composting in the city

UndomesticNess

Are any of you city/urban dwellers that compost?  Does it smell?  Will my neighbors hate me forever?  We live in a rowhouse, so it's kinda tight quarters, but we all have our own little, narrow backyards.  Our town does have yard waste composting in the spring-fall, and we residents can get a limited amount of FREE compost and mulch (yay!), but I'm trying to figure out what to do with some food scraps other than just pitch them.

KatelynS07

We're in single family, detached home, but I have not noticed a smell coming from our compost bins. We have neighbors pretty close to us on each side and they haven't said anything about it smelling. I'd say go for it!

CDMay2006

Ours doesn't smell.  If you are careful about what you put in there (read about balancing the components) and especially make sure to manage the moisture by adding dry material and air by stirring, you probably won't have a smelly pile.  You could also consider a closed composter.

peachypear

Just be careful about what you put in. No meat, no bread/crackers. You don't want to attract vermin.

I'd start small. Also, read into worm composting, which can speed up the processes and make small batches much more effective.

SuperGreen

We live in a townhouse, and have a small strip of backyard as well.  We compost and it does not smell.  Compost piles smell when you (A) compost stuff you're not supposed to, like meat, oil, and dairy, and (B) when you have too much of one thing, like all kitchen scraps.  The rhyme is "equal parts green and brown help to break the compost down."  You can google for what qualifies as green (kitchen scraps, fresh grass clippings) and browns (dried leaves, woody material, brown paper).  If you maintain a 50/50 ratio, your pile will not smell.