OXO Good Grips Easy-Clean Compost Bin review: "the OXO does the job well"

RRP at time of testing: £33 | Check price at Amazon or John Lewis

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My verdict

The OXO Good Grips Easy-Clean Compost Bin is a practical, well-designed food waste caddy for busy family kitchens, particularly if you want something that can sit on the worktop while you cook.

I tested the charcoal version of this food caddy for three weeks in a family home in Leeds, during a very hot UK spell where the kitchen hit around 30 degrees inside. Frankly, it was a fairly brutal test. Over that time, this caddy handled everything from egg shells to strawberry tops to  leftover dog food. 

Its biggest strength is how easy it is to use. The lid props open, so you can scrape plates or sweep peelings from a chopping board into it without needing a third hand. The 6.62L capacity is generous enough for a family of four, though we still needed to empty it at least once a week. Though in hot weather, I’d empty it sooner.

It comes intact, with no assembly needed

It’s also easy to clean. I tested it without liners, then emptied the contents both into our HOTBIN composter outside and our FoodCycler electric composter inside before soaking and washing the caddy. The smooth interior helped, as there weren’t awkward ridges where scraps could cling on.

The downside is odour control. The charcoal colourway looks smart, but it doesn’t mean there’s a charcoal filter. OXO describes the product as having a lid that helps contain odours, and I’d say that’s fair with a very important caveat: it helps when emptied regularly. Once the caddy was nearly full, especially during the heatwave, smells were noticeable.

If you want a caddy that can sit full for days without making its presence known, you’ll want one with a carbon filter - like EKO’s or simplehuman’s. But if you want a simple, roomy, easy-clean caddy that makes daily cooking scraps less annoying to deal with, the OXO does the job well.

How I’ve tested OXO’s Good Grips food caddy

I tested the OXO Good Grips Easy-Clean Compost Bin over three weeks in my family kitchen in Leeds. There are four of us at home, plus two dogs, and while we do try to keep food waste down, family life has other ideas.

During testing, the caddy was used for everyday food scraps including egg shells, raw chicken, watermelon rind, banana peels, apple cores, leftover pasta bake, toast crusts, strawberry tops, butter, stale bread and mushy dog food. It was tested during a UK heatwave, with temperatures outside reaching the high 30s and the kitchen sitting at around 30 degrees indoors (yes, my house is a sauna in the summer). 

I used the caddy without liners, emptying the contents into our HOTBIN composter outside before soaking and cleaning it. I primarily washed it by hand, though one time it did end up in the dishwasher.

I also tested how easy it was to scrape plates into, use during food prep, move around the kitchen and keep on the worktop.

OXO Good Grips compost bin: what’s in the box?

The OXO Good Grips Easy-Clean Compost Bin comes as a simple countertop food waste bin with a removable lid. There are no filters or extras included, and no parts that need assembling.

I do think the name is a little misleading. It’s not a compost bin - it’s a food waste bin or food caddy, whatever you want to call it. A place to put your food waste before you either dispose of it in your main bin or transfer it to your compost pile. 

Wherever its content goes, the lid lifts off easily. This helps if you want to add a food waste bag. OXO has designed the caddy so liners can be tucked inside neatly, although I didn’t use it this way during testing. As with the Brabantia Sort & Go caddy I’ve tested previously, I found it easier to use without a bag and clean it after emptying.

The grey fits in with my kitchen nicely, but it's not quite as sleek as others I've tested

First impressions of the OXO Good Grips caddy 

My first thought was that the OXO looks… Boring. It’s not beautiful, but it’s not ugly either. It’s sensible, practical. The charcoal colour helps it blend into a kitchen more discreetly than a bright green council-style food bin, and it looks neat enough on the counter by the microwave.

It’s not the most compact option, though, so you do need a bit of worktop space. It can’t be hooked onto a cupboard door or attached to a wall either, which is a shame. In my kitchen, it sat either on the counter or on top of the main bin, depending on how full it was and how much I wanted it out of the way.

It would fit under a kitchen sink or inside a bin cupboard if you have the room. But I found it most useful when it was out on the worktop during cooking, because that’s when the stay-open lid was handy.

What is the OXO Good Grips Easy-Clean Compost Bin like to use?

The lid props open easily, so you can use both hands to scrape leftovers from plates or transfer peelings from a chopping board. It sounds like a tiny thing, but it makes a difference when you’re cooking and clearing up at the same time.

