80+ items you can compost
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Home composting isn't just for farmers anymore! The practice is becoming increasingly popular among urban environmentalists who are eager to cut their landfill contributions: from apartment dwellers growing gardens on top of NYC roofing, to folks who participate in their local municipal compost program, to homeowners looking to turn their backyards into a teeny tiny sustainable city farms. Composting is a key component of the eco-friendly puzzle, because it takes waste that's destined for landfills and turns it into usable, nutrient-rich soil, which is perfect for gardening. Most people focus on kitchen scraps, but that's just the very tip of the composting iceberg. Did you know you could also include the following?
- Dryer lint
- "Dust bunnies"
- The insides of a vacuum bag (just empty the bag into the compost bin)
- The contents of your dustpan (just use discretion)
- Coffee grounds
- Coffee filters
- Tea bags/loose leaf tea
- Soy/rice/almond/etc milk
- Nut shells (but not walnut, which may be toxic to plants)
- Pumpkin/sunflower/sesame seeds (chop them to ensure they won't grow)
11. Avocado pits (chop them up so they won't sprout)
12. Pickles
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}13. Stale tortilla chips/potato chips
14. Stale crackers
15. Crumbs (bread or other baked goods)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}16. Old breakfast cereal
17. Bran (wheat or oat, etc)
18. Seaweed/nori/kelp
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}19. Tofu/tempeh
20. Frozen fruits and vegetables
21. Expired jam or jelly
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}22. Egg shells
23. Old, moldy "soy dairy" and other dairy substitutes
24. Stale Halloween candy and old nutrition/protein bars
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}25. Popcorn kernels (post-popping, the ones that didn't make it)
26. Old herbs and spices
27. Cooked rice
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}28. Cooked Pasta
29. Oatmeal
30. Peanut shells
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}31. Booze (beer and wine)
32. Wine corks
33. Egg cartons (not Styrofoam)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}34. Toothpicks
35. Q-tips (not the plastic ones)
36. Bamboo Skewers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}37. Matches
38. Sawdust
39. Pencil shavings
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}40. Fireplace ash (fully extinguished and cooled)
41. Burlap sacks
42. Cotton or wool clothes, cut into strips
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}43. Paper towels
44. Paper napkins
45. Paper table cloths
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}46. Paper plates (non wax- or plastic-coated)
47. Crepe paper streamers
48. Holiday wreaths
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}49. Balloons (latex only)
50. Raffia fibers (wrapping or decoration)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}52. Old potpourri
53. Dried flowers
54. Fresh flowers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}55. Dead houseplants (or their dropped leaves)
56. Human hair (from a home haircut or saved from the barber shop)
57. Toenail clippings
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}58. Trimmings from an electric razor
59. Pet hair
60. Domestic bird and bunny droppings
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}61. Feathers
62. Fish food
63. Aquatic plants (from aquariums)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}64. Dog food
65. Rawhide dog chews
66. Ratty old rope
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}67. The dead flies on the windowsill
68. Pizza boxes and cereal boxes (shredded first)
69. Toilet paper and paper towel rolls (shredded first)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}70. Paper muffin/cupcake cups
71. Cellophane bags (real cellophane, not regular clear plastic)
72. Kleenex (including used)
73. Condoms (latex only)
74. Old loofas (real, not synthetic)
75. Cotton balls
76. Tampon applicators (cardboard, not plastic) and tampons (including used)
77. Newspaper
78. Junk mail
79. Old business cards (not the glossy ones)
80. Old masking tape
81. White glue/plain paste.
Happy composting, everyone. Please tell us what YOU compost!
Sayward Rebhal writes for Networx. Get home & garden ideas like this on Networx.