Basic composting can be as simple as finding a place in your backyard to mix food scraps and yard waste. By maintaining an equal ratio of “browns” (examples include dead leaves, branches, twigs, paper, or cardboard) to “greens” (including food scraps, grass clippings, vegetable peelings, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds), your compost will decompose into healthy, nutrient-rich soil that can be used as fertilizer in your garden, flower beds, or lawn.
Learn more, including a guide to backyard composting, at CalRecycle.
If you don’t have space for outdoor compost, you can buy a special indoor composting bin and compost anyways! Your local hardware store, gardening store, or plant nursery likely carries indoor composting containers.
Learn how to make your own indoor worm composting bin, courtesy of the EPA.