Background Compost has been a vital component in soil management as it helps condition the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil resource. The quality and quantity of composted materials have been found to vary with the kinds of substrates and composting methods utilized. Likewise, potential residue of toxic elements present in the substrates have been found in the composted material. This investigation aimed to determine the yield, nutrient quality, and heavy metal content of compost as influenced by carbon-rich feedstocks and composting methods. Methods The experiment had two factors - five carbon-rich feedstocks and three composting methods, arranged in a Completely Randomized Design and replicated thrice. Substrates consisting of rice straw, corn stover, grasses, kitchen wastes and sheep manure were collected and allowed to underwent decomposition process employing three methods – ordinary decomposition, vermicomposting, and vermicomposting applied with indigenous microorganism concoction. The lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) content of the feedstocks and their environments were determined before composting. During termination, compost yield was obtained. Compost samples were analyzed for total nitrogen (%N), phosphorus (%P2O5), potassium (%K2O), and heavy metals (ppm Pb and Cd). Results Results showed that lower concentration of Pb and Cd was detected in the plant-based feedstocks compared to their soil environment. The level of Pb in the feedstocks followed this sequence of decreasing order: sheep manure > grasses > kitchen wastes > corn stover > rice straw. The declining level of Cd in the feedstocks had this order: kitchen wastes > grasses > corn stover > sheep manure > rice straw. Vermicomposting with indigenous microorganisms (IMO) using sheep manure as feedstock yielded more compost. Utilization of kitchen wastes, sheep manure and corn stover comparably produced composts with higher N content. Ordinary composting of kitchen wastes produced compost with higher P2O5 and K2O content, comparable to vermicomposting of kitchen wastes with higher K2O content. Similarly, higher Pb content was detected in composts derived from vermicomposting of sheep manure and ordinary composting of kitchen wastes. At the same time, very low Pb concentration was recorded in composts made from rice straw, corn stover, and grasses regardless of the composting method. Meanwhile, higher Cd level was detected in compost derived from ordinary composting of kitchen wastes, while lower content was recorded in the ordinary composting and vermicomposting of rice straw. Conclusions For both Pb and Cd results, it was evident that vermicomposting effectively reduced the level of these heavy metals compared to ordinary composting. These results suggest potential feedstocks for vermicomposting to guarantee the quality and safety of amendments which enter the soil-plant continuum.