Where to put a compost bin, and which bin keeps pests out
Before any outdoor bin goes in, find out who decides, pick a spot against a checklist, and choose a bin that suits your method, your materials and the animals near you.
Start here Essentials
For a first pass, this chapter asks you to get an answer from whoever decides, pick one spot, and choose or check one bin. If your setup has no outdoor space, this chapter is for later: write "not for my setup" on the plan and go on.
- Ask whoever decides, in writing, and keep the answer. That might be a landlord, an association or a city; if it is you, write "mine to decide" (who decides first).
- Walk the yard with the site checklist and pick a spot. Measure from the house and note where water comes from (the site checklist).
- Choose the bin type that matches your method. If food scraps go in and animals are near, check the bin for gaps over 1/4 inch and a floor (bin types, rats, mice and raccoons). In bear country, read your state wildlife agency's page first (bear country).
- Set the bin in place, or mark the spot if it has not arrived. A wire bin can be built in an afternoon (building one wire bin).
Minimum time: one message to ask, then one walk around your yard. The answer may take days. Done when: the plan records permission (or "mine to decide"), the site, and the bin.
Who decides first Understand
A bin you have to remove is worse than a bin you did not buy, so the first question is not "which bin" but "who decides". Four kinds of decider can apply to one household at once.
| Who decides | When it applies | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| You | You own the land and no association has rules | Nothing to ask the landlord; still check city or county rules (below) |
| A landlord or property manager | You rent a house, a unit with a yard or a unit with a balcony | May I keep a compost bin outdoors, where, of what kind, and what happens when I move out? |
| An association, condo board or co-op | Your deed, bylaws or lease refer to common rules | The same questions, plus whether the rules say anything about containers, animals or yard waste |
| A shared building or yard | Other households use the same space | Who else uses the space, who maintains the bin, and who answers if animals show up |
| A city or county | It sets rules for bins, animals, yard waste or food scraps | Read its solid-waste or code page, or call; ask the extension office if you cannot find the rule |
Ask the authority Ask in writing, even if the first answer comes by phone. A message gives you a record, gives the other person time to answer carefully, and gives you something to show a later manager. Ask a few specific questions so the answer can be specific.
- May I keep a closed compost bin outdoors? Where may it sit, and how far from the building?
- Is there a size or type you require or prohibit?
- What may go in it? (Say what you plan: fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, leaves.)
- What do you want done if animals visit it, and who contacts whom?
- What happens to the bin when I move out?
Describe the bin and its contents in plain words. An answer that covers "a closed bin of soil" does not clearly cover soil with buried food scraps in it, and the person who wrote the answer is the one who can say what they meant. Keep the reply with your plan, and ask again if the manager or the owner changes. The rules checklist on the plan has a line for it.
City and county rules come second. Rules on bins, animals and food scraps differ from place to place, and the three examples below show three different kinds of rule. They are labelled examples of how rules vary, not the rule for your address.
| Example | What the source says | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago, 2025 ordinance | The City Council's record summarizes an ordinance, passed in September 2025, that exempts some on-site composting from permits if it is conducted in-vessel and size limits are met, and that protects residential occupants from composting bans (Chicago Councilmatic's record of SO2025-0018160). A law firm's summary adds that landlords may still impose "reasonable restrictions" (KSN law firm's summary). | A city can limit blanket bans on residents while leaving reasonable conditions to the landlord. We did not read the code text itself, so we do not give its container standards. |
| Washington, DC, home composting rebate | The Department of Public Works page says residents can earn a rebate of up to $75 on a home composting system on a sliding scale, after attending and completing a workshop; the amount can change each October 1, receipts and DC residency are required, and rebates must be processed in the same fiscal year as the training. It also says anyone composting at home in DC is responsible for keeping the bin properly maintained (DC Department of Public Works, Home Composting). | A city can attach a program, a workshop and a maintenance duty to a bin. The page lists no pause or end date; check it for workshop dates before you buy. |
| New York City, multi-unit buildings | The city's outdoor composting guide says to label a bin in a building with several households, and that some groups use a combination lock (NYC Outdoor Composting Guide). | In shared space the practical questions are labels, access and who maintains the bin. The guide is an older publication. |
The cities and states in this chapter are examples. We do not say what your landlord, association, city or county allows, and a rule can change after we last read it (dates are on the resources page). Questions about what a lease or a law means go to the person who wrote it, a tenant organization or a lawyer.
