Which type of compost bin should I go for?

[lolalotta]

Hello, I am new to gardening and would like to start a compost bin. I would like a wooden one and was considering building one from untreated scaffolding planks (I know this will rot eventually but worry about toxins leaking into my compost and then into my veggies) or should I go for a plastic bin? All the wooden ones online seem to be made from treated timber...Any advice gratefully received, thank you!
One more thing, how do I know what size of bin I will need? Thank you!

[sibleymum]

Not an expert, but we've had to go for 2. A plastic one for foody type waste and one made of old pallets for garden waste. Had rats last year and have had to make the plastic one really secure to prevent them coming back. Plastic ones are quite good as they seem to work quickly.

[WritermumK]

We got one through a council subsidy scheme, you would need to check your local authority website, but it cost a tenner and works well. (Should have been a lot more!)

[SleepyCatOnTheMat]

Get a book about composting cheap on Amazon. I did this but only after I'd already bought a compost bin through one of the council schemes mentioned above. I then realised I'd bought the wrong sort of bin. It had an open bottom; for some reason I forget now we needed one with a closed bottom. It didn't work properly and became full of maggots. Emptying it was one of the most disgusting things I've ever done in my life. In the end I put it on Gumtree, free to anybody who would collect it, and it was gone within 24 hours.

I will compost again at some point - I would really like to use biodegradable nappies and compost them if I have another baby - but I will be reading my book thoroughly first!

[greyvix]

I thought they were better without a base, so that worms can enter more freely. I am about to throw out the base of one of my bins (I have 2 plastic ones). Should I keep it instead?

[cantspel]

Compost will get maggots if you allow it to get too wet so if you have alot of green to add (grass clippings etc) then you also need to add some brown (shredded paper or bits of cardboard)

Also dont add meat products as this is also a cause of maggots.

I always have open bottomed compost bins to encourage the worms in. If you have a closed system then you have to add your own worms but people who worry about rats getting in the compost prefer closed bins.

If you dont have a rat problem i would keep the base open and the top closed.