Starting to compost is one of the easiest ways to cut your household waste, save money on bagged compost and give your garden a steady supply of rich, homemade soil improver. But if you've never done it before, it can feel like there are a lot of rules – what goes in, what stays out, how often to turn it, and why it sometimes turns into a slimy, smelly mess.
The good news? Getting started is simpler than it looks. This guide walks you through exactly how to start composting, step by step, from choosing the right method to adding your first scraps and knowing when your compost is ready to use.
Why Start Composting?
Around a third of the average household bin is food and garden waste that could be composted instead. Composting it at home means:
- Less waste to landfill – and fewer bin bags or council green waste collections to pay for.
- Free compost – no more buying bags of multipurpose compost every spring.
- Healthier soil – homemade compost adds organic matter, improves soil structure and helps it hold on to moisture and nutrients.
- A lower carbon footprint – food waste in landfill breaks down without oxygen and releases methane. Composting it properly avoids that.
Step 1: Choose Your Composting Method
Before you add a single scrap, decide how you're going to compost. This one choice affects how fast you'll get compost, how much effort it takes and what you can put in. There are two main approaches.
Cold composting (traditional heap or plastic bin)
This is the classic garden compost heap or plastic "dalek" bin. You add garden waste and vegetable peelings over time and leave nature to do the rest.
- Speed: slow – typically 6 to 12 months, sometimes longer.
- Effort: needs regular turning to add air and avoid a soggy, smelly heap.
- What it takes: mainly raw fruit and veg scraps and garden waste. Cooked food, meat, fish and dairy are usually off the list, as they attract pests and don't break down properly at low temperatures.
- Space: needs a decent-sized corner of the garden.
Hot composting
Hot composting keeps the heap at a much higher temperature – ideally 40–60°C – where microbes work far faster. It's traditionally hard to do in an open heap, as the heat escapes, especially in a British winter. An insulated hot composter like the HOTBIN solves this by trapping the heat the microbes produce.
- Speed: fast – usable compost in as little as 30 to 90 days.
- Effort: no turning needed. Air flows through the bin from the base to the lid valve.
- What it takes: all food waste, including cooked leftovers, meat, fish and dairy, alongside garden waste like grass cuttings and weeds.
- Space: compact – it fits on a patio, in a small garden or beside the back door.
Which should you choose? If you have a large garden, mostly produce garden waste and don't mind waiting a year, a cold heap can work well. If you want compost quickly, have limited space, or want to compost all your kitchen waste (not just the peelings), hot composting is the easier option.
Step 2: Pick the Right Spot
Wherever you compost, a good location makes the whole thing easier to keep up with:
- Close to the kitchen – if it's a trek down the garden in the rain, you'll stop using it. Near the back door is ideal.
- On a firm, level surface – soil, paving or gravel all work for a HOTBIN. Traditional heaps prefer bare soil so worms and microbes can move in.
- Sheltered if possible – a spot out of strong wind helps a cold heap hold what little warmth it has. A HOTBIN is insulated, so it's far less fussy about sun or shade.
- Easy to reach the bottom – finished compost comes out of the base, so leave room to access the hatch or door.
Step 3: Get the Right Balance of "Greens" and "Browns"
This is the single most important rule when you start composting. Every heap needs a mix of two types of material:
Greens (nitrogen-rich, wet)
- Fruit and vegetable peelings
- Grass cuttings
- Coffee grounds and tea bags (check they're plastic-free)
- Fresh plant trimmings and weeds
- In a HOTBIN: cooked food, meat, fish, bones and dairy too
Browns (carbon-rich, dry)
- Shredded cardboard and paper (egg boxes, toilet roll tubes, non-glossy paper)
- Wood chips or shavings
- Dry leaves
- Twigs and straw
Too many greens and your compost turns wet, slimy and smelly. Too many browns and it sits there doing nothing. As a rough guide, aim for about half and half by volume. If you're adding a caddy of food scraps, add a similar amount of shredded cardboard or a good handful of wood chips alongside it.
In a HOTBIN, wood chips play an extra role as a "bulking agent" – they keep small air pockets open so oxygen reaches the microbes and the bin stays hot without any turning.
Step 4: Know What Not to Compost
Some things don't belong in any compost bin:
- Cat and dog waste
- Glossy, laminated or plastic-coated paper and card
- Coal ash
- Diseased plants and persistent weeds with seed heads (unless your bin reliably reaches high temperatures)
- Anything plastic - including "biodegradable" bags unless they're certified home-compostable
For a cold heap, you'll also need to keep cooked food, meat, fish, dairy and bread out. This is one of the biggest differences with hot composting: because a HOTBIN runs at 40-60°C, it can safely break these down, meaning almost all of your kitchen waste can go in, rather than half of it going in the general bin.