The site checklist
A site is a place that suits the bin, the compost and you. Walk the yard once with a tape measure and check these. Where one source gives a number and others give none, we say whose number it is.
| Check | What to look for | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | Easy to reach in every season, including a path you can walk when it snows or rains | EPA says the site should be easily accessible year-round and have good drainage (EPA's Composting at Home page) |
| Drainage | Ground where water does not pool after rain; away from standing water | EPA, and the Missouri guide, which adds away from tree roots (University of Missouri's G6956) |
| Water | A hose or tap within reach, because a bin sometimes needs water | EPA; NC State says within reach of a garden hose |
| Not against a wall or fence | Space around the bin so you can reach all sides, and so the bin does not press on a structure | EPA says to avoid placing it right up against a fence; Illinois Extension says not directly against a building or fence (Knox County Master Gardeners' Home Composting) |
| Distance from the house | NC State's number: more than six feet from your home or wooden structures | NC State (NC State's AG-791) |
| Runoff and wells | Protected from flooding and from runoff to surface water or wells | NC State; no source we read gives a distance from a well, so ask your health department or extension office if you have one |
| Large trees | Away from large trees, whose roots reach the pile and whose leaves fall into it | Illinois Extension |
| Neighbors and sight lines | A spot you would be willing to have a neighbor see; your city may also set a distance from the property line | Ask the authority (above) |
Sun or shade. EPA says a pile breaks down in sun or shade. Convention We use one default: choose the spot that passes the other checks, and in a climate with hot, dry summers prefer shade, because the University of Arizona's guide says a shaded location helps reduce water loss (University of Arizona's AZ1632). Other extension services prefer shade or partial sun for other reasons; they are side by side under Go deeper.
Balconies, patios and rooftops. A raised, paved surface changes the questions: whether the lease allows a bin, whether liquid can drain onto a neighbor's balcony, and what the surface can hold. Ask the authority We have no source for weights or loads, so ask the building. A closed bin of potting soil, as in the Jun and Lena case below, is a different request from a bin of food scraps, and the lease and the manager's answer decide which one you may keep.
If your setup says you do not know where a system could sit, this is the section for you: do the walk before you decide on a method, and write what you find.
Bin types and what each suits
A bin is anything that holds compost in a shape: a ring of wire, a box of pallets, a plastic enclosure, a drum on a frame. Bins differ in what they keep in and what they keep out. Two terms from Texas A&M's composting guide help with the larger ones: a holding unit is a bin you fill and leave, and a turning unit is a set of bins you move the material between (Texas A&M's Composting Structures chapter). An enclosed bin has walls and a lid on all sides, a tumbler is a closed drum you rotate, and hardware cloth is galvanized welded wire mesh, stiffer than chicken wire and sold with square openings of a stated size, such as 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch.
In the table, the pros and cons come from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's home composting guide (NYSDEC's Home Composting Guide), Texas A&M, Louisiana State's AgCenter (LSU AgCenter's Backyard Composting) and the Regional District of Central Kootenay in British Columbia, which publishes a tumbler factsheet (RDCK's tumbler composters factsheet). Prices are the RDCK's range, not a quote. Product
| Type | Pros the sources give | Cons the sources give | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open pile | Minimal labor, good airflow, and you can add material during the process (NYSDEC) | Slower decomposition and no barrier against pets or pests (NYSDEC) | Yard waste; a yard where animals are not a concern |
| Wire bin | Simple to build, adjustable, good airflow, inexpensive (NYSDEC) | Poor insulation (NYSDEC); Texas A&M's plan uses 1-inch chicken wire, four times the 1/4-inch opening in the rodent advice below | Yard waste and leaves; with hardware cloth lining, a small amount of food scraps under cover |
| Pallet or wood bin | Inexpensive if you reuse material (NYSDEC) | The wood decays and the bin has to be replaced eventually (NYSDEC); wood choice matters (see Go deeper) | Yard waste; a slow or hot pile in a larger yard |
| Block or brick bin | Long-lasting, neat (NYSDEC) | Time-consuming to build, costly if the material is new, and it stays where you build it (NYSDEC) | An owner's yard where the spot is settled |
| Multi-bay unit | Different stages of compost can exist at once (NYSDEC) | More space and more material to build | A larger yard; Texas A&M gives plans for three bays |
| Enclosed plastic bin | Neat, low cost, low maintenance, and a good barrier against pets and pests (NYSDEC) | Often limited airflow, and the contents may need more water because rain does not reach them (NYSDEC) | Small yards, and food scraps; NYC's guide says enclosed bins suit small yards, side alleys and roof gardens |
| Modified trash can | Compact; NYC's guide describes making one from a 20- or 30-gallon can or barrel | Texas A&M calls a garbage-can composter difficult to turn | A do-it-yourself enclosed bin for small amounts |
| Tumbler | Simple to load and empty, and a good barrier against pets and pests (NYSDEC); more pest and wildlife resistant than bins that sit on the ground (RDCK); fits small spaces (LSU) | Heavy and hard to turn when full, small capacity, and contents can freeze in winter (NYSDEC); a cost range of $100 to $1,000 (RDCK); not bear proof (RDCK) | Small yards and patios, if you can turn it when full |
One default for choosing
Match the bin to the method on your plan, then to your animals. If you add food scraps and animals are near, choose an enclosed bin or a tumbler, and read the next section before you buy. If you add yard waste only, a wire or pallet bin is the usual choice. A multi-bay unit goes with a hot method (The hot pile). In every case, the bin has to be one you will actually use: Oregon State notes that the smaller two-chamber tumblers are too small to be self-insulating through its winters unless they are double-walled, so check a tumbler against your climate (Oregon State's compost tumbler answer, an extension specialist's own experience). Preference
If your plan says an add-as-you-go bin, The slow pile teaches how to run it.
How big
Size depends on the method. For a pile that heats, the sources give about one cubic yard, a cube three feet on each side, or 27 cubic feet (Texas A&M, and Iowa State's guide to constructing a pile). Colorado State's PlantTalk adds that better-insulated wood or plastic structures can hold enough heat at smaller volumes (Colorado State's PlantTalk #1627). A bin for add-as-you-go composting can be smaller, because it is not aiming for heat. Convention
The pile calculator turns a shape into cubic feet, compares it with 27, and, if you enter your weekly additions in gallons, gives an upper bound on the weeks to fill. A gallon is about 0.134 cubic feet; the calculator divides gallons by 7.48. Material also shrinks as it breaks down, which EPA puts at about a third of its original size, so the fill time is an upper bound.
One worked case shows why to measure rather than guess. A round wire bin three feet across and three feet tall holds about 21 cubic feet, which is 79 percent of a cubic yard, not 100 percent: a circle covers less than the square around it. The wire for it is the diameter times 3.14, from the University of Minnesota's bin instructions (University of Minnesota Extension's Composting in home gardens), which is about 9.4 feet, plus a half foot of overlap by our convention, about 9.9 feet in all.
