1) All things that were once living or breathing, plant or animal, can be composted.

2) Be sure to blend nitrogen rich "Greens" (grass clippings, weeds, food wastes, etc.) with carbon-rich "Browns" (leaves, twigs, bark, etc.). Make sure "Browns" outweigh "Greens" by a 2 to 1 ratio at the least to avoid a foul odor. 

3) Keep the pile evenly moist but not consistently wet. 

4) Allow for air movement. Manually turn the pile or allow air to hit the pile from all sides. 

5) Achieving finished compost can take up to a year in a passive system (pile) or it can beachieved in about a month in a tumbler. A compost tumbler is essentially a trash can with holes in the sides that pivots on a metal fulcrum. 

6) Always introduce native soil to a compost pile. This allows introduction of native microorganisms. 

7) To speed the decomposition process, add a high-nitrogen organic fertilizer or "compost starter".