Compost is the by-product of the natural decomposition of organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings, weeds, and other organic matter found on residential properties. It looks just like the dark, almost black humus found just under the layer of leaves on the forest floor. Homeowners who choose to deposit accumulated yard waste in a pile in a corner of the yard and allow it to decompose on its own not only reduce the pressure on the local trash collection and landfill systems, but they also acquire this extremely valuable product that has many uses around the landscape.

Compost is the result of the activity of billions of microorganisms that break down the nitrogen and carbon in yard waste into humus. Given a supply of oxygen and some moisture these microorganisms go to work on organic materials such as leaves and grass clippings and transform them into compost. All a homeowner has to do is create an environment for them that has the raw materials--nitrogen, carbon, air and moisture. Do this by loosely dumping leaves, grass and other yard waste into a pile. Now let’s talk about piles.
Two Ways to Make Compost
There are both "active" and "passive" methods for making compost. Because serious gardeners have long known the value of compost and use it generously in their gardens, they are often anxious to produce it rapidly. They use the active method, actively managing the pile to hurry the decompostion process. This involves turning the pile of accumulated yard waste every so often to introduce more oxygen into the pile and boost the activity of the microorganisms.
However, for yardeners who are looking primarily for a method to deal with their yard waste the passive method of composting is best. It involves simply piling the materials and leaving them alone. While it takes longer to produce compost this way, it is a lot less work and the compost is just as good and in some ways better than the compost made using the “active’ method..
This web site describes how to make compost the passive way.