As a former Whole Foods employee, I always struggle when I walk up to just a trash can. I find myself in a nauseating ethical dilemma about how long I should carry around my plastic salad container with leftover broccoli slaw that I didn't eat. Truthfully, planet earth doesn't always win in this dilemma but I digress.
Any good sustainable household should really have 3 different "trash" receptacles. The first two obvious options are trash and recycling. The third receptacle should be for composting. If you live in New York City, you can drop off your compost weekly at your local farmer's market.
I keep my compost receptacle in my freezer. What's great about this especially in the intense heat of summer is that my trash doesn't smell and the local mice/roaches/ pigeons can't access your food scraps. And... you've got a great excuse to get your ass out of bed on Saturday morning, go for a walk, and buy some fresh produce.
So, there you have it. Composting=easy. For other guidelines and tips on what to compost, visit:http://www.grownyc.org/compost.
If you're the type of person that thinks throwing out kale stems is wasteful, I highly recommend http://www.purplekale.com/. The woman that runs these cooking classes will teach you how to use every single inch of your produce.