Only the first two are actual composters or compost bins. The rest are just fancy buckets ment to hold scraps until you put them in your compost pile.

Compost usually stinks once it becomes anaerobic, so #2s claim that it is odorless because of it being anaerobic is a little strange.

I have a pail on the counter that fills up after cooking one meal for 5 or after a day or two if we're just cooking for two. For your organic matter to get cooking nice and hot you do need a critical mass, so the bigger bin (with lots of room for turning/mixing) the better, and less smelly it will cook (and it needs lots of air, too).

i so needed this post a month ago! i live in toronto where we have municipal green bin collection, so yes, it's not so much a compost bin as a "green bin". i was looking and looking for an attractive bin to replace the large, drab, utilitarian bins provided by the city.

i ended up finding this guy:http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=10025&cat=2,40733,40734,10025 in the as-is section for $14 (due to a small dent! big deal!)

it's the perfect size for two adults (and an often fussy cat).

if you're like me and don't have $50 to drop on a vessel for coffee grounds and eggshells, lee valley has some sweet scores in the as-is section! (not trying to be snarky, some of the above bins are very very nice)

Nice. I had a hard time finding a scrap collecting pail that was compact enough to sit on my countertop but wide enough to scrape plates and pans into easily. Ended up going to my local restaurant supply shop and got a stainless steel steam table pan like this one: http://amzn.com/B001VZ6WGY for under $10.

The lid is tight-fitting enough to keep bugs out and odors in (I empty it every day or so.) And unlike my old plastic container, this one's easy to rinse clean, and can go right into the dishwasher if it starts getting icky. And it looks just fine on the counter — complements the industrial stainless steel island top and range hood.

This post is so timely...I'd be interested in hearing from others about which bin/bucket works best to suppress fruit flies (this is more of a problem during the summer months here in hot and humid Virginia). I leave my scraps until I have a critical mass before going outside to our compost bin & this habit unfortunately allows the fruit flies to multiply. Any suggestions?

How about a post on indoor worm bins? No smell, & they don't need much space.
And no, they don't get out.

You could always just use a large plastic yogurt container (or similar) and keep it in your freezer. Throw scraps in it, then toss it back in the freezer - no smell no flies. Then when it's full, let it thaw and add to your compost pile.

I think they meant it prevents anaerobic decomp.

#s 3, 6 and 9 all have holes in the lid with filters, the same as the one I picked up from WalMart ($20, stainless). Works great, I keep it on the counter, empty it every day or so and there is no smell with the lid on!

Honestly, we have one of the snazzy metal pails from Amazon. Unfortunately, things just mold in there lickety-split--we had science projects after, like, 24 hours. Finally, my husband just put the municipal bin on the back porch right off the kitchen and we dump everything directly into that--it cuts down on transit, and we only have to handle it once.

We're also renters without a yard, which is why we don't compost at home.

#2 is a Bokashi bucket - it's an anaerobic fermentation process. Although I haven't done Bokashi before, my understanding is that you cannot add to it continuously, so a single bucket won't get the job done. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokashi_composting#Bokashi

I run a community composting program, and most of our folks find that a cat litter container is the best option. It holds about a weeks worth of scraps and doesn't smell if you add shredded newspaper to the mix.

I agree, with slobound. The article is misleading readers into thinking all these items are interchangeable in use with one another, and should be updated into two categories: bins for composting and bins for storing scraps temporarily.

I did a DIY pail for scraps (which I haul out to my compost bin in the yard) with a used coffee container and some charcoal filter I bought at a big box store. ...in response to "a thoughtful reader"...we're battling the fruit fly issue here in OK also. Open to suggestions!

http://1500sqft.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/compostingpart-i/

yep! get a carnivorous plant to accompany your pail...a sundew or venus fly trap would work well!

Okay, so I live in an apartment. I could probably make room for a compost bin somewhere in the place if I got rid of something that's already here.

Please tell me what to do with the compost once I have it?

While I appreciate that some apartment dwellers and many small home owners may have room for a garden, many of us do not. I do care about the environment, but not to the point of spending money on a compost bin, spending time on the compost, and making space for the compost bin--only to throw the compost in the trash.

I've made the choice to work on other methods for being green.

Check your with your city. I was able to get a great deal on a large compost bin for almost half the price because I purchased it through my city.

Also, I found a great airtight sealed stainless container at Williams-Sonoma OUTLET for a great price (about $10 - so check the outlets often!). I keep it at my sink to "store" my small compostable garbage and empty into the bin once a week - no smell whatsoever (except when opened) and looks great. Really does the trick.

