composting is a very groovy thing. it eliminates waste. it teaches you about enzymes and the cycles of life. it creates very awesome fertilizer for plants. and you can do it, too.
what composting requires
a large plastic trash bin (pref. with lid)
something to put under the trash bin to collect drips
dry material
moist material
ideally, you should have two trash bins with lids- one to fill, and then one to fill while the other one is composting. however, after having had my compost bin for several months, i do not fill it quickly enough need another. i will point out that i do not consume as much produce as i should (i throw in fruit/vegetable matter maybe once a week in large quantities.)
make your compost bin by punching holes in the plastic of the trash bin at least a foot above its base. make sure you punch holes in the bottom too. don't worry about things spilling out the sides- any leakage that occurs will probably happen through the bottom. position the bin over the tray or whatever you're using to collect drips (cookie sheets work great) and there you have it. your compost bin MUST have ways for oxygen to get in, so make sure you punch holes on all sides and on the lid. the lid, however, is necessary! open-air compost bins work well on country farms, but in the city can get a bit overpowering.
what can be composted
moist
after restating this several times to my husband, we finally agreed upon one simple conclusion: anything that has only one ingredient. do not put brownies, bread, dinner leftovers, pet food, or take-away food in your compost. do not put in anything that comes from an animal (no meat, bones, cheese, milk, eggs, fats.) DO put in fruits and veggies and their associated offal (peelings, cores, leaves, etc.) you can also put in coffee grounds, which are good for your plants on their own, and tea bags/leaves.
dry
dry matter that can go into compost follows similar rules, although it doesn't necessarily come with "ingredients". you can add paper to compost- newspaper is best- but don't add paper mixed with something else, such as paper envelopes with a plastic window. newspaper and sawdust are excellent "dry" additives to help keep compost layered properly. you can also add dead (dry) leaves or plant trimmings, and dry grass. in a pinch, if i don't have anything else to add, i toss a handful of (organic, potting) soil in just to help even things out.
rules of thumb
alternate wet/dry ingredients. if you add a bucketful of apple slop and peels from juicing, put a few sheets of newspaper or a few handfuls of sawdust in on top.
the smaller the pieces, the easier they decompose. if you have a bunch of bananas that didn't get eaten, don't just throw the bananas, whole, into the compost. take a couple of minutes and a nearby fork to peel them and break them up into smaller pieces. when adding paper, tear it into strips or small pieces to help it break down.
issues
fruit flies. fruit flies arrive when their eggs are laid and hatched on produce that you carry home. they're harmless, but can drive a person crazy. washing produce can help prevent their hatching, but once you get them they can seem unstoppable. a glass with a little wine or juice can do wonders to draw many of them to their deaths, but since they won't hurt you, let's do the humane thing and trap them. get a clear plastic container and put a banana peel in it. punch small holes in the top and leave it near your bin. the fruit flies will swarm into the container. you can move them wherever you please afterward.
smell. if your compost bin smells beyond the natural, slightly-sour musky smell that occurs with decomposition, you're probably adding the wrong items in there. anything containing animal products and feces will make a compost bin reek. the musky smell can also get too strong if you're adding way too much moist material and not enough dry. a little is natural, but if you can smell it inside the house, add a few layers of newspaper and wait a few days.
leaky runoff. the runoff that comes from compost formation is usually stinky and not pretty at all. if you're getting more than a little- like if you have to empty your pan more than once every few months- you're adding too much moist material. try to add a large amount of dry and then give it a little time before adding moist material again.
nothing's happening. composting is a natural process, and it's fairly slow. if you've gone a few weeks and seen little change, have patience. however, if it's been a couple of months and nothing is decomposing, you may lack oxygen in your compost bin, or are adding pieces that are too big to decompose more quickly. make sure you are putting small pieces into the bin of both moist and dry material. as well, make sure you have an adequate number of holes distributed evenly around your bin, and that they're big enough to make a difference (mine are about the size of a pencil eraser.)
cheers, and happy composting.
please note i am not an expert, just a humble girl who is trying to do her part who would like to share her experiences with others. feel free to reply to this post with questions or comments and i will do my best to answer.