COMPOST SYSTEMS
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Types
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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| Slow Outdoor Pile |
Easy to start and add to; low maintenance. |
Can take a year or more to decompose; nutrients are lost to leaching; can be odorous and attract animals and flies. |
| Hot Outdoor Pile |
Fast decomposition; weed seeds and pathogens are killed; more nutrient-rich because less leaching of nutrients; less likely to attract animals and flies. |
Requires lots of effort to turn and aerate and manage the process; works best when you have lots of material to add right away, as opposed to a little bit at a time. |
| Bin or Box |
Neat appearance; holds heat more easily than a pile; deters animals; lid keeps rain off compost; if turned, decomposition can be quite rapid. |
Costs you time to build the bin or money to buy it. |
| Tumbler |
Self-contained and not messy; can produce quick compost; relatively easy to aerate by turning the tumbler; odor not usually a problem; no nutrient leaching into the ground. |
Tumblers are costly; volume is relatively small; works better if material is added all at once. |
| Pit |
Quick and easy; no maintenance; no investment in materials. |
Only takes care of small amount of organic matter. |
| Sheet |
Can handle large amounts of organic matter; no containers required; good way to improve soil in large areas. |
Requires effort to till material into the soil; takes several months to decompose. |
| Plastic Bag or Garbage Can |
Easy to do year-round; can be done in a small space; can be done indoors; requires no back labor. |
Is mostly anaerobic, so smell can be a problem; can attract fruit flies; need to pay attention to C/N ratio to avoid a slimy mess. |
| Worm Composter |
Easy; no odor; can be done indoors; can be added to continuously; so nutrient-rich it can be used as a fertilizer; good way to compost food waste. |
Requires some care when adding materials and removing castings; need to protect worms from temperature extremes; can attract fruit flies. |
