Homemade kitchen compost bucket

I have an outdoor kitchen compost bin. Of course squirrels immediately chewed through one of the lower vents and my backyard chickens peruse it from this new convenient entryway. It kind of looks like a giant darth vader helmet in my backyard but it is still great because I cook 90% of my own meals and therefore have a lot of vegetable trimmings and eggshells. Composting them cuts way down on my weekly amount of garbage and allows material that easily decomposes to do so instead of being enshrined in a landfill. My only problem was what to collect these kitchen scraps in? I certainly wasn't going to pay $40 or more dollars for the fancy ones they sell with charcoal filters for smell. I go out to the backyard at least twice a day to tend the chickens so kitchen scraps wouldn't be sitting around long. Originally I tried a dish on the counter but that took up precious countertop space in my small kitchen and usually quickly overflowed. I wanted a larger container that was out of the way but easy to grab and dump when I'd go outside. Solution! I took a gallon milk jug and cut away the part opposite the handle. This retains the easy to grab handle but provides a large space for kitchen scraps. Unlike a small bucket with a mobile handle, I can easily dump this with one hand and the handle stays free of overspill. It is also very easy to clean. I keep it on the top step leading to the backdoor. This way it is out of the way but easy to remember to grab. The large mouth also makes it easy to toss a handful of scraps in without having to bend over. It works perfectly! Another hint. Sometimes the outdoor kitchen compost can get stinky in hot weather. I just sprinkle some fireplace ashes that I accumulate all winter (mainly for use in keeping the chicken coop fresh smelling) over the top of the compost. Works like a charm!