Step 5: Add Your First Materials and Get It Going
How you start depends on your method.
Starting a cold heap:
- Lay a layer of twigs or coarse stems at the base for drainage and airflow.
- Add alternating layers of greens and browns.
- Water lightly if it's dry – it should feel like a damp sponge.
- Keep adding, and turn it with a fork every few weeks.
Starting a HOTBIN:
- Add a base layer of wood chips to help air circulate from the bottom.
- Begin adding your food and garden waste, mixing in shredded cardboard and wood chips as you go.
- Feed it regularly – a hot composter works best with a steady supply of fresh waste, as this is the fuel that keeps the microbes (and the temperature) going.
- Keep an eye on the thermometer in the lid. Once it's climbing into the 40–60°C range, your bin is hot composting.
Tip for cooler months: if you're starting in autumn or winter, the bin may take a little longer to warm up. Adding a good volume of fresh material in one go – such as a full caddy plus grass cuttings – gives the microbes a kick-start.
Step 6: Keep It Healthy
A few simple checks keep your compost on track:
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Smells bad or looks slimy | Too many greens, too wet, not enough air | Add shredded cardboard and wood chips |
| Nothing is happening | Too dry or too many browns | Add fresh greens like food scraps or grass cuttings; moisten if dry |
| Fruit flies | Food waste exposed on top | Cover fresh scraps with browns; keep the lid closed |
| HOTBIN temperature dropping | Not enough fresh waste, or too little air | Feed more regularly and add a handful of wood chips |
With a traditional heap, you'll also need to turn it every few weeks to let air in. With a HOTBIN, there's no turning – the design does that job for you.
Step 7: Harvest and Use Your Compost
Compost is ready when it's dark brown, crumbly and smells earthy – like a woodland floor. You shouldn't be able to recognise most of what went in (a few woody bits are fine and can go back in the bin).
- Cold heap: usually 6–12 months. Dig from the bottom of the pile, where the oldest material is.
- HOTBIN: typically 30–90 days. Open the hatch at the base and remove the finished compost, while fresh waste keeps going in at the top.
Use it to:
- Mulch around shrubs, fruit trees and borders
- Dig into vegetable beds before planting
- Top-dress lawns
- Mix into potting mixes for containers (blend with soil or grit for seed sowing)
Common Mistakes to Avoid When You Start Composting
- Only adding kitchen scraps. Without browns, it'll get wet and smelly. Always balance with cardboard or wood chips.
- Adding huge pieces. Chop or break up large items – smaller pieces break down faster.
- Giving up after a few weeks. Cold heaps are slow. If you want fast results, choose a hot composting method from the start.
- Putting the bin somewhere inconvenient. The easier it is to reach, the more you'll use it.
- Composting the wrong things. Pet waste and plastic-coated card should always stay out.
Start Composting the Easy Way with HOTBIN
If you want to start composting without the waiting, turning or restrictions of a traditional heap, a HOTBIN is designed to make it simple from day one. It's insulated to hold temperatures of 40–60°C, takes all your food and garden waste – including cooked food, meat and fish – and turns it into rich compost in as little as 30 to 90 days.
Choose the compact HOTBIN Mini for smaller households and gardens or Shop HOTBIN composters for a range of options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest way to start composting?
The easiest way to start composting is to use a dedicated compost bin close to your kitchen and add a mix of food scraps and dry materials like shredded cardboard. A hot composter such as the HOTBIN is the lowest-effort option, as it needs no turning and accepts all food waste.
What do I need to start composting?
You need a compost bin or a space for a heap, a kitchen caddy to collect scraps, and a supply of "browns" – shredded cardboard, paper or wood chips – to balance your food and garden waste.
How long does it take for compost to be ready?
A traditional cold heap usually takes 6–12 months. A hot composter like the HOTBIN can produce usable compost in 30–90 days because it holds temperatures of 40–60°C.
Can I start composting in winter?
Yes. Cold heaps slow down a lot in winter, but an insulated hot composter keeps working all year round. Starting with a good volume of fresh waste helps the bin warm up quickly.
Do I need worms to start composting?
No. Worms often find their way into cold heaps naturally, but they're not essential. In a hot composter, the work is done by heat-loving microbes rather than worms.
Can I compost cooked food and meat?
Not in a traditional cold heap, as it attracts pests and doesn't break down safely at low temperatures. In a HOTBIN, the high temperatures mean cooked food, meat, fish and dairy can all be composted.
Does composting smell?
A well-balanced compost bin shouldn't smell unpleasant – it should smell earthy. Bad smells usually mean too many wet greens and not enough air, which is fixed by adding shredded cardboard and wood chips.