Skip to main content

How to make a compost bin from a 5-gallon bucket

Here's how to set up a compost pile in a bucket — your DIY guide

If you want to compost at home to reduce food waste or improve your garden's soil, then learning how to make a compost bin might be at the top of your list. Compost bins come in many different shapes and sizes. There are massive wooden boxes, intricate multi-chamber structures, and even plastic ones that rotate.

For a simple home compost bin, though, all you need is a 5-gallon bucket! With just a few alterations, you can transform your bucket into an easy to use and convenient compost bin.

Difficulty

Easy

What You Need

  • 5-gallon bucket with a lid

  • Drill or other hole-punching tool

  • Several small sticks, dowel rods, or an old strainer

  • Vegetable scraps and dry leaves, paper scraps, or grass clippings to start compost

  • Pliers to remove metal handle from bucket, if necessary

A small bucket labeled compost on a counter
Daisy Daisy / Shutterstock

Getting started

Before you can start your compost bucket, you'll need to make sure your materials are appropriate.

Step 1: Test your materials to make sure everything fits together snuggly.

The lid for your bucket should fit securely, and the sticks, dowel rods, or old strainer should likewise fit in the bottom of the bucket.

Step 2: Drill air holes in the top, bottom, and sides of the bucket.

You’ll want more holes on the top and bottom than on the sides, and the holes should be less than an inch in diameter. This is an important step to ensure your compost bin has proper drainage, which it needs to properly compost.

Step 3: Remove any thick handles with pliers.

This isn’t necessary, but it does make it easier to roll your bucket.

Step 4: Fit the sticks, dowel rods, or old strainer into the bottom of your bucket.

These are there to keep your drainage holes from getting clogged with compost. If the holes get stopped up, excess water can build up, which leads to mold.

Turning scraps to compost
Jerome.Romme / Shutterstock

Starting the compost heap

Now that your bucket is set up, it's time to get started on the fun part: composting!

Step 1: Start with a layer of brown material.

Dried leaves, straw, hay, newspaper, or even a little cardboard will work.

Step 2: Add a layer of green material, such as fresh lawn clippings, vegetable scraps, or even some fruit peels.

Step 3: Alternate brown and green layers until the bucket is half full and then add a light sprinkling of water.

Step 4: Continue alternating layers until either the bucket is full or you’ve run out of material.

Step 5: Secure the lid and roll the bucket across the ground after adding scraps.

You don’t need to roll it far, just back and forth a few times. This mixes the compost, which increases airflow and helps to prevent excess moisture buildup. You can also mix the compost with a shovel or large stick.

White bucket partially full of compost, sitting in the grass.
Kolpakova Daria/Shutterstock

Issues to be aware of

Your compost bucket will mostly take care of itself, but there are still some matters to keep in mind.

Step 1: Place your compost bin in the sun to speed up the process.

It can be placed in either the sun or the shade, but if it’s in the sun, the compost materials will degrade much faster.

Step 2: Only add organic materials to your compost.

Step 3: Rinse vegetable or fruit scraps before adding them..

Step 4: Cook meat or fish before adding them to compost, or avoid adding them entirely.

Fish and meat can be added to compost, but they smell when breaking down and often attract animals. Cooking them first reduces the smell and helps them break down faster.

Step 5: Break wood and bone into small pieces before adding to compost.

Wood and bone will break down, but they take significantly longer to do so. Smaller pieces will break down faster than large ones.

A small kitchen compost bin with vegetables in front of it
Lenka Dzurendova/Unsplash

What to do when your compost bin is full

Once you start using your compost bin regularly, you might run out of space to add more scraps. If your compost is ready to use, then you can apply it to your garden to free up more space. Here's what you should do if your bin fills up before your compost is good to go:

Step 1: Stop adding new scraps.

While you might be able to fit more material into your bin by squishing the older material down, this will cut down on airflow. Lack of airflow in a compost bin can lead to many problems.

Step 2: Create a second compost bin or a compost pile.

If you've run out of space quickly, then you may benefit from having multiple bins, a pile, or a larger bin.

Step 3: Cut your existing compost into smaller pieces and mix it thoroughly.

This will help speed up the composting process, so that your compost will be ready to use sooner rather than later.

A metal bucket labeled compost, laying on its side against a blue background. Food scraps spill out of it.
j.chizhe / Shutterstock

FAQs

Why is my compost drying out?

Most issues with compost bins are caused by an imbalance of brown and green material, a moisture buildup, or a lack of airflow. If your compost is drying out, decomposition will slow to a crawl. Add more green material or a light sprinkling of water and mix thoroughly.

Why does my compost smell like rotting food?

That typically means it has too much green material. Add brown material and mix.

