials, this is one of the most stylish designs you can find. You’ll be able to have a little worm farm just about anywhere, including your patio or balcony because it’s only 15 inches wide. You can find larger worm composters on the market, but this is great for when you’re just getting started. As a bonus, you can easily move it indoors in the winter when temperatures get too cold for the worms. The company is dedicated to developing innovative products, increasing environmental awareness, and fostering a sense of community. Price at time of publish: $125 The 6 Best Worm Composting Bins of 2023 Best Large Capacity Graf 160-Gallon Stationary Composter The Home Depot View On Home Depot Capacity: 160 gallons | Dimensions: 31.5 x 31.5 x 39.5 inches | Material: Recycled plastic This 160-gallon compost bin will blend right into your backyard with its wood-like look made from recycled polypropylene. It’s UV-resistant, weather-proof, and designed to hold heat inside so it can work its magic to turn your waste into rich soil. It’s big enough to hold a lot of waste yet compact enough to blend in well with most outdoor spaces. The entire bin is easy to put together with a snap design. The top has two flaps that open for easy filling, and then there’s an opening at the bottom so you can easily get to the end results. The overlapping boards allow for good ventilation, so you pretty much just add your waste to the top as you go, and harvest finished compost from the bottom. Price at time of publish: $290 Best Solar Green Cone Solar Waste Digester Green Cone View On Greenconeusa.com Capacity: 1.59 gallons | Dimensions: 23 x 44 inches | Material: Recycled plastic The Green Cone Is a Backyard Solar Digester That Reduces 90% of Food Waste The Green Cone is an innovative composter that’s been popular since the 1980s. It’s not necessarily designed to give you garden soil in the end, but it is an eco-friendly way to process food waste and reduce trash. Senior Editor Katherine Martinko has used one for several years, and loves that critters can't get to the scraps. The way it works is you find a partly sunny spot in your yard to give the Green Cone a home. You fill it from the top with regular compost material, and it breaks down directly into the ground underneath. It has added help from the sun, thanks to the solar component. The nutrients this composter generates naturally benefit nearby soil, so consider positioning it near your garden. The Green Cone can take up to 2 pounds of food waste a day. Price at time of publish: $200 Final Verdict Treehugger’s Best Overall pick is the EJWXO Compost Bin. We also like the affordable D.F. Omer 18.5 Gallon Tumbler Composter if you want a lower-cost and smaller option. What to Consider When Shopping for an Outdoor Compost Bin or Tumbler Bin v. Tumbler A tumbler makes the work of turning your compost a lot easier, but they can be a bit more expensive and some can be heavy to operate. Consider if the tumbler’s mechanism is comfortable for you to use, and if you have the physical space to turn it. Tumblers are great for patios and non-soil outdoor spaces, says Rebecca Louis, Master Composter and author of “City Compost.” However, a con is that these systems can be a bit more wet, even when they have aeration holes. With a bin, you have the option to slowly let your compost break down on its own, or you can speed things up by turning the material yourself using a pitchfork, rack, or shovel. They’re less likely to have moisture problems, but if your bin isn’t sealed, pests can be an issue. Some bins are open at the bottom, and work best when in contact with soil. Either way, you’ll want to balance the ratio of browns and greens in your composter. Size You’ll not only want to consider how much space you have when selecting your composter, but also how much material you wish to compost. If you’re mostly adding kitchen scraps, a smaller unit might do the trick, but if you have a lot of yard and garden waste, you’ll want one with a bigger capacity. If you don't have a lot of outdoor space, you may want to consider an indoor compost machine, which are small appliances that use energy to process food scraps into a dry, mulch-like material that can be used around the garden. Additional Features “I think a really great innovation that has emerged is having multiple chambers within a tumbler,” says Louis. That way, you can feed fresh scraps into one chamber while the other chamber holds older material that's still breaking down, finishing, and curing. When shopping for a compost bin, a helpful feature to look for is a panel at the bottom that opens and closes to allow you to harvest finished compost from the unit. Once you get the hang of composting, you’ll have a steady supply of nutrient-rich soil. Why Trust Treehugger? To make this list, we looked for compost tumblers and bins that are durable, and have features that make them easy to use. When possible, we recommend products made from more sustainable materials, like recycled plastic. We also consulted with a Master Composter about what to look for in bins and tumblers, and our editors shared their first-hand experiences with different products. Stacy Tornio is a licensed Master Gardener and experienced gardening writer. She served as managing and executive editor at Birds & Blooms. The 6 Best Herb Garden Kits of 2023 View Article Sources "Reducing the Impact of Wasted Food by Feeding the Soil and Composting." Environmental Protection Agency.