No, HOTBIN is made from ARPRO Expanded Polypropylene, a tough, high-performance material also used in car bumpers and crash helmets. It’s fully recyclable, weatherproof, and frost-proof, designed to last over ten years. ARPRO’s exceptional insulation keeps your compost heap hot and working efficiently all year round.

Choosing the right HOTBIN depends on your household size, waste output, and garden space. The HOTBIN Mini (100L) suits 1–2 people, the HOTBIN 200L fits average family use, and the HOTBIN Mega (450L or 700L) is ideal for large gardens, allotments, or community composting projects.

HOTBIN makes composting easy with no turning or tumbling needed. Simply chop up your waste, add it two to three times a week, and mix in shredded paper and woodchip to keep moisture and airflow balanced. A quick stir of the top layer is all it takes, HOTBIN does the rest.

HOTBIN composts faster because it creates and retains heat. Its 50mm super insulated walls and sealed design trap warmth generated by bacteria process, allowing internal temperatures to reach 40–60°C, ideal for thermophilic (heat-loving) microbes.

Here comes the science...
According to the Q10 rule, microbial activity doubles or even triples for every 10°C rise in temperature.

Research by Fierer et al. (2006) shows decomposition at 60°C can be up to 8 to 64 times faster than at 10°C.

This means HOTBIN’s hot, aerobic environment supercharges bacterial activity, helping to breakdown waste into compost in a fraction of the time compared to cold composting.

Composting speed depends on temperature. The HOTBIN works best between 40–60°C, and once it reaches this “hot zone,” microbes work up to 32 times faster than in a cold heap. If you can maintain an average temperature above 45°C for a month, compost in around 30 days is achievable.

In reality, the HOTBIN often takes a week or two to reach its critical mass (half full) and build heat.

For your first batch, it’s best to wait about 90 days, then harvest roughly every 30 days onwards. Quality and quantity will depend on how regularly you add waste and how hot your HOTBIN runs.

Composting shouldn't produce and bad odours. HOTBIN's sealed design, charcoal filter, minimise any detectable smells.

Keeping the heap balanced with shredded paper stops it turning anaerobic, and as long as no food is dropped outside, your HOTBIN will only smell earthy and fresh so pests wont show any interest.