Shovel full of composted food- decorative image.

Composting Methods

“The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.” — Wendell Berry

Choosing a composting system –

Match the system to your setting and the materials you generate. Large properties can support sheet composting or open passive heaps, while smaller yards or patios often benefit from contained bins, tumblers, or in-ground methods. If most of your waste is kitchen scraps, vermiculture, bokashi, or trench composting may be a better fit. Larger volumes of yard debris or manure are better suited to larger pile-based systems.

For examples of the composting systems mentioned on this page, visit the Blueberry Park demonstration garden later this year, or watch a video created by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County called the Pro’s and Con’s of Compost Bin Options showing how many of these systems look and behave.

Composting Method Selection Flow Chart  

START ———————————————– 
Do you want fast results (1–4 months)?          
 Yes → Go to Next Question——–No → Choose PASSIVE options     

                                    
Do you have time/ability for regular maintenance?     
 Yes = choose managed options  ————————- No → Choose PASSIVE options 

Managed options:  

  • Aerated pile/bin     
  • Tumbler
  • Vermiculture/ Worm bin   
  • Bokashi (with burial/finishing step)  

    Passive options:   

  • Passive Heap pile      
  • Trench/pit        
  • Sheet Composting   

 Next question for either path: How much space do you have? 

Small/limited space options:  

  • Tumbler
  • Trench/ Hole
  • Aerated pile or bin
  • Vermiculture/ Worm bin   
  • Bokashi (with burial/finishing step)  

Moderate to large space options:   

  • Any method

Final filter:  What type of waste? 

Mostly kitchen:  

  • Tumbler
  • Vermiculture/ Worm bin   
  • Bokashi (with burial/finishing step)  

Mix of kitchen & yard:  

  • Tumbler
  • Trench/ Hole
  • Aerated pile or bin
  • Vermiculture/ Worm bin   

Mostly yard waste:  

  • Passive pile
  • Sheet Composting
  • Large aerated pile

Pile Based

heaping pile of straw, food, organic material, dirt in a state of decay

Heap or Pile Composting (no bin)

The cheapest option in a loose stacked pile of compostable material, heaped 3-5 feet wide and 3 feet high. This pile can be used as hot compost by turning frequently, or left to decompose over a span of time. A heap or pile may not be attractive to some people; the material tends to spread; and pests have free access.
Wire bin compost system

Wire (Mesh) Compost Bin

A wire-mesh holding unit is one of the least expensive and easiest units to build. This bin provides for easy turning of the organic materials by simply lifting the wire, setting it to the side, and using a garden fork or shovel to scoop the organics back into the pile while harvesting finished compost from the bottom.
Compost bin made from cinder blocks, full of compost, and several branches used as gate to hold the compost in.

Concrete Block

A concrete block holding unit is sturdy, durable, and easily accessible. If concrete blocks must be purchased, a concrete-block holding unit may be slightly more expensive. Expect to use about 50 blocks for one bin, and another 32 blocks for each additional stall.

The design featured in the picture was published in the Backwoods Home Magazine and offers a simple gate design and good airflow.
person dumping organic waste into pallet bin compost pile

Wood Pallet Bin

Wood pallets make an easy-to-build, sturdy compost bin. Not only that, they’re free! Many companies still consider wood pallets a waste material and pay to have them hauled away with their garbage. If you see pallets at a business, ask if you can have them. Select four pallets of the same size to make the four sides of your bin. Connect the sides by tying them with string, rope, or wire, or by nailing them with double-headed nails. However you connect them, be sure to do it in a way that makes them easy to take apart when you want to move the pile or harvest the compost. Wood pallet bins are harder to turn regularly, so many people use them to compost slowly.
three bins of composting material at different stages of decay for composting.

Multi-bin Composting

Multiple bins are used for ease of turning the compost. You build your pile in the first bin and later, when the compost is ready to turn, you move it into the second bin and start building a new pile in the first. Then you turn from the second into the third bin, and the first into the second. Eventually, you get all your compost into one bin at the end, and material in the top part of this bin cures while you harvest finished compost from the bottom of the bin.

