Household food-waste composting is an attractive alternative for Brazilian waste management; however, there are few programs or studies regarding the implementation or management of this small-scale process. This study investigates the performance of foodwaste composting using a simple and small-scale domestic composter. Three composting trials were conducted using food waste and wood chips in 10 L plastic bins using different filling schemes. In the first trial, the composter was filled weekly over two months. In the second, the composter was filled once with a mixture of food waste and 100% of the used wood chips from the previous trial. In the last third trial, the composter was filled with food waste and wood chips (50% of wood chips used in the second trial and 50% of untreated wood chips). The physical chemical parameters of the compost were monitored and the total coliforms and E. coli were measured. In all trials, the temperature varied between 26.7C and 46.2C throughout the process. The reduction in wet mass was 58-69%, while the reduction in dry mass was 37-61%. The pH value, the contents of carbon and nitrogen and the C/N ratio were in accordance with the values recommended in norm 25 (July, 2009) adopted by Brazil's Agriculture Ministry. Only the compost from Trial 2, which had 1900 MPN g-1total solids, did not meet the E. coli standards; this was likely due to the fact that when the temperatures did not reach the thermophilic phase, the relatively long time the waste remains in the composter allows these pathogenic microorganisms to decay naturally. ; Household food-waste composting is an attractive alternative for Brazilian waste management; however, there are few programs or studies regarding the implementation or management of this small-scale process. This study investigates the performance of foodwaste composting using a simple and small-scale domestic composter. Three composting trials were conducted using food waste and wood chips in 10 L plastic bins using different filling schemes. In the first trial, the composter was filled weekly over two months. In the second, the composter was filled once with a mixture of food waste and 100% of the used wood chips from the previous trial. In the last third trial, the composter was filled with food waste and wood chips (50% of wood chips used in the second trial and 50% of untreated wood chips). The physical chemical parameters of the compost were monitored and the total coliforms and E. coli were measured. In all trials, the temperature varied between 26.7C and 46.2C throughout the process. The reduction in wet mass was 58-69%, while the reduction in dry mass was 37-61%. The pH value, the contents of carbon and nitrogen and the C/N ratio were in accordance with the values recommended in norm 25 (July, 2009) adopted by Brazil's Agriculture Ministry. Only the compost from Trial 2, which had 1900 MPN g-1total solids, did not meet the E. coli standards; this was likely due to the fact that when the temperatures did not reach the thermophilic phase, the relatively long time the waste remains in the composter allows these pathogenic microorganisms to decay naturally. ; A compostagem domstica de resduos alimentares uma opo atraente para a gesto dos resduos no Brasil; no entanto, existem poucos programas ou estudos sobre o manejo deste processo em pequena escala. Esta pesquisa investigou o desempenho da compostagem de resduos de alimentos em uma composteira domstica, simples e de pequena escala. Trs ensaios de compostagem foram realizados com resduos de alimentos e aparas de madeira em recipientes de plstico de 10 L utilizando diferentes estratgias de preenchimento. No primeiro ensaio, a composteira foi preenchida semanalmente durante dois meses. No segundo ensaio, a composteira foi preenchida uma nica vez com uma mistura de resduos de alimento e das aparas de madeira utilizadas no ensaio anterior. No terceiro ensaio, a composteira foi preenchida com resduos de alimentos e aparas de madeiras (50% de aparas de madeira utilizados na segunda etapa e 50% de aparas de madeira no tratadas). Os parmetros fsicos e qumicos foram monitorizados e os coliformes totais e E. coli foram quantificados no composto. Em todos os ensaios, a temperatura variou entre 26,7C e 46,2C ao longo do processo. A reduo da massa mida foi de 58-69%, enquanto que a reduo da massa seca foi de 37-61%. O valor de pH, os teores de carbono e nitrognio e a relao C/N estavam de acordo com os valores recomendados na instruo normativa 25 de julho de 2009 do Ministrio da Agricultura, Pecuria e Abastecimento. Apenas o composto final do ensaio 2 no correspondeu aos padres para contagem de E. coli, com 1900 NMP g-1slidos totais. Quando as temperaturas no atingem a faixa termoflica, o tempo relativamente longo em que o resduo permanece na composteira permite que esses micro-organismos patognicos decaiam naturalmente.