compost bin - yes or no?

[emily05]

My council is selling compost bin cheaply.

What are the benefits? What sort of things could I put in my compost bin?
What are the cons?
ta

don't know if you live in a rural area or near any stables but adding well-rotted horse or goat manure to your bin makes for really good compost plus it's an accelerator as well. It's always good for a laugh when I say to dh 'We need to get more poo from your ds!' (who has goats!)

how long does it take to rot down properly if it's in a bin? I'm thinking of getting one (v small garden, so no room for a heap) but we'll prob be moving in a year or so - will we have compost before then?