Composting, anyone?

So, I've never composted... ever. My family never did it growing up and up until about two and a half years ago when my husband and I bought our townhouse I'd always lived in apartments with no land on which to compost. Composting services aren't readily available where I live, so you sorta kinda need a patch of grass somewhere if you want to do it. Hubby and I by no means have a large yard, but we do have just enough to start composting. And it can only help our already pitiful law. I think it's something I want to do, but where in Sam Hill do I start?


I know I need one of these thingies:

A Garden Composter. This one is available on Amazon.com for $70 and is made of 100% recycled plastic. According to the product description, it "has a patented venting system to maintain proper temperature plus an animal resistant lid and sliding bottom door for easy, mess-free compost dispersal." We definitely need a bin that's animal-proof, as we have no fence and a Jack Russell Terrier living next door who loves to escape from her yard and play in ours.

So, what do I do with all the composting scraps before they go into the bin? Between our recycle bin and regular trash can, we don't have much floor space for a composting bin in our kitchen. And our cat has enough trouble staying out of the trash as it is (probably looking for old cat food cans) and would have a field day with a compost bin. I saw this on the HGTV Green Home 2009 special yesterday and I think it's a must-have for when we start composting:

A 1-Gallon Odor-Free Countertop Composter. You put all your composting scraps in this bin until they're ready to go to the large bin in the yard. And it goes right on your countertop or anywhere else in the kitchen. It also has a carbon filter in the lid to reduce odor. And the best part about it: it's CAT-PROOF!

It seems simple enough, but I'm still nervous. Wish me luck!