By composting at home, you can help relieve that burden and put your yard and garden waste back to work for the earth. However, some organic wastes should not be composted. Leaves Chopped twigs Straw Wood ash Shredded paper Sawdust Diseased plants Weeds with seeds Invasive weeds like quack grass and morning glory Charcoal ash Dairy products Grease, cooking oil or oily foods Peanut butter Meat or fish Pet feces All organic materials contain carbon and nitrogen in varying ratios. Carbon in brown leaves and woody wastes provides energy, while nitrogen in green grass and vegetables scraps provides protein for cell development. Alternating layers of brown and green materials can be a useful way to add materials to a pile, but a complete mixing of ingredients is preferable for the composting process.
Bacteria start the process of decaying organic matter.
They are the first to break down plant tissue and also the most numerous and effective composters. Fungi and protozoans soon join the bacteria and, somewhat later in the cycle, centipedes, millipedes, beetles and worms finish what the bacteria started. A large compost pile will insulate itself, trapping the heat generated by microbial activity. A 3' by 3' by 3' pile is considered the minimum size for hot, fast composting. Piles wider or taller than 5' don't allow enough air to reach the center of the pile.