We recommend kitchen caddies with a CHOICE Expert Rating of 85% or more.

The CHOICE Expert Rating consists of 50% performance and 50% ease of use.

We assess ease of general use (weight, handle comfort, ease of lifting lid, adding waste and emptying contents). We also rate ease of cleaning.

We accumulate food scraps in the kitchen caddies for a week, assessing evidence of mould, pests and smells halfway though. We then repeat the test cycle.

Recommended retail price.

Whether the unit claims to be dishwasher safe.

You can usually cut your own carbon filter to size.

This refers to the portion that will be carried to the compost (e.g. an inner bin or a bin without a lid). Heavier models may be more difficult to carry, especially if the handle is thin and wiry.

Whether the model has available liners. These are not necessary but could be handy in some situations.

A list of the liner's compostable claims. We didn't test the liners we looked at in actual compost (we didn't see any claims to Australian compostable standards).

Our kitchen compost caddies buying guide lists the pros and cons of each major material type.

How many litres it claims to hold.

A large model will take up more benchtop space.

This includes the whole bin when empty.

An air vent is handy to reduce moisture accumulating in your compost bin, but models with one are still likely to attract mould if scraps are left too long.

A carbon filter is designed to reduce smells but we didn't find it made a difference.