The Sister forum, TheEasyGarden has a complete section on composting. You may find something there that will help you.
http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=36
I agree. For your circumstances, the round bin with a handle sounds like the way to go. I do the compost pile so don't really have the experience with that circular bin type, but there are some basic principles. You mix browns and greens. The brown and green has nothing to do with color. The browns are high in carbon and the greens are high in nitrogen. You need both to get a compost to work. And different things have different carbon to nitrogen ratios. You can get as technical as you wish on the carbon to nitrogen ratio or you can just play it by ear. The greens are not pure nitrogen. They contain carbon as well. The browns are not pure carbon. They contain some nitrogen.
These lists give a rough idea of what is considered green or brown. You need both, but as long as you have a general mix you will probably be OK. If it starts to stink, you may have too many greens. (Being too wet can cause it to stink too) If you have too many browns, the process can be pretty slow. But you have a wide range of "correct" mixes. I don't worry too much about getting it just right.
Green Compost Materials
Dead houseplants compost well (without thorns)
Grass clippings (watch your compost C/N ratio)
Weeds (that have not set seed or do not take root easily from stem)
Dead flower heads
Manure is excellent for compost (chicken,horse,cow)
Pet cage waste including paper (gerbils, hampsters, etc)
Kitchen vegetable scraps (buried in the compost heap to avoid attracting rodents)
Fresh water aquarium waste (algae, plants, the water if you need more moisture in your compost heap)
Eggshells (in a pinch, wash out the contents well)
Brown Compost Materials
Dried leaves (stockpile leaves for year round browns for your composting needs)
Pine needles (small amounts, mulch rest)
Straw (not hay, hay contains seeds that could grow in your compost)
Twigs (chipped)
Hedge trimmings (chipped)
Stalks (sunflower, corn)
Dried bean plants
Dry tomato and potato vine
You need to keep the mix damp but not wet. The microbes that cause the decomposition need some moisture, but if you get it wet, it goes from aerobic to anaerobic decomposition, which means it will stink.
It is a good idea to throw in a shovelful of dirt or, even better, some active compost. That will introduce the right microbes into your mix to get the process started. How fast the process works depends on your green to brown mix, keeping it damp but not wet, and how often you turn it. If you get everything absolutely perfect, you might get decent compost in a month. Most of us take several months though.
You do not need to add worms to this type of composter. If you get the mix close to right, the compost will heat up, which would kill the worms.
You'll get conflicting information on certain wastes from your kitchen. Technically you can compost meat and many other things, but they may attract flies and other vermin, such as mice or rats, or they may atttract scavengers like raccoons. A lot of people do put meat and such in their compost bins, but they generally have it contained where these things cannot get to it. I compost any vegetable matter that is not cooked in oil and I avoid meat, since I do not want to attract raccoons near my chickens. I don't claim to do it the right way. I do not consider this the wrong way. It is just my way.
Hope this helps some. Good luck!
