We compost, and have had no problem with the pile getting out of control, even when we are not using it.  To ensure that the matter composts properly and does decompose, you need to turn the pile weekly. However, if you are composting and not using it all, I would suggest offering some to neighbors or friends who garden... A friendly way to decrease the over use of chemical fertilizers.

We do strive to use our compost in our gardens - it's a great way to fertilize naturally. We've found that using it in areas where the grass is thin, then reseeding, has made our lawn beautiful.

We have a very, very small compost pile. We don't use it much, usually when we first plant the garden. I also like to use it when a plant is having some troubles. We just transplanted a hydrangea bush that was being crowded out by an evergreen. It went into massive shock and I thought for sure it wasn't going to survive. After about a week or two I put a couple of cups of chamomile tea at the bottom of it and watered it well and then put some compost. We've only had a few days of rain, but it's already bouncing back.

Getting back to the compost itself though, even with going out daily and putting things in the compost, it has always stayed below halfway filled. We don't turn ours very often either or keep it enclosed or anything, so I'm sure some of the rain keeps it down too. We're lazy composters, as you can tell! I think I do it more for keeping things out of the garbage than for the compost.