One of the big benefits of making or using organic compost is that you really can't overuse it in your garden. Traditional fertilizers have to be carefully measured and applied to your lawn and garden because if they are overused, they can cause more harm than good. But with compost, you can be very liberal about piling it on top of the soil and raking it in, with no worries about harmful effects. So if you have a lot of compost, use it up -- your garden will thank you for it.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Whether you compost at home or bring your compostables to a collection site, do one thing: Remove any produce stickers. Almost all stickers that have a bar code for scanning are made from plastic, and plastic does not break down into compost. You can remove the stickers when you first bring produce home, or do this: Buy fruits and vegetables that don't have stickers on them to begin with. That's actually one more reason to support your local farmers markets over chain supermarkets.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Many of us look for cans with no BPA lining when buying beans, soups and vegetables. But when it comes to tomatoes, even BPA-free cans can still have a chemical lining, since tomatoes are so acidic. When shopping for packaged tomatoes, look beyond cans for packaging called Tetra Paks, which are cardboard containers that are BPA-free and recyclable. And if you can't find Tetra Paks, look for good old-fashioned glass; most health food stores carry tomatoes in glass jars.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION