Building a Compost Box Out of Used Pallets

Composting is a great way to get high quality soil for your garden. I built a compost container out of pallets I found by a warehouse where I work. Pallets are usually free for the taking from businesses that stack them outside. Before you take the pallets you should ask first. Read my article in the business section if you want to learn how to make extra money collecting and selling pallets.

I took several pallets and nailed them together to form two bins. The bin on the right I put my biodegradable waste products in. Fruits, vegetables, egg shells, leaves, grass, paper towels, and other items are collected and placed into this bin. The other bin on the left is used to put the compost when it has turned into a black soil substance for later use in our garden and plants. I did put a green mesh plastic fencing in the bins and secured it with staples to keep the material from falling out. This is optional but I had some extra mesh in the shed that I had used on another yard project. When the bin on the left gets a few more items in it I am going to cover the pile with an old canvas tarp to keep the moisture in so it decomposes quicker.

We keep a bucket with a lid under our sink and collect all of the food items that we dump into the compost box. This summer we plan on dumping our leaves, grass, and apples from our trees that we do not use into the bin to make good soil for our vegetable garden.