compost pile...

[nick]

I usually throw all my oranges, egg whites and shells and other fruits into a compost pile. Wow, since I started throwing my fruit in there, the smell is so much stronger! The place is swarming with flies, ants, and some bees. I took a pitchfork and opened up a hole and saw tons of maggots and worms. Wow.

Anyways, my mom has so many frozen meats and foods that I think I'll put in the compost pile. Is there anything I need to do to ensure optimum break-down of the foods? I heard there was some sort of chemical that speeded up the process, but I'm clueless about that sorta' thing.

I would hate to throw all the food away and see it rot in landfill.

[BlueFrog]

What are you using the compost pile for? To garden? You don't use meat or bones in a compost pile, just vegetable matter. Animal matter takes much longer to decompose and is much, much smellier (think of what dead bodies smell like). Meat scraps also will attract stray dogs, cats, and other animals. And, sometimes the meat becomes diseased before it decomposes and that disease continues to live and grow in your pile as you keep adding fresh animal matter.

There are lots and lots of sites with guidelines for composting and tips on how to get started. You can find some here:

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/backyard/Compost.html
http://www.compostguide.com/