I’m worried that this will scare off potential new composters, as it includes a lot of complicated rules and a decent amount of labor. Composting is definitely a case of “don’t let perfect be the enemy of good”!

If your main goal is to cut down on food scraps and other plant matter in the garbage bin, you really do not need to follow this many rules and procedures. You can definitely toss all plant matter and eggshells in a container or pile, throw in any brown paper that comes your way (it’s often used in lieu of Styrofoam in online orders nowadays, but there’s also cardboard egg cartons, brown paper bags, etc, and don’t forget fallen leaves in autumn!), occasionally stir it up (or not), and come out the other end with something that might not be ideal compost, but you’ll have at least dramatically reduced the amount of food waste that ended up in your trash can.

I avoided composting for years because I didn’t think I had the right materials, space, mix of ingredients, etc etc. I only got into it because my jump-into-projects-headfirst spouse one day built a compost bin. Composting is also best learned while doing, and trying to get it all right from day one is a recipe for failure!