The opening is generous enough that I didn’t have to aim too carefully, which is always appreciated when dealing with damp coffee grounds, pasta bake or slippery watermelon rind. The caddy is also light enough to move around the kitchen when empty or partially full.

The 6.62L capacity worked well for us as a family of four, but we filled it easily each week and emptied it at least every four days. In cooler weather, that might be fine. In hot weather, especially with scraps like raw chicken or dog food, I wouldn’t push it.

The smooth internal bucket is easy to empty and clean - no crevices for food to hide in

Does OXO’s Good Grips caddy contain smells?

Yes, to a point. With the lid closed and the caddy not too full, smells were reasonably well contained. But once it was almost full, especially during the heatwave, it didn’t do the greatest job of keeping smells in. I could tell it was time to empty it.

That said, this was a tough test. A kitchen at 30 degrees is not kind to banana skins, raw chicken scraps or leftover dog food. I’m not sure many unfiltered food caddies would come out of that smelling like a spa.

The key thing to know is that this is not an odour-filter caddy. The charcoal name refers to the colour, not a charcoal filter. The OXO does not include a charcoal filter, so I’d avoid any “odour-free” expectations here - instead, take a look at the EKO or simplehuman options in our best food caddy guide. 

How easy is it to clean the OXO Good Grips compost bin?

Very easy, which is probably its biggest practical win after the lid. Because I used it without liners, I needed it to clean up properly after each empty. I transferred the food waste to our HOTBIN outside, then gave the caddy a quick soak and clean. 

The smooth plastic interior made that straightforward, without fiddly corners full of old rice or unidentified beige sludge.

OXO says the internal bucket is dishwasher safe, which is handy if you want a more thorough clean. I mainly washed it by hand during testing, only chucking it in my dishwasher one time during testing. 

The large bucket holds a good amount of food waste with ease

How does it compare with other food caddies?

Compared with the Brabantia Sort & Go, the OXO feels similarly practical and easy to clean, but more focused on worktop use than hanging or carrying. 

The Brabantia is great if you want something lightweight with a strong handle; the OXO is better if you want something to sit open beside you while you cook.

Is the OXO Good Grips Easy-Clean Compost Bin worth it?

It depends what annoys you most about food waste. If you want the strongest smell control possible, I’d look for a caddy with a carbon filter. If you need something that hangs inside a cupboard door, this isn’t it. And if your kitchen worktops are already groaning under your kettle, food processor, slow cooker, school letters, mugs, toaster crumb and the emotional baggage of family life, you may not want another thing sitting out.

But if you want a roomy, straightforward caddy that’s easy to scrape into, easy to clean and smart enough to leave on the counter, the OXO is a very decent option.

There's something quite satisfying about emptying it in my HOTBIN outside

Final verdict: is this the one for you?

The OXO Good Grips Easy Clean Food Caddy is a good fit if you want a simple worktop caddy for everyday scraps and you’re happy to empty it every few days.

It’s roomy enough for a family kitchen, easy to scrape into thanks to the stay-open lid and straightforward to clean after emptying. I also liked using it without liners, as the smooth interior meant a quick soak and wash was enough after tipping the contents into our HOTBIN.

Its main weakness is odour control. The charcoal colourway looks smart, but there’s no charcoal filter, so this isn’t the best choice if you want something that can sit full for days without smelling. During a heatwave, once it was nearly full, it definitely needed emptying.

For regular use, though, it does the job well. It’s not fancy and it won’t transform food waste into a less grim job, but it does make it easier to manage. For a family kitchen, that’s probably enough.

About the author

Rebecca Roberts (aka Beccy) is our resident lifestyle expert with a practical focus on sleep, wellness and everyday comfort. She’s equally at home tackling frank, NSFW‑adjacent topics as she is road‑testing kitchen appliances, mattresses and vacuums that work for real parents. As a mum of two, she writes with the time‑poor, sleep‑deprived in mind - honest product reviews, realistic routines and products that make parents’ lives easier.

When she’s not at her desk, she’s probably product‑testing with her two helpers, corralling a PTA or walking her two dogs up and down country lanes.

About Mumsnet reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of hands-on testing. We never accept payment for coverage, and our verdicts are independent and honest. We may earn a small commission through affiliate links, which helps fund our work - but it never influences our opinions.

All prices are correct at the time of writing.

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