About a third of household waste is food scraps that could become rich compost instead of rotting in a landfill. Composting sounds complicated if you have never done it, but the basics are genuinely simple. You put food scraps in a pile or bin, nature does the work, and a few months later you have dark, crumbly material that makes plants grow like crazy.
Here is how to start without overthinking it.
What You Can Compost
Fruit and vegetable scraps. Peels, cores, stems, wilted greens, overripe fruit.
This is the bulk of what most kitchens produce and it all composts easily.
Coffee grounds and filters. Grounds are excellent compost material. Paper filters break down quickly.
Tea bags. Remove the staple if there is one. Some tea bags contain polypropylene that does not break down, so check if your brand uses fully compostable bags. Loose tea leaves are always fine.
Eggshells. Crush them first so they break down faster.
They add calcium to the compost.
Bread and pasta. Small amounts are fine. Large amounts can attract pests, so bury them in the middle of the pile.
Paper towels and napkins. As long as they are not soaked in cleaning chemicals or grease, they compost well and add carbon.
What to Avoid
Meat and fish. They attract rats and other pests and create terrible smells.
Leave these out unless you have a specialized hot composting system or a Bokashi bucket.
Dairy. Same problems as meat. Cheese, milk, yogurt, and butter attract pests.
Cooking oil. Small amounts on a paper towel are fine. Pouring oil into the compost bin creates anaerobic conditions and odors.
Diseased plants. If your tomato plants had blight, do not compost them unless your pile reaches high temperatures consistently.
Most home compost piles do not get hot enough to kill plant diseases.
The Green and Brown Balance
Composting is essentially a recipe with two ingredients: greens and browns. Greens are nitrogen-rich materials like food scraps, fresh grass clippings, and coffee grounds. Browns are carbon-rich materials like dried leaves, cardboard, newspaper, and straw.
The ideal ratio is roughly 3 parts brown to 1 part green by volume. You do not need to measure precisely. Just make sure you are adding browns along with your food scraps.
If you dump only food waste into a bin without any browns, you get a slimy, smelly mess. The browns absorb moisture, add airflow, and provide the carbon that microorganisms need.
Keep a bag of shredded newspaper or dried leaves near your compost bin. Every time you add food scraps, throw in a handful of browns on top. This one habit prevents most compost problems.
Bin Options for Any Space
Backyard Bin
The simplest outdoor option is a basic compost bin, either a purchased tumbler or a DIY enclosure made from pallets or wire mesh.
Place it on bare soil so worms and microorganisms can access the pile from below. A spot with partial shade keeps it from drying out in summer.
Tumbler composters are enclosed drums on a frame that you spin to mix the contents. They keep pests out and produce finished compost faster than open piles because you can turn them easily. A decent tumbler costs 80 to 150 dollars.
Countertop Collection
A small countertop bin collects scraps during cooking so you do not need to walk to the outdoor bin every time you peel a carrot.
Look for one with a charcoal filter in the lid to control odors. Empty it into your main bin every few days. Prices range from 15 to 40 dollars for a good one.
Apartment Composting
If you do not have outdoor space, vermicomposting (worm composting) works indoors. A worm bin uses red wiggler worms to break down food scraps into worm castings, which is incredibly rich compost. The bins are compact, do not smell when managed properly, and can sit under a kitchen sink or in a closet.
Another option for apartments is Bokashi composting, a Japanese method that uses fermented bran to pickle food scraps in a sealed bucket. It handles meat and dairy, which regular composting cannot. The fermented scraps then go into an outdoor compost pile, a garden bed, or a community compost drop-off.
Common Problems and Fixes
It Smells Bad
Add more browns. Smelly compost is almost always caused by too much nitrogen (food scraps) and not enough carbon (browns).
The smell is from anaerobic decomposition, which happens when the pile is too wet and dense. Mix in shredded newspaper or cardboard, and turn the pile to add air.
It Attracts Fruit Flies
Cover food scraps with a layer of browns every time you add them. Keeping scraps buried under browns prevents fruit flies from accessing them. For indoor bins, a tight-fitting lid with a charcoal filter helps.
Nothing Is Happening
The pile might be too dry, too small, or lacking nitrogen.
Add water until the contents feel like a wrung-out sponge. Make sure the pile is at least 3 feet by 3 feet for outdoor bins, which is the minimum size for efficient decomposition. Add green material if the pile is all browns.
Pests
Rats and raccoons are attracted to food scraps in open piles. Use an enclosed bin or tumbler. Bury food scraps in the center of the pile under a thick layer of browns.
Never add meat, fish, or dairy to an open pile.
When Is It Done
Finished compost is dark brown, crumbly, and smells like earth. You should not be able to identify any of the original ingredients. The process takes 2 to 6 months depending on what you composted, how often you turned the pile, and the conditions. Tumbler composters are faster because they are turned regularly. Open piles are slower but require less attention.
You can use finished compost as a soil amendment for garden beds, potted plants, or lawn top-dressing.
Mix it into the top few inches of soil before planting, or spread a thin layer on top of existing beds as mulch.
Starting a compost system takes about 30 minutes. Maintaining it takes about 2 minutes each time you add scraps. The reward is less garbage, less guilt, and a steady supply of the best plant food money cannot buy.