Karen,
We also use an empty coffee can but I keep a big plastic garbage can (about 30 gallons) outside the back door. At least every other day I go out and dump the coffee can and cover it with a little straw. I dig around in the can from time to time to keep it from packing down and if it seems to wet add more straw. By the time it's about half full it's starting to get heavy. I then take the garbage can and dump it into a wheel barrow and add it to our compost pile.
It's an easy system that has worked for us. It's the first system that we've actually stuck too. We've recycled our kitchen scraps this way for two years now and love it.