Rats, mice and raccoons
Animals come to compost for the food in it; EPA says of meat, fish, dairy and cooked food that "these foods can attract animals." A bin can limit access, and what you put in and how you cover it limits the reason to come. The sources describe a short list of measures, and we give them as one default set. Convention
| What reduces access | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Keep the worst foods out | EPA says not to add meat, dairy or greasy foods to a pile. What goes in has the full list (what stays out). |
| Cover every addition | EPA says to cover food scraps with four to eight inches of dry leaves or other browns; NYSDEC's problems table says to bury scraps under at least 3 inches of browns. |
| Choose an enclosed bin with a lid | EPA says a bin should have no gaps larger than 1/4 inch, and a lid; NYC's guide says an enclosed bin should not need extra rodent-proofing, and lists extra steps for places where rats are a problem. |
| Add a hardware cloth floor | EPA says a bin may need a floor; Oregon State's add-as-you-go bin has 1/4-inch hardware cloth on the bottom to deter rats, mice and raccoons (Oregon State's EM 9475); Cornell's urban farming guide says to line bin bottoms with rodent screen, wire mesh or hardware cloth with no openings larger than 1/4 inch (Cornell Small Farms Program's Guide to Urban Farming). |
| Extra steps where rats are known | NYC's guide lists a screen under a bin that sits on soil, regular turning, and a vertical screen set 6 to 8 inches into the ground (NYC Outdoor Composting Guide). |
| Hold scraps indoors until the trip | NYC's guide suggests storing kitchen scraps in the refrigerator or freezer in a resealable container (Kitchen and collection). |
| Use a holding unit for yard waste only | NYC's guide says open holding units should not take food scraps because they lack adequate protection against rodents. |
The mesh size is the detail to check on your own bin. EPA, Oregon State, Cornell and NC State's gardener handbook (NC State's Extension Gardener Handbook, composting chapter) all say 1/4 inch, so that is the default here: look at every vent, seam and door on a bin you buy, and use 1/4-inch hardware cloth where you build. A few sources name 1/2-inch cloth; they are compared under Go deeper. A tape measure or a ruler held against the hole settles it.
Put the hardware cloth under the bin and up the lower sides, as the Oregon State and Cornell sources describe. A latch or strap on the lid is a design choice. We found no source that tests latches, so it is a preference, not a result, and watching the bin is how you learn whether it holds. Preference
Rodent-resistant construction reduces access. It does not promise that no rat or raccoon will visit, and a bin that is not managed (meat added, food left uncovered) defeats it. A rodent problem can also be the neighborhood's, not the bin's. This manual does not teach poisons or traps; pest control beyond the bin goes to your landlord, a licensed pest professional or your city. The cities and states named here are examples.
Bear country
If bears live near you, your state wildlife agency's advice on compost comes before anything in this manual. Read its page first. Vermont's page says to stop home composting if a bear is around, or to use an electric fence (Vermont Fish & Wildlife on composting in bear country).
We do not say what will keep a bear away. The agencies that manage bears say it, and what they say differs by state. Three examples show what such guidance looks like. Ask the authority
| Agency (example) | What its page says about compost |
|---|---|
| Vermont Fish & Wildlife | Composting is possible in bear country. Use an enclosed container that would be challenging for a bear to open, and the page calls tumblers especially challenging. Do not add meat scraps or bones. |
| Colorado Parks and Wildlife | If you compost, use an enclosed composting system, and avoid placing meat or fruit scraps on a mulch or compost pile (Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Protect Your Home from Wildlife). |
| Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks | The page lists compost piles among attractants, and says to secure attractants in a hard-sided building, a steel drum with a locking lid or another bear-resistant container, or behind an effective, maintained electric fence (Montana FWP's Living in Bear Country). |
One agency says composting is possible with the right container, one asks for an enclosed system and no meat or fruit, and one counts a compost pile as an attractant to be secured. None of these is "the bear rule"; your state's page is, and if it does not mention compost, call the agency and ask. The regional tumbler factsheet we cited in the bin table says a tumbler is not bear proof, so a tumbler is a question for your agency, not an answer.
Whichever agency you follow, the common thread is to keep the attractants low. Meat, fish, bones and dairy stay out of the outdoor bins this manual teaches (What goes in). Beyond that, follow the page. Vermont's page also covers bird feeders, the ammonia-soaked rag deterrent and the electric-fence option; they are under Go deeper.
Building one wire bin
A wire bin is the simplest bin to build, and two extension plans give the materials. Texas A&M's wire-mesh holding unit uses a 10-foot length of 36-inch-wide mesh and three or four 4-foot posts, and calls it one of the most inexpensive and easiest units. NYSDEC's do-it-yourself plan lists four 4-foot metal poles, 12 to 16 feet of fencing, a dozen zip ties and three clips, with the posts 3 to 4 feet apart and one end left unattached so the bin can open.
