WHAT CAN YOU COMPOST? 

Are you planning to start your own composed pile? Then I’m confident that you will have questions about what sort of materials you can use and that pile. Let me assure you that you have come to the right place because, today we will be discussing all that you can compost. Many of our readers have frequent questions like what should be added to the compost bucket? What can you add to the garden compost? These are vital questions and if you have the similar type of questions keep reading as we will be discussing the basic materials that you could recycle from your household and garden waste however, all organic wastes may not be safe to add to your compost pile. Let’s begin by taking a quick look at the organic waste that you could add to your compost;

  • Sawdust or wood shavings 
  • An animal manual that includes, hamsters, rabbits, horses, cows, etc.
  • Cardboard 
  • Yard waste that is free from disease 
  • Printer paper 
  • The newspaper that is black & white
  • Vegetable and fruit scraps, avocado skins, banana peels, potato peels, lettuce, coffee grounds, etc.
  • Tree leaves 
  • Grass clippings 

Certain manure will require increased consideration prior to deciding if it needs to be composted or not. These items are as follows; 

Colored newspaper – catalogs, magazines, and newspapers with color print are printed by utilizing ink that is soy-based. This ink is very safe to add to your compost. The only issue that we face here is that certain papers have a thin wax layer coat. The wax is definitely harmless however it could resist the paper from completely composting. If you have these sorts of papers and decide to utilize them then you can shred them and add them to the pile. However, I suggest to try and skip adding colored paper.

Non-veg manure – this manure is the kind of manure that is derived from animals consuming meat, for instance, pigs, cats, dogs, and even humans. It can be utilized to compose however; you should know that feces from them have pathogen spreading disease. Increasing the temperature of the compost pile is definitely important however, let me assure you that non-veg manure is definitely something you must not add to the garden compost.

Noxious weed – weeds are extremely invasive especially Canada Thistle or Creeping Charlie, but they can be utilized in your compost. You must be aware that these weeds frequently return even if there is a small piece of leftover plants. When you compost these weeds, they are very safe for your garden. 

Animal product food scraps – puttting scraps that have amounts of oil, fats, dairy, or eggs can attract scavengers that prowl in the night like possums, rats, and raccoons. Noodles, bread, and eggs are great for the compost however they could also attract the pest problems. Unless you own an outdoor composter with a sturdy lock, we do not recommend adding these products to your composting pile. 

That’s all for now and I do hope that the do’s and don’ts discussed in this article have been extremely helpful. Thanks for stopping by, happy composting!

Leave a Comment