Algreen Products Soil Saver Classic Compost bin

We are very happy with the Algreen Compost Bin. We have gone through many types of compost bins over the years and this one works well, is a simple, sturdy design, and is priced well in comparison to others. Easy to put together and easy to use with a locking top to keep out critters. Doesn't take up a huge amount of space and yet holds a lot. We used the Algreen Compost Bin for a couple years and recently bought another one to place beside it. It is plenty big to fill with kitchen compost, leaves, twigs, garden refuse, etc. We intend to use one bin for summer compost and one for winter compost - which would allow the compost in each bin to break down over time. Our summer bin is not sitting in full sun all day, and yet the compost seemed to break down very well after several months to a year. We emptied it last spring and were excited that the compost (including corn cobs, apple cores, watermelon rind) was very well broken down into wonderful airy soil! This, from a bin that was in partial shade each day. We just added another raised vegetable bed and are looking forward to using both bins. I keep a little pile of mowed grass and dirt next to the bins to throw on the compost whenever I add something from the kitchen. This seems to keep the fruit flies away. We stick a garden fork in the bin from time to time and stir. It is a little difficult to get the compost out of the bottom of this bin from one side. It has two doors intended for access from either side. But, because we placed our compost bins next to each other, we decided to place the access panels on the side and on the front of each bin.

This composter with latching lid is really great for kitchen scraps, especially if you live in an area where critters could get into your compost. I imagine it's also a good solution for people in more urban environments, because it will make your compost tidy and not unsightly. I would need about 5 of these to handle to fall leaves, so I opted for a cheaper alternative for leaf litter and use this for kitchen scraps. I've not had a critter problem. I think if you're an urban gardener, this is your best bet for a composter. It's also super easy to set up, and you have the option of putting the two bottom sliding doors adjacent to each other or on opposite sides. I recommend this bin for its ease to set up, acceptable aesthetic, and solid construction. Now for the compost PSA part of my review. The only issue I've had, and this is not so much a this-specific-compost-bin problem as it is a general-compost-and-being-outside problem, is wasps. One time there were about 50 yellow jackets eating tomatoes I threw in this bin. I'm very, very allergic, so I immediately high-tailed it back to the house (seriously, I could probably have outrun Usain Bolt in that instant). They were gone by the next day. In a year's worth of use, this was the only time I'd ever seen a wasp in any of my compost piles/bins. Googling has revealed that occasionally happens with compost, regardless of bin type. The problem was that I unlatched both sides of the lid, lifted it off, and set it on the ground before noticing the death trap I had just opened. I'm going to keep using this compost bin, but I may leave the lid off during the summer months. That way, if there are wasps eating my scraps, I can see them before sticking my hands over them. Moral of the story: be careful. A different bin won't remove the possibility of stinging insects. It's outside, and you're probably putting food/garden scraps in it. Wasps have to eat, too. If you need a lid, then get a bin with a lid. This one is a great choice and I recommend it. If you have kids, an adult should remove the lid first, especially because this bin is approximately eye level for kids. You don't know what's in there (though laying down 1/4" hardware cloth at the base of the bin would keep things from tunneling up into the bin without removing the draining effect of an open bottom). If you don't have a critter problem or neighbors who can see your yard, consider leaving the lid off on days when you'll be around it extensively. That way you can quickly see, from a distance, if a whole nest of yellow jackets suddenly decides to feast on your scraps.

** Update Sept 2021 ** Here's an update after 1 yr sitting outside: The bin has slowly gotten out of square, so the lid doesn't fit all that well. I'm still able to lock it in place, but it takes a bit of finagling. However there has been no defect in the plastic. This thing is huge, and even after a year's worth of use, I've only got it filled up at most 1/3 of the way full. This is good and bad. The good is that there must be definitely composting going on: despite a year's worth of veggie scraps and leaves and such being dumped into this giant composter weekly, it hasn't gotten very full at all. But that means the top 4-5 inches of the compost pile is really not usable compost. If I try to turn it over, I get just a mess of fresh and old stuff. So I'm going to have to just let it go another year before I have access to compost. I'll do another update in 2022 **** Original review **** I took the advise of some of the other reviewers and bought some zinc coated metal carriage bolts and nuts to replace the plastic ones that accompanied this compost kit. It didn't take too long to put this together (once I had the pieces I needed, see below). The instructions are pretty simple, like Duplos for adults. The plastic is thick and sturdy, and once assembled, it doesn't wobble or feel unsteady. The lid locks on easily. The best thing is that the plastic pieces have no odor. A couple bad things: My kit I received was missing a piece for the handle. I sent an email to their customer service, which I found on their website, and I got a replacement part overnighted from Canada at no charge to me. Great customer service. The main reason for 4 stars is that some of the pieces were not a great precision fit. The mold for the plastic could use more tighter tolerances as the pieces that make up the locking device for the lid did not fit and snap into place as they were designed to do, and required me to actually grind down some of the pieces on my belt sander in order for it to fit correctly. I know that not everybody has a belt sander or other tools at their disposal to modify things, and for those folks, the locking feature of the lid would not have worked. Perhaps an email to the company may have been all I needed to get more additional replacement parts, but if they're all made on the same mold with the loose tolerances, the replacement pieces probably wouldn't have fit either and my predicament would have remained unchanged. Just a minor annoyance, but something that shouldn't occur when you're charged a ridiculous amount of money for pieces of recycled plastic.

Composting is a great idea for multiple reasons, and it's good to have lots of options for getting it done since each of our circumstances is unique. This is my second experience with this Algreen Products compost bin, the first in Indianapolis and now in a different home in New England. Making the choice again means opting for the simplest possible composting option rather than a tumbler. In our case, all leaf and grass clippings go into an adjacent woods, so this composter is purely for kitchen scraps. The unit is reasonably sturdy, although my prior one in Indianapolis eventually began to bow. It is easy to assemble. I think the reviewer who suggested replacing the nylon nuts and bolts with metal one is on to something, though I have not opted to do so and expect this unit to last at least a few years with the original nylon components. The lid settles into place and locks easily, which is important for keeping the critters out. It does seem like the price is a bit high, but I don't see a lot of competing products that use a similar design, so Algreen many be essentially unchallenged in this composting sector with what is at the end of the day a very solid product.

Edited: Customer Service Came Through for me. I was happily using my soil saver composter, making great compost, until one year later when a bear ripped it apart. Surprise! The sides and top were all fine! Undamaged! But the nylon bolts and nuts popped loose and flew off never to be found again. (This is probably why the sides and top survived unscathed.) These nylon bolts and nuts are not easily found, so I called the handy-dandy customer service phone number and left a message in the format required. No reply. I also sent an email in the format required, and finally received an answer stating a packet with the required screws was on the way: free of charge! What fantastic support. (I was looking at having to buy 100 screws and 100 nuts from Amazon at a combined price of $20.) I cannot praise this product enough: it is very tough but easily handled and moved, and it is well designed to make compost and to assemble. There are two types of sides--with a guillotine-style bottom access door and without. The sides assemble in any order. The top fits onto the sides easily and latches easily into place with a simple rotating handle. Raccoons cannot dent it, and the bear had to wrench the sides apart to get inside, only damaging the nylon screws. Thanks for your support, SoilSaver!

We bought this seven years ago and it has not deteriorated even with freezing winter temps and temps near one hundred degrees in the summer. Keep it stirred and alternate between produce and paper for great results. It is not horribly difficult to get the beautiful rich compost out of the bottom doors but there could be an easier way. However we have been very impressed with the size and durability of this. Plus it's fun to have a good additive to gardens and lawns without spending money on a bag of mulch.

liked it so much i got a second. its pretty easy and straight forward to put together. the locking mechanism was the main selling point for me since almost all other bins don't have one or is terrible. However my favorite aspect of the bin is the durability of the bin. its very rigid. you can fork around and mix the material in it with a fork and have no bowing or snapping. and thats with it being over halfway full. if i ever decide id like a third i would definitely get this one once again.

I've had two of these bins, side by side, for a couple of years now. I assembled them fairly easily and quickly by myself and they are nice and sturdy. I get four finished batches of compost per year, generally the first batch is in May, and the last in September or October. The method that's worked for me is that I add organic material (kitchen waste, yard waste, fall foliage - but very little woody waste) to one bin at a time. I let the second bin, with OM (organic material) "cook", ie, I don't add to it, but I do stir it once every week or so. Once the compost in the "cooking bin" is ready (looks like nice, rich soil - generally has some woody bits in it) I just lift the bin off the compost and set it aside - I don't bother using the doors at the bottom of the bin. Then I shovel the finished compost into a bucket (removing any unbroken down pieces - generally sticks - and add them to the other bin) and I spread the finished compost on the garden. Once I've spread all the finished compost on the garden, I'll replace the now-empty bin. I'll then stop adding to the other bin, turning it every week or two with a garden fork, and I'll start filling the newly empty bin. I repeat this process several times over the growing season, and it's worked great. I don't ever "water" my bins with the hose, I just remove the lids when rain is expected - unless it's been a really rainy season. My only complaint about this bin has nothing to do with composting - I wish the lids were flat so I could put pizza boxes/beer/snacks on the bin during parties!

Easy to put together. Comes with a small wrench to tighten the nuts. All plastic bolts and nuts so they will not rust. My old composter had metal parts that rusted. This is much larger than the round style. It holds more. I have a round one and this one is way easier to use. The doors at the bottom are easy to open to remove the soil. Also comes with a really good instruction book on how to "run" your compost bin. You have to have the right mix of materials (green and brown) and follow the instructions to get a good compost. It is easy if you follow the book. The plastic is very thick and sturdy. List is full size so it is easy to access.

Es perfecto para generar composta siguiendo las instrucciones del manual. Lo que más me gusto es que la compostera está hecha con materiales reciclados.

I am an experienced gardener who has been composting for years. This is a well made product. The type of plastic is appropriate for Canadian climate and is heavy duty. The design is good. The assembly was reasonably easy and the instructions were well written and concise. The composting guide that is included is also well written, and if someone inexperienced follows this guide they will be successful. Bonus: made in Canada and it arrived 3 days early

Buenos materiales, funciona bien, ensamblado fácil y rápido voy a la mitad de su capacidad y sin problemas.

Buen material y tamaño Solo un poco complicado poner los tapones de las manivelas hay que sobre empujar para que sobre salga me tuve que ayudar con en desarmado Romano para lograr abriera un poco más después lo empujé con martillo(ves como si estaba complicado?) Resto muy contento con el producto