Contained

an image of 4 compost tumbler options

Tumblers and Drums

Enclosed, rotating bins designed to make turning easy and speed up decomposition. They work well for small yards or patios and help keep pests like rodents and raccoons out. While some tumblers promise compost in just a few weeks, the material typically takes longer to break down, especially since the smaller volume does not retain enough heat to safely compost weeds gone to seed or diseased plants. Because tumblers are off the ground, they often lack worms, but adding a handful from another compost bin can help speed the process. For consistent use, having two tumblers allows you to alternate between decomposition phases, producing finished compost more steadily.
Upright plastic cylinder with side doors that are open exposing different layers to decomposing compost

Plastic Bin Composters

A contained systems designed for backyard composting in small to moderate spaces. Their primary function is to hold and insulate organic materials while allowing airflow through side vents and contact with soil at the base. The enclosed design helps retain heat and moisture, reduce odors, and deter pests, making them well-suited for suburban neighborhoods. Materials are added from the top and finished compost is typically removed from an access door near the bottom as it matures.
Black square plastic insulated composting box located outside of house door.

Insulated Hot Bin

An insulated hot bin is a contained composting system designed to retain heat and support rapid decomposition. With built-in insulation and controlled airflow, it maintains the high temperatures needed for active (thermophilic) composting, allowing materials to break down quickly — often within 4–8 weeks.
Its primary function is fast, efficient compost production in a small footprint. The enclosed, insulated design helps process food scraps and yard waste year-round, even in cooler climates, while reducing odors and deterring pests.
Person adding food scrap to inhome stealth composting unit which is a small scale, passive, method of composting.

Stealth Composting

Stealth (Apartment) Composting – A “real composting” approach designed for small spaces. Using interlocking bins for airflow while intermixing “greens and browns” this flexible, low-visibility approach to composting in apartments allows people without outdoor space to still divert food waste from the landfill. Compost is then taken to a garden space, yard application, or community drop-off.
Cornell Cooperative Extension DIY Instructions

In-Place

Cardboard layed on the ground and then being covered by soil and wood chips as a form of composting and covering the lawn.

Sheet composting (no bin)

Organic materials are layered directly on the soil surface and allowed to decompose over time. Instead of building and turning a pile, materials such as cardboard, leaves, grass clippings, food scraps, and manure are layered in alternating “browns” and “greens,” then left to break down naturally to build soil directly where you want to grow. As materials decompose, they suppress weeds, improve soil structure, increase organic matter, and feed soil microorganisms. Because it is not typically turned, sheet composting is considered a passive system and may take several months to a year to fully break down.

Trench dug into soil and filled with food scrap for compositing. Large pile of soil on side of trench that will be backfilled over food scrap.

Trench composting (no bin)

Trench Composting is exactly what it sounds like—dig a trench and place organic materials directly into the soil.
In gardens, this can be done as part of a rotating system: a trench is filled with food scraps and covered with soil, allowing the materials to decompose underground. The following season, the same spot becomes a planting row, while a new trench is dug elsewhere.
A two- or three-row rotation gives materials time to break down, cycling nutrients back into the soil while discouraging pests.

8 inch deep hole in soil with food scraps in it. Bucket of food scrap on side to be added.

Hole composting (no bin)

Hole Composting is exactly what it sounds like—dig a hole and place organic materials directly into the soil compost can be buried in individual holes, such as around the drip line of trees, at least 8 inches deep to avoid attracting rodents. This simple method returns nutrients to the soil where plants can use them and requires minimal effort.

Illustrative cut-out view of how a hugalculture pile is built and how the materials inside are structured with big woody material on bottom, layered with smaller material, soil, food waste, more soil, more woodchip, and then capped with straw and soil.

Hugalculture

Hugelkultur is an in-place composting and soil-building method that uses buried woody material — such as logs, branches, and brush — as the foundation of a raised garden bed. The wood is layered with smaller organic materials (leaves, grass clippings, manure, compost) and covered with soil to create a mound or berm.
Its primary function is long-term soil building and moisture management. As the buried wood slowly decomposes over several years, it acts like a sponge, absorbing and holding water while gradually releasing nutrients. This creates improved soil structure, increased microbial activity, and reduced irrigation needs over time.
WSU Hugelkultur Brochure

In-Ground

green cone structure used for composting and dog sitting alongside to show size and application for disposing of dog waste.

