4smile 300 Litre Garden Composter Bin Composting Waste Box Recycling Eco Storage, Plastic, Black

Used to have a cone-like composter, but had to leave it behind during one very stressful move. Based on what I didn't like about the previous one, I decided to go for one of these, which more or less resembles a traditional wooden composter, just made in plastic. I am very, very happy I left the conical one behind. Having a hinged lid makes it very easy to manoeuvre with your hands full. That's usually my case. With the conical one, I had to leave stuff on the ground, remove lid, find somewhere to rest the jolly lid on, get stuff, tuck it in, then put lid back on again. With this, I just push it up with my elbow and wait for it to shut itself. Pleasure. The lower lid is also a joy to operate. With no-longer-loved conical bin I had serious trouble to remove the equivalent lid, as it was flimsy and the bin's contents - a.k.a. 'rich earth called compost' in Grandpa Pig's words - pushed it hard enough to make it a nightmare to remove. This one you just lift. You don't even have to find a spot for it, as THERE IS A SOCKET for it in the upper part of the bin. There you go, a compost heap with brains. I've put some bricks lining the inner and outer borders so rodents don't find it trivial to get in. I also discourage them by not putting any cooked food inside, just decaying brown and green stuff. There are some vents to let CO2 out/O2 in - also making it faster than no-longer-loved conical bin - but just small enough for little arthropods, not rodents or birds. I am very happy with it and would recommend to anyone. For reference, my garden is the size of half a tennis court, and we're a family of four plus a cat.

So my main motivation for buying this was laziness! I was fed up of taking my grass cuttings and other garden waste down to the recycling centre – there was always a queue and after a busy day gardening the last thing I wanted to do was to drive across town and sit in a queue just to get rid of the rubbish. I only have a small garden so I searched around for the smallest compost box that I could find and found this one. It was reasonably easy to put together – it is basically the 4 sides and a lid. The sides went together easily although I suspect that it would be virtually impossible to disassemble in the future as they do form a very tight fit. The lid was a little tricky to put on but I found that starting with getting one hinge in place and a bit of brute force got the job done. Once assembled, the box is extremely light and this is worth considering when thinking about the placement in your garden as there isnt anything to keep it anchored to the ground so it needs to be in a spot where the wind wont be an issue. Of course once you start to fill it this becomes less of an issue as the contents keep it in place. I put mine next to the shed where it will be protected from the wind and is also a little hidden from view (it is a black plastic box so not the most attractive garden accessory). As the lid is almost the entire size of the box and is hinged it is easy to deposit the garden waste in it and it is amazing to see just how much I am putting in there even from a small garden like mine! The slight negative for me with this product is that there were no instructions on the best placement of the box or guide of what should and shouldn’t be put in the box. That is all available with a few internet searches but it would have been a bonus to have this included. I have been reading up on how to get the best compost and am now looking forward to next spring when hopefully I should have some lovely homemade compost!

Came today and took less than 5 minutes to put together. The lid had me scratching my head until I placed it flat on top and gave each hinge a heavy smack downward with the palm of my hand. A small piece had broken off in transit but it wasn’t important and doesn’t affect look or putting together. Now to clear the garden to make room for it.

I highly recommend this compost bin to anyone looking to compost in a small space, especially if you have a concrete yard. Just place it in a shady spot, add a layer of soil / compost or even cardboard to the bottom of the bin, and mix in browns/greens often. The locks on the top are a great feature, especially if you have pets or other animals / pests that might try to get into the compost bin. They also help to keep the lid secure during windy weather. Overall, I'm very happy with this compost bin and I would definitely recommend it to others. It's sturdy, easy to assemble, and makes composting a breeze. Edit: 1 Year update, working well and no physcial damage or breaks! Zero rodents too which I was worried about being so close to my doors/windows, make sure to top up with cardboard/browns after adding lots of greens to keep away fruit flies. Don't fret though when they eventually do show up, it's a good sign!

I ordered the “black” compost bin When it came it was black and green. There’s nothing wrong with the item , it seems sturdy enough but it’s the wrong colour. It was returned and refunded straight away , but so frustrating as I had a day of work to await delivery , and then the item was not as advertised.

I ordered this composter last night and it arrived early this morning, which was a great start. It was straightforward to put together overall, although we were a bit unsure about attaching the lid at first. The easiest way is to line it up flat and push firmly until it snaps into place. We decided to buy a compost bin after the council increased their garden waste collection charges, and it already feels like a good choice.