@ Xarcady - I addressed this issue a few times before on other threads (concerning apartment dwellers who have no garden space on their property). First, if there IS a green area on your compound see if the building management would be open to the tenants starting a collective garden area. This way people can compost in their apartment (so as to do away with the persistent mythology that compost attracts rodents) & use the compost in the collective garden area. If this is not feasible in your complex look into a nearby public community garden that you can either join or donate your organic scraps/compost to. Maybe in exchange for a few veggies come harvest time? Almost everywhere that I have lived n the US (from major cities to the middle of nowhere) there has been a community garden. And if I was not in the position to join myself, my compost was always welcome. If I happened to be in a place without a community garden project I was always able to find SOMEONE interested in my compost- local elementary schools often have organic garden projects going on. And everyone has neighbors! Everyone complains that there are no longer neighborhoods where people befriend each other, swap recipes, help each other with a battery jump on a cold morning, loan a cup of sugar.... Of course I have lived where people have their noses up their own butts. However, the majority of the time I find that neighbors are really open & friendly. When I move to a new area I keep my eyes open for a neighbor who is out front gardening & ask advice & suggestions on local planting/watering/feeding. Bang! THAT opens the doors! Then it's swap bumper crop/seedlings/compost time! I've never had a problem finding someone to give compost to if I'm in a place where I can't compost right in my own backyard. One place I lived had a local coffee shop that I frequented. I noticed that the patio outside was in desperate need of some planters of flowers, some greenery. I offered to the owner that if he would pay for the pots I would supply the compost/soil & flowers & tend to then. I never paid for another cup of coffee or muffin there again! Before I moved away I passed the project onto a few other regulars. It was WIn-Win for everyone. I went back a few years later to visit & the patio garden expanded well beyond a few planters! Looked gorgeous & I felt proud that I was the one who started it with a simple offer & a few buckets of compost. (By the way, coffee grounds work wonders in a garden!). I've made friends & I've reaped the rewards of harvest time! We all just need to think outside the Easy Box. Sometimes we have to put in a little bit more effort initially. It pays off in the end.

We started composting 3 yrs ago on a whim from our urban apartment...and still do. The trick: keeping a compostable bag in the freezer (no smell, mold, or fruit flies) and depositing it weekly at a local community garden or green market compost collection. While this method works for us, I am always on the lookout for a better way. This post didn't deliver... for all the reasons mentioned before.

You can also place the bin in the freezer, stops the fruit flies and prevents any odors from building up. Just leave it to sit out overnight to thaw and empty it the next morning...it will all breakdown in the heap.

The Sur la Table bin is really cute but speaking from experience, a handle is a MUST. I am typically carrying mine down stairs to the larger compost bin and usually have recycling, etc. in tow as well. Form should follow function and not having a handle makes this a loser IMHO.

I have a bin similar to the ceramic Plow & Hearth one listed and there is no odor or fruit flies ... unless you leave scraps sitting in there for over a week. In the past, I used the freezer method until a housemate decided it was disgusting. So, I guess having composting scraps sit on the countertop is better? Neither bothers me as long as there are no fruit flies!

Two old enamel pots from Goodwill work beautifully!

I was given a 1 gallon decorative Ball jar as part of a gift in an exchange last Christmas. It has worked perfectly under our sink to collect scraps for the bin we keep outside. The lid is easy on and off. It doesn't screw like a normal jar, but has a rubber/plastic seal that keeps it from smelling. We empty it every few days and haven't had mold problems.

http://www.target.com/p/ball-collector-s-jar-1-gallon/-/A-12794404#prodSlot=medium_1_4&term=ball%20jar

America's Test Kitchen on PBS recently did a testing of several indoor bins including the snazzy stainless ones you see everywhere. Of the models they tested they voted for the Track Trading Eco Kitchen Compost Collector With Carbon Filter because it holds 2.4 gallons and the lid latches shut so there are no smelly messes should the bin get knocked over. They did not address the fruit fly issue however.

The video of their report is here (just close the pop up asking for your email address) http://www.americastestkitchen.com/video/index.php?docid=37174&incode=M**ASCA00

There is actually a really cute indoor composter available now (an ACTUAL composter, not just a kitchen scraps holder). It's called the City Bin and uses earthworms. For once, an actually stylish composter! The company is raising money to go into production on IndieGoGo. I bought one.

http://igg.me/p/84405/x/273821