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How to build a pallet compost bin

Turn peelings, grass and old plants into free compost for your beds. Four pallets tied together make a big, airy bin that costs next to nothing.

What you need

Item	Qty	Cost	Buy
Wooden pallets	4	£0.00
Heavy-duty cable ties	1	£5.00	B&Q · Wickes · Amazon
Treated wooden stakes, 1.2m	2	£8.00	B&Q · Wickes · Amazon
Old carpet or thick cardboard	1	£0.00

Prices are rough guides. Shop links are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you (more).

Pick a spot on bare soil (so worms can get in), in part shade, and easy to reach with a wheelbarrow. Level it roughly.
Stand one pallet up for the back. Stand another at right angles for a side, and tie the corner with 3 cable ties - top, middle and bottom.
Add the other side the same way, to make a U. Hammer a stake in inside each front corner and tie the sides to them.
Tie the front pallet on one side only, with string, so it opens like a gate - easy to get the compost out.
Fill it about half green (peelings, grass, old plants) and half brown (cardboard, dry leaves, straw), in layers. Cover with old carpet or cardboard.

No meat, fish, dairy or cooked food - they bring rats.
Turn it with a fork every month or two and it's ready in about 6 months instead of 12.
Two bins side by side: one filling up, one rotting down.

Rather buy one? A plastic compost bin costs about £25-40 - many councils sell them cheaper.

Pick what you want to grow and we'll tell you when to build it.