Shelbyraed: Too cold and snowy to have many garden thoughts yet, but I could use some advice.  I need to replace my backyard composter, as the plastic one I have had for about 10 years has broken. I would replace it with the same brand if I had any idea what it was, and I can't go back to where I purchased it because it was obtained through time of those employee "thanks for working, here are points to redeem for random items instead of more money" programs.

I am a desultory gardener at best and don't use much of the compost. Its primary purpose is to keep our coffee grounds and vegetable trimmings from going into the trash. I may scoop out a bit from the bottom here and there when gardening.

I need a lid to deter critters but don't want the lid to take more than one hand to open. I'd like it to be open to the ground and easily assembled. I can't be arsed to build a wooden structure. I do not need a tumbler setup. I would plan to shovel the existing compost into the new composter after disassembling the current one. The composter will sit near our fence line close to the raised garden beds, about 30ish feet from the house.

I've done some internet searching to look for a replacement but am not having much luck finding a well-reviewed product.  Do the wise gardenfarkers have any recommendations?

Shelbyraed: CatRevenge: How important is it to deter critters?  If you aren't actively working on a compost production, what I've done is just chicken wire and those metal posts that you whack into the ground.  Occasionally I will pull back the fencing and shovel out the stuff into my garden.  There are some garden techniques to put the compost directly in a garden area too.

The lid is going to be pretty important. There are some wicked intelligent trash pandas in the neighborhood as well as my mortal enemy, the possum.

Your chicken wire idea sounds like a good alternative for those with fewer furry pests.