Cone

A cone composting unit is an in-ground, contained composting system shaped like an upside-down cone with an open bottom. The cone sits partially buried in the soil, allowing direct contact with earthworms and soil microorganisms while containing materials above ground.
Its primary function is to process kitchen scraps efficiently in a small space. Food waste is added through the top, and decomposition occurs below and around the unit, with nutrients moving directly into the surrounding soil.
Learn more about how it works.
Compost Education Centre- Fact Sheet
Illustration of metal garbage can with big holes on bottom half, it is then buried about halfway deep into ground. Organic waste is added and decay happens via microbes and worms that enter through holes to continue food breakdown.

TIlth Alliance Food Digester

A simple, pest-resistant system designed specifically for composting food scraps in urban environments. Because open piles that include food waste can attract rats, raccoons, and other urban wildlife, this method uses a sunken garbage can with a tight-fitting lid to contain materials while still allowing decomposition.
The digester is installed directly into the ground, with holes punched in the sides and bottom of the can. Food scraps are added through the top, and soil organisms and microbes enter through the holes to break down the material. Nutrients gradually move into the surrounding soil, improving fertility in the immediate area.
“How To” Instructions.

Small Footprint Options

Compact composting options such as mechanical composting units, Vermiculture, Bokashi, or Stealth can be done in a house or garage area. If you have some yard, trench composting or using a cone has the least maintenance. If you decide to use a tumbler, you will need to alternate between two separate tumblers to get a finished product.

Mechanical

Image shows 4 options of mechanical compost units that all look similar, function similar, but size and shape vary.

Compact mechanical/electric composting units

These unit are worth mentioning as they are out on the market as a “composting” option. They provide fast (often <24 hours), odor-controlled indoor food waste reduction. They are ideal for apartments, handling meat/dairy, but are expensive, require electricity, and produce dehydrated, rather than fully cured, compost. It is then suggested that the material from these units is added to a working compost pile or direct buried with trench or pit composting.

Vermiculture

cut out illustrative view of worm tower compost unit showing how material decomposes through these layers and visual expectations of a system like this.

Vermiculture Bins

There are several options for using worms as your composting machines. Options include flow through bin, levels with trays, and containers or bins placed in direct contact with the ground with a lid to discourage rodents.
Visit our Vermiculture page to visit this subject in more depth with “How To” and “DIY” options.

Fermentation

person with small scoop of bokashi bran being added to bokashi composting bucket.

Bokashi

Bokashi is an anaerobic fermentation system for managing food waste. Rather than decomposing materials like traditional composting, Bokashi ferments food scraps, preserving nutrients while preventing rot and harmful emissions. Must be buried in soil or finished in another compost system to complete breakdown.
Visit our page of Bokashi page for “How To” instruction and DIY options.

Advanced- Not So Common Composting

Compost Happens and there isn’t much that can’t be composted. With that said, you want a safe finished product and not bring in a heard of rodents like the Pied Piper. That is most easily done by using the “Do and Do Not” list of compostable items.

The Humanure Handbook by Joseph C. Jenkins is a highly recommended comprehensive guide to composting, including human waste and has been a great starter point for many beginning compost enthusiasts.

Composting Education

Starting on this page, we learn about a selection of composting options and a brief description.

We recommend that you visit these pages to learn more specifically on these topics

You may also be interested in our Backyard Composting workshop series with hands-on experience, offered in the Spring and Fall

Compost Volume Reduction

As compost decomposes, volume typically reduces by 40–60%, sometimes more.

  • Active hot pile (8–12 weeks): 50–60% reduction
  • Passive pile (1–2 years): 40–60% reduction
  • Leaf-only piles: Often 70%+ reduction
  • Manure-heavy systems: May shrink even more due to high moisture and rapid breakdown
DIY- Compost Bins

Step by steps guides for constructing a variety of low cost composting systems.

Sheet Composting Application

The benefits and how to:

Active Composting Guidance
Farm Scale Composting
Off Site Composting Options
Rodents

The smell of food is all it takes. By burying food scrap 8 inches or more in your pile reduces this temptation.

Funding for this education is provided by Kitsap County Public Works, Solid Waste Division.

Kitsap County Public Works Solid Waste Division