Store kitchen scraps in a container with a tight-fitting lid until ready to add to the compost bin. Hot compost can be made in special bins or free-standing piles. Homemade bins can be constructed out of many materials such as wire mesh, scrap wood, a combination of wood and wire, or concrete blocks. A barrel composter can be built out of a 55 gallon barrel, with holes and a loading door cut out. Enclosed containers must have spaces for air to enter.
Bins can have one, two or three compartments for compost in different stages of decomposition.
There are many pre-made compost bins on the market. If you're after a hot compost, be sure the bin has an interior volume of at least one cubic yard. A cubic yard is the minimum size of a hot compost pile. Finished compost should look dark, should crumble easily in your hand and have a fresh, earthy smell.