Kitchen Scraps

• Fruit leftovers ready to compost.Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Evan Wood
  
  Fruit and vegetable scraps, such as vegetable peels, orange rinds, onion skins and apple cores compost well. Other kitchen scraps to throw into the bin include tea bags, coffee grounds and filters, egg shells, stale bread, old flour and used paper napkins.
  
  

Manure

• Plant eaters, such as this cow, produce usable manure.Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of juanRubiano
  
  Manure can be a valuable nitrogen source for the compost bin. However, only use manure from plant-eating animals, such as cows, sheep, goats, horses, chickens and rabbits.
  
  

Yard and Garden Waste

• These dead leaves add carbon to your compost.Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Sherrie Thai
  
  Nitrogen-rich materials from the yard include grass clippings, shredded prunings and hedge trimmings, and weeds that have not gone to seed. Carbon-rich yard waste includes fall leaves, dead plants, straw and pine needles.
  
  

Miscellaneous Compost Builders

• When done reading this paper, shred and compost it.Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Faramarz Hashemi
  
  Other household materials that can be added to the compost bin include shredded newspaper and plain white office paper, wood ashes, plant-based packing materials, old potting soil, sawdust and feathers.
  
  

What Not to Use

• Fish makes a tasty dinner, but does not belong in the compost.Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of woodley wonderworks
  
  Do not add any grease, meat, fish or dairy products, as these will smell and attract rodents. Avoid diseased or pesticide-treated plants, invasive plants and weed seeds. Keep out dog or cat feces or litter, as well as barbecue charcoal.
  
  

Keeping a Balance

• One variety of compost bin.Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Tim Parkinson
  
  Try to balance green, nitrogen-rich materials such as vegetables, grass and manure with carbon-rich materials, including dead leaves, straw and shredded newspaper for healthy compost. Keep the compost moist and turn it to add oxygen.