In reality, composting is a practical and convenient way to transform yard wastes into a resource. The compost pile is really a teeming microbial farm.
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 protozoa soon join the bacteria and somewhat later in the cycle, centipedes, millipedes, beetles and earthworms do their part. Anything growing in the yard can be composted. This plant material has carbon and nitrogen which microbes use as food. The more surface the micro-organisms have to work on, the faster materials decompose.