Compost needs to breathe. If it doesn't get enough air, it goes all gooey and you get anaerobic bacteria, which STINK. So you will need to put plenty of small air holes in your bin, and you will need to stir it up fairly frequently (every 3 days or so) to get air into the center. A Compost Crank or a garden augur electric drill attachment are helpful for this.

You also need the right ratio of carbon or "brown" material to nitrogen or "green" material. Generally, the ratio is 3 parts brown to 1 part green. Some examples of browns are shredded newspaper, dead leaves, wood shavings/chips, straw. Greens are fresh lawn clippings, kitchen waste, manure. Cover your greens with an adequate amount of browns and you will avoid bad smells.

Other tips: the smaller and finer your materials, the faster they will break down. I tear my banana peels into multiple strips, crush up my eggshells (I just use my hand), and put my garden waste and even my dirty chicken bedding through a small chipper/shredder before composting. It really speeds up the process. Oh, and your compost should be as damp as a wrung-out sponge. Too dry, and the bacteria can't grow well; too wet, and you get the stinky anaerobic bacteria.

Good luck, and have fun!

--Maureen