composting in a wheelie bin

When the first compost bin was filling faster that I thought, I realised that a two-bin system would be much more efficient. For a simple bottomless container, the Tumbleweed bins are actually quite expensive, and since we had an extra wheelie bin at home already, that could be a more resourceful option. 

Most how-to videos included ventilation holes and little taps for excess water, but at that time, I didn't want to commit to using the wheelie bin as a second compost bin, so I just started dumping everything in, as-is. 

Well, in the past few days, the wheelie compost had a lot more flies than usual and was smelling a bit off, so I finally drilled a hole in the bottom. Boy, was there a lot of compost tea (or compost leachate) flowing out. That was definitely an odourous experience. 

This is what the Tumbleweed compost bin looks like from the inside after three months: