Attractive Kitchen Compost Bin: A Compost Container for the Kitchen Counter

Have you seen a compost bin or compost container designed for the kitchen?

When I was a child, my grandmother had a kitchen compost bin. She kept a large, sea-foam-green-painted, 5-gallon size tin can that potato chips had come in on the counter for vegetable scraps for use in composting.

When the can was full, my grandfather would use the contents to enrich the soil of his garden.

These days, potato chips don't come in large cans, but you can still have a kitchen compost bin, such as the Green Stoneware Kitchen Compost Crock pictured here, on your kitchen counter.

Keeping a compost bin on the counter makes it so much easier to drop in your food scraps.

With several styles to choose from, you can match or compliment your kitchen décor easily. Below, you will find suggestions and hints on using a compost container properly. You will also find links to DIY homemade compost bin instructions.

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Personally, I love the two-toned green and tan color of this glazed ceramic compost crock. Because it is so attractive, it can have a place on the kitchen counter.

The crock is dishwasher safe, so you can easily keep it clean. The activated charcoal filter in the lid prevents odors from the food scraps from spoiling your kitchen ambiance.

It comes with 2 filters, each of which will last about two months. The one-gallon capacity means you don't have to empty it everyday!

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What You Should and Should Not Compost

Do you know what to compost? In your kitchen composting efforts, there are a few things to keep in mind:

What to Compost:

• Breads
• Cereals
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Egg shells
• Fruit rinds, cores, pits and peels
• Grains
• Newspaper pieces
• Pasta
• Paper napkins and paper towels
• Tea bags and loose leaf tea
• Vegetable scraps

Never Compost:

• Butter
• Bones
• Cheese
• Fish
• Meat
• Milk and other dairy products
• Oily foods
• Paper with a shiny finish or color ink
• Poultry
• Other animal products

Occasionally, put in a few scraps of newspaper. It will help prevent odors. If you follow these recommendations, you will be much happier with your kitchen composting efforts.

Adding a few shreds of
newspaper occasionally
will help prevent odors,

and will help extend the
life of your charcoal filter.

DIY Compost Bin

While compost bins are not overly expensive, there are some people who prefer to make their own rather than buy.

Here are some DIY instructions for making your own compost bin:

• Kitchen Compost Bucket DIY Easy and Frugal
• How to make DIY Kitchen Counter Compost Bin with Recycled Materials!
• Make Your Own Kitchen Compost Bin

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This Norpro 1 Gallon Stainless Steel Compost Keeper works great for collecting egg shells, coffee grounds, and vegetable scraps in the kitchen before transferring them to an outside composter. The stainless-steel handle ensures transport to the outside composter is easy with no spills.

The charcoal filter in the lid keeps your kitchen odor-free use for up to six months. The container can be kept under the sink, but with its attractive design and satin finish, it's nice enough to leave on the counter where it is easy to use.

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More Kitchen Compost Bins

Do you have a compost crock on your kitchen counter?