Composting is the decomposition of plant remains and other once-living materials to make an earthy, dark, crumbly substance that is excellent for adding to houseplants or enriching garden soil. It is the way to recycle your yard and kitchen wastes, and is a critical step in reducing the volume of garbage needlessly sent to landfills for disposal. It's easy to learn how to compost.

This how-to document contains information about composting fundamentals for those interested in an introduction to how composting should be done. In addition, a set of composting questions and answers provide information about how to tell if compost is finished, how to use compost, and how compost benefits the soil.

A great variety of things can be composted at home, saving them from a one-way trip to the landfill, and turning them into a valuable soil amendment for home use. This list describes some of the items you may want to add to your home compost pile. You may want to read about how to compost to learn about the difference between 'brown' and 'green' ingredients and the roles each plays in the composting process. Also, see the list of what NOT to compost

Whether because of toxins, plant or human diseases, or weed troubles, there are some things that shouldn't be put into compost piles. Avoid composting the following materials:

There are a tremendous number of options for containing your compost. Some people choose to go binless, simply building a compost pile in a convenient spot on the ground. Others build bins from materials such as recycled pallets, or two-by-fours and plywood. And, of course, there are many commercial bins on the market.

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