Ever since we started composting in 2008 at our previous house, we’ve enjoyed it — free fertilizer, reusing kitchen scraps, and a gentle push to eat more compostable foods. Our efforts, however, were constrained by the small DIY compost container we built three years ago (we did add a second bin later, but it still wasn’t anything like the larger systems you see in stores or magazines).
Back when I built the first bin I briefly considered a more “legit” system using shipping pallets, like the ones I’d seen in various tutorials, but tracking down and hauling bulky pallets felt like more work than I wanted to take on. I decided to start with a simple bin and upgrade later. Fast forward three years: our patio deliveries finally arrived on pallets, giving me the perfect excuse to build a pallet compost bin. It took us a few months to choose the right spot, but we settled on a tucked-away corner of the yard:
For reference, here’s a quick sketch Sherry made of the yard, with an arrow marking our new compost station:
We chose this location because it’s fairly hidden, doesn’t interrupt the lawn, is convenient without being right up against the house (we don’t expect smell problems, but we didn’t want to risk it), and only required sacrificing some ivy and weeds.
Clearing the ivy revealed some odd treasures — an old frisbee and a plastic tire — so the upgrade already paid off in unexpected ways.
After working the area with a shovel and rake I ended up with a flat clearing. Some guides recommend placing a pallet as a base, while others warn that base pallets can make turning the compost difficult. A slanted base can catch compost “tea,” but to keep things simple I left the ground flat and level. This square of dirt was all I needed:
I gathered the supplies I already had on hand:
- Three shipping pallets
- A few 2″ wood screws
- Electric screwdriver
- Work gloves
- Shovel
Since these were items we owned, the project cost nothing. It also took roughly 20 minutes to assemble (photo time excluded), which was a pleasant surprise given my usual expectations that small projects will drag on.
To start, I dug a shallow trench about 4″ deep at the back of the compost area to seat the back pallet and give it some stability:
I then placed a second pallet alongside it to form one side of the bin:
Important detail: orient the pallet so the side with closer slats faces inward to reduce spill-through, but don’t use a completely solid board — slatted pallets allow air to circulate, which helps decomposition and reduces odors.
I secured the pallets together with three screws — top, middle, and bottom. Some tutorials recommend zip ties, and that would work fine too. The pallets were already fairly stable, so the screws were mostly insurance.
I repeated the same process with the third pallet to form the opposite side:
And just like that — ta-dah — the basic three-sided bin was complete. Some builds include a fourth pallet as a hinged front door, which can make accessing the pile easier, but I didn’t have hinges and wanted to keep things simple at first. I initially considered leaving the front open, but since the area slopes slightly a heavy rain could wash material out, so I improvised.
I found a suitably sized scrap board and two leftover stakes to act as a removable front panel. It holds in place well and can be lifted out when it’s time to turn the pile or harvest finished compost.
As the pile grows I can add more boards or use taller stakes to increase the bin’s height, but for now this setup works perfectly:
To start the compost, I added a layer of dry brown leaves from the yard as the base. It helps balance moisture and provides carbon-rich material to pair with kitchen scraps.
We’ll admit we’re still novices at composting even after years of doing it. We’ve followed simple habits with our old system — stirring the pile when we add material, keeping a lidded container under the sink for scraps and emptying it into the bin a couple of times a week, and keeping a list of compostable items handy. Composting tends to be forgiving and largely self-regulating, and so far we haven’t had issues with odors.
One caution about pallet bins: if you’re concerned about chemically treated wood, use the finished compost on ornamental plants and non-edible beds rather than in vegetable or herb gardens. That’s the approach we’ll take to be safe. This season is late to produce much usable compost, but by next year we expect plenty of free fertilizer. Over time ivy may grow back around the pallets to help them blend in, or we might stain or paint them to match the yard.
Do you have a pallet bin or another composting setup? How has it worked for you, and do you have tips as we start this new chapter? Our proudest composting moment so far was accidentally growing a pumpkin — small victories feel big when you’re learning.