- Choose the diameter. About three feet across and three feet tall gives about 21 cubic feet; use the pile calculator for another size.
- Cut the wire. Diameter times 3.14, plus a half foot of overlap (about 9.9 feet for three feet across). Texas A&M's plan uses a 10-foot length.
- Set the posts 3 to 4 feet apart, upright and firm.
- Wrap the wire around the outside of the posts and attach it with zip ties. Fasten one end with clips or hooks so you can open it.
- Choose the mesh by what goes in. Texas A&M's plan allows 1-inch chicken wire or 1/2-inch hardware cloth. With food scraps and animals near, we use 1/4-inch hardware cloth, add a lid, and line the floor, as in the previous section. NC State's gardener handbook also says to enclose a food-scrap pile in 1/4-inch hardware cloth.
The plans do not give a lid or a floor, so those are your additions. If you buy a bin instead, the same checks apply: the size of every opening, a lid that closes, and a floor or screen under it. Pick the wood or other materials after reading the next callout.
Treated, painted or pressure-treated wood stays out of the pile as an ingredient, and so does its sawdust. EPA lists treated or painted wood among the materials to leave out of a backyard pile, University of Illinois Extension advises against sawdust from lumber treated with CCA (University of Illinois Extension's composting questions), and EPA says wood treated with chromated arsenicals should not be reused as mulch and should not be burned in a residential setting (EPA's page on chromated arsenicals). If you cannot tell whether a pallet or board was treated, choose another material. Whether treated lumber is acceptable as a bin wall is a separate question on which sources differ; it is under Go deeper.
Sun, distance, size and wood compared Go deeper
The chapter gave one default for each of these. Here is what the sources say, side by side, for readers who want to see why the default is only a default.
Sun or shade
- EPA: the pile breaks down in sun or shade.
- NC State and the Missouri guide prefer a shaded area; the University of Arizona says shade helps reduce water loss in hot summers.
- Colorado State: partial shade avoids baking and drying in summer but gives some solar heating, and the site should be protected from drying winds.
- The University of Minnesota and Illinois Extension recommend partial sun; Minnesota says partial sunlight helps heat the pile.
- Utah State recommends at least six hours of sun a day (Utah State's Backyard Composting in Utah).
The sources cluster by climate and by goal: shade where the pile dries out, sun where it needs warmth. That is why the default is "pass the other checks first".
Distance from structures
Only NC State gives a number, six feet from the home or wooden structures. EPA and Illinois Extension say only to avoid placing a bin directly against a fence or building. No source we read gives a distance from a well.
Size
- Texas A&M: the ideal structure is 3 by 3 by 3 feet. Iowa State: at least 3 by 3 by 3 feet, no larger than 5 by 5 by 5.
- NYSDEC's guide says at least 3 feet wide by 3 long by 2 high to retain heat; its poster says 3 feet high, wide and long.
- Illinois Extension: an enclosed pile at least 3 by 3 by 3 feet, a heap at least 5 feet wide by 3 high. The Missouri guide gives a heap minimum of 5 by 5 feet and 3 feet high.
Wood for bins
- NYSDEC: untreated wood is preferred.
- Texas A&M's wooden plans specify pressure-treated lumber.
- The University of Minnesota says bin wood should be rot resistant or pressure treated with a wood preservative, and to avoid timbers treated with creosote or pentachlorophenol.
Our default is untreated wood or a different material, because none of the sources we read objects to it. If you choose treated lumber for a wall anyway, the cautions in the treated wood warning above still apply to scraps, sawdust and ash.
Mesh size for rodent resistance
EPA, Oregon State, Cornell, NC State's gardener handbook and Vermont say 1/4 inch. NYSDEC's guide says 1/2-inch hardware cloth makes a durable and rodent-resistant wire bin, and Texas A&M's plan allows 1/2-inch cloth. Neither says why they chose the larger opening. We use 1/4 inch as the default because most sources name it, and because a smaller opening admits fewer animals; that second reason is our reasoning, not a source's.
