Miracle-Gro Dual Chamber Compost Tumbler – Easy-Turn, Heavy-Duty Outdoor Bin Composter with 2 Sliding Doors (2x18.5 Gal/70L

Ordered this as it seemed to be a pretty good size. It's smaller than I wanted BUT, the 2 separate containers actually will make it more productive compost process. I like that each side can lock into place. I am not sure the door is really strong but we'll see how it does over the winter. The directions were on my phone via a code. It was helpful for me, but I can see some people wanting a hard copy (you do have an option to print). Assembly was smooth and the 2nd barrel went much faster than the 1st. I thought everything was well labeled and straight-forward. After my last one broke, I did not want to spend a lot of $. I think for the value this should last a few years and that works for me!

Update: I’ve used it for one season and obtained compost! This turned out to be a good size for a family of 2.5. Amazingly did not attract vermin despite the fact that I set it out next to our woods. As expected, it does leak “compost tea” so I would recommend against putting this anywhere other than flat ground. While it didn’t attract vermin, it did attract beneficial black soldier fly which are great for compost and largely stayed in the bins. We never noticed a smell, even when I accidentally forgot to tumble the contents for a while and it went anaerobic. Bumping my review up a star as a result of an overall successful season. Ordered this product and it came missing all of the connectors needed to assemble. The manufacturer wouldn’t replace so I had to initiate a return and replacement w/Amazon. When the replacement arrived it came with all the parts but a completely different set of gloves for some reason. Assembly was easy in theory but hard in reality because so many of the pieces have to be brute forced together. Sometimes they would snap in easily, and other times I’d get two pieces that seemed to be manufactured a bit poorly and it took a lot of effort to get them to work. And if you make a mistake at any point have fun trying to disassemble anything. Once assembled, it’s not as smooth or functional as I’d hoped. The locking pieces have already fallen off after less than one week of use. The “aeration holes” let things like coffee grounds, sawdust - and I’m assuming the compost itself - fall through, which means this isn’t suitable on a patio. Overall it’s fine. I think it will do the job. But for the price I’m not sure it’s worth it over the cheaper options.

When I purchased this unit, I debated between this size and one of the smaller single units. I did not want an oversized bin sitting in my backyard. After using this mid-sized dual bin for 6 weeks, I can say it is the perfect size for our small family. We feed it kitchen scraps daily and both bins still have plenty of space for more. Being able to rotate the bins helps to keep the food scraps composting at a fast rate. We started the compost process with some brown material from our yard and then feed it food scraps daily. You can see and feel the compost process as there is a good amount of heat in the bins. We plan to use the compost in our raised bed garden after composting is complete. Assembly is straight forward and took about 1 hour. The quality and sturdiness is good and I expect to get many years out of it.

I'm really pleased with this. It's my first attempt at composting, and this has made it easy. Assembly was no problem at all, and it's very sturdy. I did have to reconnect one of the legs once; not sure why it came apart but it didn't cause it to fall and I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't looked down. Maybe an animal tried to get into it but if so they did not succeed. I've been using it for a couple of months and have almost filled the first chamber. I don't know yet how long it will take to get usable compost as the shredded paper I've been using for "brown" material doesn't seem to be breaking down very well. My biggest surprise has been that I don't notice much odor at all. I was prepared to hold my nose when I opened it, but it just hasn't been an issue. I don't use any meat or dairy scraps, just vegetable, fruit and plant scraps, coffee grounds, etc. along with dryer lint, cat hair, etc. In addition to tumbling, I do use a long stick to stir the contents a little. Update 11-20-22 At 3 months in, I "harvested" my first compost today! It was such a wonderful feeling, spreading nice rich compost around my trees and on my flower bed. I've already filled half of the second bin. The first one taught me some good lessons about what breaks down well and what does not. Dryer sheets definitely do not, even when torn into pieces. Most of my "green" material consisted of banana peels, coffee grounds and vegetable scraps. No meat or fat. Most of my "brown" material was also from the house: dryer lint, cat hair, certain packing materials, used tissues, etc., all torn into smaller pieces before adding to my kitchen receptacle. My trees are all oaks, and oak leaves do not break down well, so I'll probably keep using household waste for brown material. The best lesson I learned is that if I can't easily tear it into pieces manually, it's definitely not going to break down quickly enough. No twigs or branches. No corn cobs. Also, I used a lot of shredded paper for my first bin and that took a long time to break down. I had to pull some of it out as it just didn't break down at all, so I won't do that again. I've considered buying another bin just for things that take longer but maybe I'm getting too obsessed. LOL

Ok it will work for kitchen scraps. It’s barely waist high. The doors don’t slide without some serious prying ( pinched fingers twice). It tumbles well. But the lock on one side fell multiple times. I think if you want a small composter say for a patio it may be ok. It’s not heavy duty plastic so you cannot put too much in it. Miracle gro could certainly do better. For the price the value is not there. I’d recommend a better purchase. It’s a pain to put together. Once it is together returns are really not an option as you’d most likely break it before it would come apart. It’s too bad I was hoping that this would be great

Easy way to compost. It’s a compact unit with 2 sides for continuous composting. Will suit a 1-2 person household well to not have any down time.

It’s a basic tumbler with two chambers so you can start your compost at different times. To be honest, composting in the ground by burying the scraps works faster for me but I don’t have space in the garden to bury anything anymore. I don’t know how resistant the plastic to UV since I cover the whole thing all the time anyway. It also helps with keeping the compost warm. It comes in an unassuming flat box and the online instructions were easy to follow. I was able to put it together in less than half hour. The turning mechanism is smooth. Even at full capacity, it’s easy to turn the chambers to tumble the contains. The flaps aren’t easy to open so small children or animals wouldn’t be able to open them. I have no use for the lock mechanism that prevents the chambers from rolling but I tried it and it works. The holes in the chambers allow for air circulation but it also means that the compost juices will leak out. I put it on a patch of soil anyway so it’s not a problem for me but if you’ll do this on a patio or a balcony, put something under to catch the liquid. If you’re new to composting, just don’t forget to add some browns (cardboard, packing paper, dried grass or leaves) in there to prevent any smell.

Got a few reviews mentioning this is a bit small, but after using it for 1 month, I have not filled up half of one of the bin. So far, I am loving it. Ps. we are 2 person household, cooking daily.

Great composter easy to put together and does a great job.

I really love this composter but it has caused an ongoing war between me and the neighborhood raccoons. It’s so easy to slide the door open and they arrogantly throw the door into my garden bed as it is not attached at all! I’m going to get some baby drawer locks and see if I can thwart the little monsters! Aside from how convenient the composter is for the raccoons I love it. I’m learning how to properly compost and this unit has some great benefits. It rotates so it mixes the compost well and is able to break things down faster. I can close one side and let it cook but still be able to add more scraps to the second drum. I’m sure the baby locks will help but the manufacturer should consider the additional locks in the manufacturing process. I give this composter 5/10 without the baby locks but I think it will be 9/10 later today when the locks are installed. Addendum- I got the baby locks and the raccoons have been out maneuvered! I put 2 strap locks on each door and the raccoons are no longer a problem!! This is a great little composter with the addition of the baby locks

This is really a great help to start composting. It was easy to assemble and is really sturdy once done. I love the fact that you can spin it easily and open the window panels to check on it. The only thing I do not like is the fact that it is dripping through the little air holes when you put water in it. It looks messy on my terrasse. I would advice to put it on a grassy patch if you can. Otherwise so far so good, I like it a lot.