How to Compost Part 2: Composting

Now that you can have your own bin, how do you compost? Well, the rules are pretty easy-- you need "greens" (nitrogen) and "browns" (carbon). Anything that was recently alive (like your food scraps or live plant material or fresh grass clippings) is a "green". Anything that was not (like straw or dried leaves or dried grass clippings) is a "brown". Every time you add greens, you need to add browns as well, otherwise your organisms that are breaking everything down will go out of whack and things will get slimy. We save our scraps in a bag in the fridge and take them out every week or two. When we dump kitchen scraps in in the bin, we add some straw (or other brown) and call it good. Don't compost meats or cheeses (eggshells are OK) unless you are going to let your compost sit for a year... also, these items make your bin more attractive to wildlife, so beware!
If your compost bin ever gets slimy, you need to add more browns. During the summer, you may have to spray it down with water occassionally if it looks too dry. You can turn the pile, but honestly, it is just more work and if you are not in a huge hurry to make compost, you don't need to bother. It will speed things up a bit though!
Now you can reduce your waste and turn your trash into fertilizer! It is almost like magic....