When considering composting, there's a big difference between institutional composting and what you might put in a bin in your backyard. At an institutional level, Vassar works with Greenway Environmental Services to compost food waste from campus. In their industrial setting, they can compost just about any kind of food waste as well as certain special compostable containers used by campus dining.

Your backyard compost pile doesn't have the same ability to break down certain items, and things like smell and attracting the interest of wildlife are much greater concerns. What you feed your backyard compost pile should fall into three categories: browns, greens, and water.

"Browns" provide carbon for your compost pile, and should be things like dead leaves, twigs, and tree branches. Paper, cardboard, and sawdust also fall into this category.

"Greens" provide nitrogen, and include most of the traditional materials you'd think to compost. Fruits and vegetables, grass clippings, and coffee grounds are some of the most common things you might compost.

As noted above, be careful with most dishware that labels itself as "compostable." Unless it explicitly says otherwise in the product information, it probably needs a high-heat industrial setting to break down, and won't biodegrade in a timely manner in your backyard.