Pay attention when making the perfect combination of trash scraps for your compost bin. You should have alternating layers of 'brown' items like dried leaves, paper towels, cardboard, newspaper and straw, and 'green' items like fruit and veggie peels and scraps and leaves from houseplants. Avoid adding cooked foods, meat and grease. Chop up both brown and green items, and keep mixture moist to speed up the process.