Which Composting Method Suits You?

Pile material in a corner or a standard plastic compost bin (the black "Gedye" cone from Bunnings) and add to it as you go. No turning, no fuss. It takes 6-12 months but needs almost no work. Best for: most home gardeners, small yards, anyone who wants it simple. The black cone bins are often subsidised by councils, ask yours.

Build a cubic-metre pile all at once with balanced greens and browns, keep it damp, and turn it every week or two. It heats to 55-65C, kills weed seeds and pathogens, and finishes in 6-8 weeks. Best for: bigger gardens, lots of material at once, gardeners who want compost fast and do not mind the work of turning.

A barrel on a frame you spin to mix. Cleaner, rodent-proof and easier to turn than a heap, but limited in size and pricier ($120-300). Best for: courtyards, neat gardeners, anyone wanting a tidy enclosed unit that keeps rats out.

Not really composting but fermenting. A sealed kitchen bench bin where you layer scraps with inoculated bran; it pickles the waste (and uniquely will take meat, dairy and cooked food). After a couple of weeks you bury the ferment in the garden or add it to a compost bin to finish. Drains a tangy "Bokashi juice" you dilute for plants. Best for: flats with no garden, winter, and anyone wanting to compost cooked food and meat that a heap or worm farm cannot take.

Dig a trench or pit, bury scraps, cover with soil and let the soil life do it in place. Invisible, free, no smell. Best for: filling new beds, between crop rows, gardeners who want zero infrastructure.