Anything that holds the material and allows air in will work. It would have to be cold composting because there might not be enough volume to heat up properly, although it would still heat up some. It is said 3x3x3 feet is about the minimum size to shoot for. My bins are simply 4 foot tall vinyl coated mesh forming bins 4x4x6. You could even just make a circle 3 feet in diameter out of the mesh and it would work well.

tj

I've heard of turning a plastic trashcan upside down, cutting the bottom off and putting the compost materials in there. You could poke holes in the sides with a hot glue gun (no glue, just the hot tip). I've never tried this, but it sure sounds good. It's upside down so it can be pulled up when you want to access the compost.

Not very well.

Not big enough for one. A home compost pile should be between three and five feet in diameter and at least 24" high when sitting on the ground. Smaller sizes will not retain the core heat very well, and are not suited for hot or semi-hot composting. There is nothing wrong with a small, cold compost pile, if one understands that it will take a year or two as compared to maybe three months for a well regulated hot compost pile.

thanks for the input. When I saw the hamper...my brain just started tickin'.

Um, are there any businesses near you that give away unwanted wooden pallets. I have a couple near by, a kitchen/bath place and a water softener place, and both of them leave pallets out by the road free for the taking.

If you get four (or five, if you want a top, six if you want a bottom) pallets of all the same size, preferably the more sturdy, solid ones, you can make a nice compost pile for free just by hooking them together in a cube shape, leaving one side to be opened for access as needed.

The pallets will rot, but will hold up for at least 2 or 3 seasons.

Try gardenweb's Soil Compost & Mulch Forum, starting with the FAQs.

There're all kinds of compost bin ideas over there.

Before I moved, I used a black plastic trash can with a large circle cut out of the bottom. It also had a lid. I used two trash cans--one to add to, and one that would cook. Worked like a champ. I paid $5 for each can at the dollar store. I didn't poke holes in the sides, but I did turn it every once in a while.

I bought a plastic trash can and drilled 1/3" holes around the sides, bottom and lid to give it airflow and drainage. I just open the lid to toss in food scraps. I add shredded newspaper or grass clippings and wet it down with the hose a few times in the summer. In the winter I'll fill it with snow a few times so it will melt when the sun heats up the can. Oh, and I'll turn it with a stick every week or two. Pretty low maintenance. I till the compost in my garden every spring and start over. Good luck.

You could use rolls of wire mesh for a small cost or you could post on Freecycle to ask for free mesh or pallets.