30 Things You Can Compost
May 31, 2008 by Deborah Ng
Filed under Reusing and Recycling
I recently received a SoilSaver composter. I prefer a compost bin over a pile in the backyard because it’s tidier and keeps out the pests. My family always had compost heaps in the backyard so I’m well aware of the benefits.
The SoilSaver was very easy to put together and put outside on a level spot of our backyard. My son is all into it and puts even the tiniest bit of organic matter into the compost bowl to bring into the backyard. We also raked up a big pile of leaves taking up space in a corner of our backyard, and put that in the composter too.
In honor of our brand new composter, I’d like to offer up this list of things you can compost.
- Leaves
- Watermelon rinds
- Carrot peels
- Potato peels
- Pepper cores
- Apple cores
- Banana peels
- Orange and other citrus fruit peels
- Grass clippings
- Leaves
- Juice and liquid left behind from fruits and vegetables
- Vegetable water
- Coffee grinds
- Tea and tea bags
- sticks
- old plants that died after summer
- Cow and horse manure
- Egg shells
- wood chips and saw dust
- Corncobs
- Pine needles, branches and cones
- Acorns
- Newspaper
- Tofu and soybeans
- Moss
- Pits and seeds from fruit and veggies
- Bark
- Flower petals
- Toilet paper and paper towel tubes
- Junk mail
Can you think of other things to compost?
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LRN
Hair from the hair brush.
We compost the pine chip cat liter in a flowers only planting bed. Aquarium sludge goes straight to the tomato plants. Fireplace ash can also go in the compost.
natural fibres such as wool or cotton clothing
I also compost the egg cartons (non-styrofoam ones)
I throw in stale bread and breadcrumbs.
Oh, and dryer lint - goes with what jambamkin was saying about natural fibers. If you wear mostly natural fibers, dryer lint will be fine.
Shredded paper … and don’t forget to throw the coffee filter in with the grounds.
There are several biodegradable plastics out there. I believe they are indicated with a PLA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polylactic_acid). Now, having said that, a lot of PLA is made from corn and I am assuming the genetically modified kind so you may want to think about compost you are creating to put on food crops.
You could always just bury it under an ornamental plant.