February 3, 2012

What Can & Can't be Composted

As I look into restarting composting, it seems like a great time to post a list of what can and can't be composted.  When I used to compost, I was a vegetarian, so it was super easy to know what to compost:  leftovers.  Done.  Now that we eat omnivorously (yum!) it's a little more complicated.  so. . .here we go.
As always, chop everything down to large diced size to get it to compost faster. Big stuff takes forever, little stuff is surprisingly fast, so make everything really small.



Can Compost Can't Compost
grasses, moss, straw
(you get the idea)
oil
seaweed, nori, bread products
(some plain pasts in small amounts is ok)
ashes plants with fungus or diseases
rinse water
(not a lot, this is best for watering plants)
milk products
moldy cheese in small amounts is ok
cardboard printed/colored cardboard/paper
hulls of seeds walnuts
coffee grounds remains of treated wood
(sawdust from treated wood, plywood, etc)
corn cobs invasive species (weeds, mint, kudzu, etc)
dryer lint used personal products (anything with human fluids is a risk)
green materials (vegetable scraps, grass cutings, prunings metal cans
herbivore manure and bedding fish
tea bags and leaves coal/coke ash

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