25 Things You CAN Compost You Never Thought About
Image via Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture
Composting is relatively easy, and most of us know that fruit and vegetable scraps, leaves and grass are excellent compost material. However, there are some things in almost every home that you can add to your compost pile that may surprise you. Let’s take a look at 25 things you can toss in the compost I bet you never thought of!
In the Kitchen:
- Pizza crusts (and the boxes they come in- ripped into small pieces)
- Plain, cooked pasta and rice
- Stale bread, cereal and crackers
- Crumbs
- Old, out-of-date herbs and spices
In the Bath:
- Cotton balls and swabs (the swabs must be cardboard instead of plastic)
- Fingernail clippings
- Used tissues
- Toilet tissue rolls
- Hair (when you clean out your hairbrush)
In the Laundry Room:
- Dryer lint
- Old cotton or wool clothing (cut into smaller pieces)
- All Around the House:
- Fireplace/barbecue grill ashes
- Shredded newspapers
- Used matches
- Dead houseplants/clippings
- Wrapping paper tubes
- Crepe paper
- Jack o’ lanterns
- Christmas trees (chip them first)
From Your Pet:
- Feathers or fur
- Droppings from hamsters, mice, gerbils (also their bedding)
- Fish food
- Hay
- Uneaten dry dog/cat food
Starting a good compost pile is as easy as taking a look around your home. The longer you grow your compost, the more likely you are to think before throwing something out- and that can really benefit the environment.
