If you’re new to composting, or considering starting, you’ll need to know what you can and cannot put into your compost pile. Many people put the wrong items into their compost pile, which can lead to an unwanted stench; which can also lead to pest problems. When done right, compost should not stink but rather will have the same odor as a rich soil or fertilizer. Here are some of the items you can (and can’t) put into your compost pile.
Fruits, Vegetables
Uneaten broccoli? Throw it in the compost. Freezer burned beans? Toss ’em in the compost. That’s right, just about any fruit and vegetable you can think of can be composted. That includes:
– Potato peelings
– Alfalfa
– Grapefruit rinds
– Grapes
– Corncobs (just cut them up into smaller pieces first, to help speed up the composting process.)
These are just a few, but any fruit or vegetable can be composted successfully. Even if it’s not on this list.
Paper Products
Yup, that’s right. A lot of your every-day paper products can be composted. This includes:
– Napkins
– Paper towel
– Coffee filters
– Tea bags
– Sunday comics
– Facial tissue (such as Kleenex)
– Cardboard
– Brown paper bags
– Shredded newspaper
However, paper products that have a plastic coating on them will not compost well. This includes items like the cardboard tote for 12 packs of soda, beer or other types of liquor and malt beverages.
Items That You Never Knew Could Be Composted
You might be surprised at what you can compost successfully. Items that can be composted (but are often forgotten,) include:
– Cotton or wool rags
– Vacuum cleaner lint or dryer lint
– Crushed eggshells (but not the egg whites or egg yolks)
– Fireplace ash, ash from outdoor fire pits
– Nut shells
– Grass and yard trimmings
– Dog or cat fur
– Your hair, either from your head or your legs, armpits or face (slightly gross, strange, but true!)
– Wood products such as wood chips, toothpicks, sawdust or even used matches
– Toenail and fingernail clippings
– Bread
– Tofu
– Dust bunnies
– Worn leather watch bands
– Pizza Boxes
– Saltine crackers
– 100% cotton, cotton balls
– Flower arrangements, including wedding bouquets
– Crepe paper
– Real Christmas trees
– Used small animal (hamster, gerbil, rabbit, etc) bedding
Other Items That Can’t Be Composted
Unfortunately, one of the biggest causes of a smelly compost pile is putting in an item that shouldn’t be there. This includes:
– Egg yolks and egg whites
– Raw meat and cooked meat of any kind (fish, poultry, beef, pork)
– Dairy products (yogurt, milk, cheese)
– Fats, lards, oils and grease leftover from cooking.
– Charcoal or coal ash
– Diseased houseplants (diseases can spread into the compost, causing issues and attracting more unwanted pests)
– Glossy magazines or glossy ads from print newspapers
– Cat litter
– Dog feces, cat feces
– Pesticide treated yard trimmings or house plants
This list is only a small sampling of what can (and cannot) be composted. It should help you get started, but whenever you’re about to throw something into the trash, ask yourself: ‘can this be composted?’ Then, check it out. You’ll be surprised at what you can compost.
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Additional Information:
EcoCycle.org: Composting Made Simple
Discovery/Planet Green: 75 Things You Can Compost, But Thought You Couldn’t