Why is my compost wet?

If your compost is more than slightly damp, there is too much water. Add brown material and mix your compost. You may also need to check that all your air and drainage holes are clear.

Why is my compost tightly compacted?

That usually means there isn’t enough air and your compost needs to be mixed. Roll your bucket like you normally would, then check it again. If it is still too compacted, use a shovel, pitch fork, or a sturdy stick to mix it manually.

Now you’re ready to turn any bucket you own into a DIY compost bucket. This is quite possibly the easiest way to make a compost bin, making it a great project for just about anyone. Be careful when using the drill, make sure all the parts fit together, and mix your compost thoroughly whenever you add something to it. It really is just that simple!

Editors' Recommendations

Cayla Leonard
Cayla Leonard is a writer from North Carolina who is passionate about plants.  She enjoys reading and writing fiction and…
Why you should absolutely be composting grass clippings
Repurposing your grass clippings: Tips and tricks
A person mowing their lawn

Whether it's the first cut of the year or it's the middle of the growing season, mowing your lawn can leave behind a lot of unwanted grass clippings. Thankfully, you can easily turn those clippings into compost for your garden for some easy, organic, and completely free fertilizer. This process will be easier with smaller lawns, but no matter the size of your yard, you can use our guide to gather up all those cuttings, improve your lawn's appearance, and give your garden some much-needed nutrients all at the same time!

Do you have to remove grass clippings?
You should know that composting isn’t your only solution! We’ll talk about some other options later on, but as long as you’re cutting your lawn regularly, leftover grass clippings won’t pose any threat to new growth and can simply be left alone to naturally decompose; however, if you've waited longer than usual to cut your grass this time and it's a good deal taller, you’ll want to remove a decent amount of clippings to avoid smothering the grass underneath.

Read more
How to keep pests away from your delicate basil plants
Keep basil pests away with these tips
Basil plant in pot

Basil is a delicious herb that's easy to grow and extremely versatile. Unfortunately, there are some basil pests that also find it delicious. Luckily, there are easy ways to keep your basil plant safe from pests. Here are some tips for figuring out what is eating your basil and how to apply organic pest control methods so you can enjoy your basil in peace.

Read more
Enrich your soil: The 4 best composts for gardens
Everything you need to know about choosing the right compost for your plants
Compost pile

When you first start gardening, it's overwhelming to think about all the things you have to keep track of to grow healthy and happy plants. For example, one of the most common topics beginner gardeners worry about is buying the best composts for gardens. What type should you use, when should you use it, how much of it should you use, and is there a specific one you should use for particular types of gardening? This can all become intimidating quickly, but we promise that after you read the information below, you'll feel confident in your ability to successfully add compost to your garden soil.

The best types of compost
More often than not, the soil you want to plant your garden in will need to be amended. This simply means you need to add some things to it to make ideal growing conditions for your plants. Almost always, this means adding compost. However, with so many types out there, you might get confused when standing in front of all those bags at the garden center. So what options do you have, and what are they made of?
1. Leaves and yard trimmings
Using the leaves and trimmings from around your yard is one of the best ways to recycle and add vital nutrients to your garden beds. It's low cost, efficient, and moisture retentive. Additionally, these can be used as mulch and compost! Keep in mind, the number of leaves and trimmings available can change from year to year and season to season. So you might have plenty one time but not enough the next. There also may be stray grass or weed seeds that get in there and introduce unwanted plants into your garden. 
2. Manure
If you're lucky enough to have access to fresh manure, you have one of the best resources for a garden. Raw manure adds nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium to your soil, which are the three most important things to have in healthy soil. You might even have access to manure from your own animals! This is a low-cost and waste-reducing way to add essential ingredients to your soil. You can also buy manure in bags at the garden center if you don't have access to it fresh. This is still fantastic for your garden but less great for your wallet.
3. Mushroom compost
Mushroom compost is typically used for, you guessed it, growing mushrooms. However, you can also use this type of compost in your own garden at home. It often contains materials such as wheat straw, manure, gypsum, peat, cottonseed meal, and grape clippings. It's packed full of nutrients and is a sterile substrate that can enhance water retention while also adding essential elements back into the soil. Unfortunately, this type of compost is more expensive than other options on this list and might be best reserved for those growing mushrooms where sterile fertilizers are essential. 
4. Vermicomposting
You might have heard of worm farming, and vermicomposting is the fancy word for it. This is when you let earthworms decompose organic material. The worms eat, digest, and excrete the material and they produce castings, which are nutrient-dense and all-natural. To get these excellent earthworm castings, you can either start your own earthworm farm or purchase a bag of castings at your local garden center. 

Read more