Home composting in the UK. Is it growing, and why do people give up?
I've been gardening for about 16 years and I've made most of the classic composting mistakes, from a sludgy bin on the driveway to a pallet heap that took two years to do anything. So I wanted to know whether other people hit the same problems, or whether it was just me.
This post pulls together what the research actually says about composting in the UK. Every figure links to its source at the bottom of the page. Where the evidence is thin, I've said so.
How many people in the UK compost at home?
There's no official yearly count of home composters in the UK, so the best figures come from research studies.
A 2020 study published in the journal Resources estimated that 35.6% of households in England with a private garden compost at home. That's just over one in three.
Where you live makes a big difference. In the same study's door-to-door survey in Test Valley, Hampshire, 71.9% of rural households composted at home, but only 27.4% of urban households did. Less than a third of town households with a garden were doing it.
Is home composting growing?
Honestly, nobody can say for certain, because no one tracks it year by year. What the evidence does show is a lot of interest, especially when people are at home more.
- Lockdown sparked a surge. In the first nine days of the 2020 lockdown, views of the RHS's advice pages on how to compost were up nearly 500% on 2019, as reported in the press at the time.
- People want to take part. The Big Compost Experiment, a UK citizen science study, had 9,701 people complete its survey on home composting and compostable packaging.
- People say they plan to start. In YouGov research published in May 2024, 25% of Britons listed composting organic waste among the green habits they think they will take on.
Saying you'll do something isn't the same as doing it, so treat that last figure as interest rather than a rise in actual composting.
Council collections are changing too. Under the government's Simpler Recycling rules, councils in England must collect household food waste weekly and free of charge from 31 March 2026, though some have permission to start later. Garden waste is different. Councils only have to collect it if you've asked for the service and paid any charge. So for garden waste and fruit and veg peelings, composting at home is still the free option.
Why people don't start composting
UK researchers Peter Tucker and David Speirs studied why households take up home composting or don't. They found that the attitudes most likely to stop people starting were:
- Worries about vermin and flies. The thought of rats in the garden is enough to put a lot of people off.
- Space. People worry they don't have room for a compost bin or heap.
- Appearance. Some people simply don't want a compost heap on show.
A 2023 project with residents in Tower Hamlets, east London, written up in 2025 by Sayed Elhoushy of Queen Mary University of London, heard the same worries. Residents said flats and tower blocks weren't built for composting, and that compost bins had attracted rats and foxes.
Knowledge matters as well. A study of households in a home composting scheme, by Edgerton and colleagues, found that having a positive attitude towards what composting involves and knowing how to do it were among the strongest signs that a household would join. Interestingly, general concern for the environment and seeing yourself as a gardener weren't significant.
Cost comes up too. A study of composting schemes in Scotland and north-west England found that the cost of buying a bin was an important issue for some people.
Why people give up
Starting is one thing. Keeping going is another.
- It didn't make compost. In that study of Scotland and north-west England, the main reasons people dropped out were moving house and not succeeding in making compost.
- Few people ask for help. The same study found that few people who had problems went looking for help.
- Time and effort. Tucker and Speirs found that time and effort didn't stop people starting, but they did affect whether people kept going.
- One bad experience. They also found that a specific bad experience, after starting, could be enough to make someone give up.
That matches my own experience. My first go, in two free dustbins on the driveway, was a sludgy mess. If I hadn't been stubborn, that would have been the end of it.
How Twin Tip deals with these problems
I designed Twin Tip around the problems I'd had myself, and they turn out to be the same ones in the research. Here's how it tackles each one, in plain terms, along with where it doesn't help.
| The problem | How Twin Tip deals with it |
|---|---|
| Rats and flies | Both bins have solid bases and lids that clip shut, and no hole is bigger than 6 mm. There's no open bottom for anything to dig into. It helps keep rodents out, but no bin can be guaranteed to keep out a determined rat. |
| Not enough space | It's two dustbins, 50 and 110 litres. Mine live on the driveway. Stand them on drip trays and they work on a patio or paving too. |
| How it looks | They look like a pair of ordinary dustbins, apart from the ends of the air tubes. |
| Not knowing how | The plans come with a beginner's Composting Guide. The free Can I compost it? A to Z list and fridge sheet answer the "can this go in?" questions. |
| Time and effort | No turning with a fork. Add scraps to the small bin as you go, and when it's about three-quarters full, tip it into the big one. The tip does the mixing. |
| Compost that never works | Sealed bins can go airless and slimy. Twin Tip has perforated air tubes through the middle of the compost, and the tip loosens and airs everything. The simple routine is to fill both bins by the end of September and check the compost in March or April. |
| Cost | The parts come to under £40 bought new, and the plans are £5.99. |
| Moving house | Two bins are easier to take with you than a heap or a wooden bay, though a full bin is heavy. |
You can spin the bins round in 3D to see the air tubes, or read how I built it on my driveway.
Questions people ask
What percentage of UK households compost at home?
There's no official UK figure. A 2020 study estimated that 35.6% of households in England with a private garden compost at home. In its survey area, 71.9% of rural households composted, compared with 27.4% of urban households.
Is home composting becoming more popular in the UK?
No one tracks it year by year, but interest is clearly there. Views of the RHS's composting advice rose nearly 500% at the start of the 2020 lockdown, and in 2024 a quarter of Britons told YouGov that composting organic waste was a habit they thought they would take up.
Why do people stop composting?
Research in Scotland and north-west England found the main reasons were moving house and not succeeding in making compost. Other research found that time, effort and a bad experience after starting can also make people give up.
What puts people off starting a compost bin?
Studies point to worries about rats and flies, not having enough space, how a compost heap looks, and not knowing how to do it. The cost of a bin is also an issue for some people.
Do I still need my council food waste caddy if I compost at home?
Yes, for cooked food, meat, fish, dairy and bread, which shouldn't go in a home compost bin. Home composting is best for fruit and veg peelings, plain card and soft garden waste.
Sources
- Eades, P., Kusch-Brandt, S., Heaven, S. and Banks, C.J. (2020). Estimating the Generation of Garden Waste in England and the Differences between Rural and Urban Areas. Resources, 9(1), 8.
- Tucker, P. and Speirs, D. (2003). Attitudes and Behavioural Change in Household Waste Management Behaviours. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 46(2), 289–307.
- Tucker, P., Speirs, D., Fletcher, S.I., Edgerton, E. and McKechnie, J. (2003). Factors Affecting Take-up of and Drop-out from Home Composting Schemes. Local Environment.
- Edgerton, E., McKechnie, J. and Dunleavy, K. (2009). Behavioral Determinants of Household Participation in a Home Composting Scheme. Environment and Behavior, 41(2), 151–169.
- Elhoushy, S. (2025). Inner London residents told me their food waste problems. Composting definitely isn't the answer. Queen Mary University of London.
- Purkiss, D., Allison, A.L., Lorencatto, F., Michie, S. and Miodownik, M. (2022). The Big Compost Experiment: Using citizen science to assess the impact and effectiveness of biodegradable and compostable plastics in UK home composting. Frontiers in Sustainability, 3.
- YouGov (31 May 2024). British attitudes towards sustainability in 2024: Key insights from YouGov data.
- Grimsby Telegraph (2020). Report on the surge in interest in home composting during lockdown, quoting figures from the Royal Horticultural Society.
- GOV.UK. Simpler Recycling: household recycling in England.