Vermont's bear page in full
Vermont Fish & Wildlife says to take down bird feeders, because bears smell seed from 1 to 2 miles away. It says to use three times as many browns as greens, to compost fresh scraps in an enclosed container that would be challenging for a bear to open, and that tumblers are especially challenging. It says not to add meat scraps or bones; to put them in the trash, freeze them for drop-off, or use pit or trench composting. It describes a bucket with an ammonia-soaked rag, replaced every 2 to 3 weeks, and says to line a compost system with 1/4-inch hardware cloth against rodents. If a bear is around, it says to stop home composting or use an electric fence. Montana FWP offers help with fence design. We list these as the agencies' words, not as a tested method.
Three bin plans with materials (Texas A&M)
- Wire-mesh holding unit: a 10-foot length of 36-inch-wide 1-inch chicken wire or 1/2-inch hardware cloth, and three or four 4-foot posts.
- Pallet unit: four pallets, or five with a pallet on the bottom.
- Wood and wire three-bin turning unit: a 22-foot length of 36-inch-wide 1/2-inch hardware cloth; bin 1 takes fresh incoming material, bin 2 half-done compost and bin 3 finished compost.
See it: four households See it
Tomás Reyes is a fictional person, and every fact about him here is invented for this manual. He rents the downstairs of a duplex in a northern city where the ground freezes from December to March, with a fenced backyard of about 18 by 24 feet that he shares with no one. He asked his landlord in writing whether he could keep a compost bin. The landlord's written answer: yes, at least 6 feet from the house, and the bin emptied before he moves out. His plan has one enclosed plastic bin of about 11 cubic feet with a lid, set on a square of 1/4-inch hardware cloth. A neighbor mentioned raccoons. The lid has a latch.
Known: the landlord's written yes and its two conditions; the bin's size; the lid has a latch; a neighbor mentions raccoons. His assumptions: the back corner farthest from the house passes the six-foot condition (he measures to confirm, and notes the distance to the silver maple, since Illinois Extension says to stay away from large trees); a closed bin with a floor of 1/4-inch hardware cloth under it is a reasonable first step against raccoons and rats; the latch will hold. Open: whether the latch resists raccoons (no source tests latches; his log and the bin's condition will show); what "emptied" means to the landlord when he leaves (the landlord settles it, and he asks); and the move-out date, which he does not know.
The numbers. His bin is 11 cubic feet, or 41 percent of a cubic yard, so it is not aimed at heat; it is an add-and-cover bin. At 1.5 gallons of scraps a week and two parts browns to one, his additions are 4.5 gallons a week, and the bin holds about 82 gallons (11 times 7.48). The calculator's upper bound is about 18 weeks. Under these assumptions that is an upper bound; the material shrinks, and the real time is longer.
What he writes on the plan. "Permission: landlord, in writing (date), yes: 6 feet from house, empty before I move. Site: back corner, measured and written (landlord's minimum: 6 feet; silver maple noted). Bin: enclosed plastic, 11 cubic feet, lid with latch, on hardware cloth. Open: raccoons."
Hannah Bauer and David Lin (fictional) own a house with a backyard about 40 by 60 feet. Rats have been seen in the alley. Their children are 7 and 10. Their plan has two enclosed bins with hardware-cloth floors, used in rotation.
Known: they own, so they decide; rats in the alley; two enclosed bins with hardware-cloth floors. Their assumptions (Hannah's): a bin with every vent and seam under 1/4 inch, a floor of hardware cloth, no meat or dairy, and every addition covered is the combination to try; this manual does not say rats will stay away. Open: whether any vent or lid seam on the bins exceeds 1/4 inch (a ruler settles it); whether their city sets a rule on bins (the city's page settles it); whether rats stay away (the bins' condition and the alley will show; the bins do not replace the habits).
Ingrid Sorensen (fictional) lives on 5 acres in a northern state with black bears. Her plan is a three-bay pallet bin, with kitchen scraps going into a sealed tumbler in bear season and into the batches otherwise. No meat, fish or dairy goes outdoors.
