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The earthy smell of walking in the woods is derived in part from the compost under your feet.  The forest floor is a natural compost pile teeming with rich microbes and organic matter.  How can we reproduce this abundant environment of nutrient-rich soil in our own yards?  One of the easiest answers in by adding composted materials to your garden.  Adding compost to your garden can increase drainage, suppress plant diseases and "bad" bugs, revitalize damaged/depleted soil, eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers, reduce the need for water and help plants grow to their fullest.

Yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 23% of the U.S. waste stream.  Not only is this "compostable" material unnecessarily filling up our landfills; it's also going to waste there.  Used in our own yards, that same organic matter can do a lot of good.  The bottom line is that enriching the soil naturally through composting makes your garden grow while keeping the planet healthy.

Diverting organic materials from landfills helps to avoid the production of methane and leachate and that's good for the air that we all breathe.  Furthermore, cutting the amount of landfill mass will help our landfills last longer for items that can't be recycled or composted.

Using compost in your yard is good for the environment because compost can reduce the need for water, fertilizers, and pesticides.  Conserving water and cutting down on toxic chemicals in our soil and water system is always good for the planet.  Finally, compost can absorb toxins from contaminated soil and air.   

The EPA has found that compost can capture and destroy 99.6% of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.

I love my small stainless steel composting bucket.  I keep it on my kitchen counter to collect scraps in.  Once it fills up, I transfer the contents to the outdoor compost bin.  It's got a little bit of carbon in the top to absorb any ordors that might build up.