Resourceful home composters long ago discovered the usefulness of the shipping pallet in composting. They found that building a compost pile on top of a pallet is an effective way to aerate the pile.
Fastened together, pallets also make a serviceable compost bin or storage bin. Made from wood slats nailed to a reinforcing frame, pallets are strong enough to contain a compost pile but also have gaps that help aerate it. Pallets are usually free for the taking when they become splintered or damaged in some other way.
Some gardeners simply lash together four pallets, leaving one corner loosely attached to act as a door. Other gardeners install posts in four corners, nail the pallets to the posts to form three sides of the bin, and wire the last pallet with some slack to allow access.