Known: bears live in her state; her scraps go to a sealed tumbler in bear season; no meat, fish or dairy outdoors. Her assumptions: her state wildlife agency's page is the authority; a sealed tumbler fits what the page says. Open: what her agency's page says about compost, tumblers and fences (she reads the page, and calls the agency if it is silent); what she does if a bear visits (the page and the agency settle that, and Vermont's example is to stop composting or fence). This manual does not say what will keep a bear away.
Jun and Lena Ito (fictional) rent a sixth-floor apartment with a balcony about 6 by 10 feet and nine containers. Their lease bars "storage of refuse" on balconies. They asked the manager in writing about two bokashi buckets under the sink and a 30-gallon lidded storage bin of used potting soil on the balcony. The manager's written answer allows a closed bin of soil and the buckets indoors.
Known: the lease clause; the manager's written answer. Their assumptions: their message told the manager that fermented food scraps are buried in the soil bin (Bokashi and burying explains why); the answer applies to their bin as described. Open: whether the answer covers soil with buried fermented food, which only the manager can say (a one-line follow-up in writing settles it); what the lease clause means in a dispute, which this manual cannot say and a tenant organization or lawyer can; and whether a new manager honors the answer, so they keep the message.
Free guidance that shows the choice being made, from sources we fetched on 2026-10-26:
- New York State DEC's Home Composting Guide: bin types with pros and cons, and a do-it-yourself wire bin.
- Oregon State's EM 9475: an add-as-you-go bin with 1/4-inch hardware cloth on the bottom.
- Vermont Fish & Wildlife on composting in bear country: one state agency's guidance for bears.
Practice: ask, walk, choose Practice
Minimum: write who decides and what they answered (or "mine to decide"), one site, and one bin on the plan. Time: about an hour for the walk and the bin check, once; the answer to your message may take days. Materials: your plan, a tape measure, a ruler or a piece of 1/4-inch hardware cloth to compare, a pencil or phone.
- Write the message. Use the five questions in who decides first, send it, and put the date asked on the plan's permission line. If you decide, write "mine to decide" and read your city or county page.
- Walk the yard. Check reach, drainage, water, distance from the house and large trees. Write the spot and its distance from the house in feet.
- Choose the bin. Find your method in the bin table. If you will add food scraps and animals are near, measure every vent and seam on the bin, or choose the mesh for the one you build.
- Run the calculator. Enter the bin's dimensions in the pile calculator. Write the volume and, if you know your weekly additions, the upper bound on weeks to fill.
- Set the bin down. Or mark the spot with a stake and the date you expect it.
A second site. Pick a backup spot and write its distance from the house and from large trees. If the first answer is "no", you will not start from the beginning.
Your system Your system
Check your work Check your work
Criteria
- Does the plan say who decides, the date you asked, and the answer, or say that you decide?
- Does the plan name one site, with its distance from the house, and say how you reach it in winter?
- Does the plan name the bin, its volume, and the size of its openings if food scraps go in?
- If animals are near, does the plan say the bin has a lid and a floor or screen under it?
- In bear country, does the plan say which agency page you read and the date?
Worked example
Tomás's plan names the landlord's yes and its conditions with the date, a back-corner site with its measured distance from the house and the maple, an 11-cubic-foot enclosed bin with a latch and a 1/4-inch hardware-cloth square, and one open question (raccoons). It passes: every line is a fact he can check or a question he named. His plan does not say the bin will keep out raccoons, and it should not. Jun and Lena's plan also passes: it holds the manager's answer and the one-line follow-up about buried food.
Common mistakes
- Buying the bin first. The answer to "who decides" can change which bin you may have.
- Asking by phone only. The answer you cannot show later is hard to use.
- Trusting a label. "Rodent-proof" on a package is a claim; the size of the openings is a fact you can measure.
- Putting the bin against the wall. You cannot reach all sides, and sources say not to.
- Treating a bear page as optional. The agency's page comes first.
What is still unresolved
Whether animals will visit is settled by watching the bin, and Troubleshooting has the table for what to do when they do. How long the bin takes to fill is settled by your log in The slow pile.