Here's my stupid experience. Being the moron that I am, I bought a really cheap compost bin from Costco that is made of plastic (duh). I do live near a protected wooded area, so naturally, a hungry critter munched its way through one of the corners of the bin, and the bin has become his/her favorite haunt (apparently I'm providing an appealing breakfast/lunch/dinner menu). I think maybe it's a vole (I haven't caught the animal in the act), but in any case I've tried a few harmless things to deter the animal: Tabasco sauce diluted in water, cat hairs, cat/dog doo, blocking the hole with a stone. Nothing has worked, and I've just temporarily given up, while the critter fattens up. I discontinued putting scraps in the compost, and am just going to throw the bin out, since it's a useless piece of crap. It's disappointing; I really wanted that "black gold" for my garden, and had put a lot of time into feeding it the proper balanced amount of nitrogen/carbon over the fall/winter. Incidentally, the little critter also decided the bin was a bathroom as well as a fine restaurant, because calling cards were left all over the surface of the compost pile. So much for that saying about sh*tting where you eat.

My brother built a proper compost bin; three bins--one for nitrogen materials, one for carbon materials, and one to mix them both to create decomposition (or something like that). Unfortunately, my husband and I don't have the ability to build one if we tried, we're both about as handy as a rock. So Plan B is to buy and use a sturdy garbage can made of metal and poke holes in it. I think I saw a show on tv that said you can lower the can into a hole in the ground, that way it's hidden and not an eye sore  (and perhaps worms can move in and out of it to help decomposition?). In any case, a bungy cord strapped across the top of the lid/handles helps to keep the critters out.

When I first started to learn about composting, I read a helpful book called Smith & Hawken: Hands on Gardener: Composting.

Also, for help resolving wildlife conflicts using humane methods, these two books are informative: Wild Neighbors by the HSUS and Living with Wildlife.

If there is a wildlife rescue/rehabilitation center near you, you could maybe give them a call for advice on how to deter animals from your compost as well. In any case, I wish you luck in your composting endeavor!

Composting doesn"t have to be complicated.  It just depends on how fast you want your scraps to decompose and how much smell you can deal with!  If you don't introduce oxygen into your compost it takes longer to break down and will have stronger odor.  You can buy some decent compost containers though that animals can't chew through and my family was always more of the "throw it in the container and forget about it until we turn over the garden next spring" mentality so you don't HAVE to be extremely vigilant!

You could also try a vermicompost (AKA a worm compost) which you would be able to keep inside, avoiding the whole attracting animals issue and increasing the speed at which your food would decompose.  Here's a couple links about worm composting that I found using Google:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermicompost
http://www.cityfarmer.org/wormcomp61.html
http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/worm-compost.html

Wow thanks for that info on vermiculturing!  That is totally interesting...  I am going to think about doing that.    :)

Just be careful, you'll get really attached to your worms. They'll call you the crazy worm lady across the street.  ;D :P

I don't think I would really mind if my SUV-driving, non-recycling, meat-eating, anti-tree-hugger, republican neighbors thought I was crazy!!!
I think the same thing about them!!!  Ha ha....   :o

I know all of mine (same as your list) think I'm crazy! I "like" that!
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Oh honey, once you get a rep for being highly excentric, you can do as you like and get away with it! Suddenly your life becomes very free. I remember as a child we had 2 resident eccentrics in my town, an old man who walked with 2 canes and wore all the clothes he owned, all of the time (he was known as Pockets) and a woman who was known as "the old coot in the raincoat" because she wore it winter and summer, night and day. After Pockets' death the obituary revealed he had been a college professor of some reknown back East and had decided to give it all the push and do as he liked. Dave, you would have liked the "coot lady", she was our resident cat-lady and animal rights defendant waaay before that was popular.
I wear odd socks, I don't eat meat, I quote films in three languages from memory as part of conversations, and attend (and occasionally preach in ) a Protestant church in a Catholic country--a most eccentric person!  :D :D

Kendrakat - Did you notice there is a whole section on composting on this website? I just noticed it after reading your post. It's on the left hand of the Q&A page under the recipe picture.