With cold or slow composting, you can just pile grass clippings and dry leaves on the ground or in a bin.
This method requires no maintenance, but it will take several months to a year or more for the pile to decompose. Cold composting works well if you don’t have time to tend the compost pile at least every other day, have little garden waste, or are not in a hurry to use the compost.
Keep weeds and diseased plants out of the mix since the temperatures reached with cold composting may not be high enough to kill the weed seeds or disease-causing organisms.
Add your garden waste and kitchen scraps as it accumulates. Shredding or chopping speeds up the process. To easily shred material, run your lawn mower over small piles of weeds and trimmings. Cold composting has been shown to be better at suppressing soil-borne diseases than hot composting. Cold composting also leaves more undecomposed bits of material, which can be screened out if desired.