Compost is a little more work than just tossing it in the trash but it keeps trash out of landfills. Landfills are toxic and put methane into the air – which is very bad for the earth. So, the more we put into our composts, the better off we all are! There are so many things you can compost, you will be amazed once you start reading!

 

 

You may even wonder like we do, why we are still using plastic trash bags, when there are biodegradable and compostable bags?

Compostable Bags. Here’s a list of the approved compostable bags that most composting companies accept any that are on this list: Compostable Bag List 

and another list that is created by the Biodegradable Products Institute. 

100 Items You Can Compost

Pencil Shavings

Sticky notes (shredded)

Old business cards (shredded, as long as they’re not glossy)

The crumbs you sweep off of the counters and floors

Fruit and vegetable scraps

Egg shells (crushed)

Coffee grounds

Coffee filters

Tea bags

Loose leaf tea

Spoiled soy/rice/almond/coconut milk

Used paper napkins and paper towels

Unwaxed cardboard pizza boxes

Paper bags

Grass clippings

Dead autumn leaves

Pumpkins

Sawdust (from plain wood that has NOT been pressure-treated, stained or painted

Christmas trees

Natural holiday wreaths (chop up with pruners first)

Evergreen garlands (chop up with pruners first)

Stale bread, pitas, or tortillas

Stale tortilla chips or potato chips

Spoiled pasta sauce or tomato paste

Crumbs from the bottom of snack food packaging

Paper towel rolls (shredded)

Stale crackers

Stale cereal

Cardboard boxes from cereal, pasta, etc.

Used paper plates (as long as they don’t have a waxy coating)

Nut shells (except for walnut shells, which are toxic to plants)

Spoiled tofu and tempeh

Seaweed, kelp or nori

Unpopped, burnt popcorn kernels

Old herbs and spices

Stale pretzels

Stale candy (crushed or chopped)

Stale protein or “energy” bars

Pizza crusts

Old oatmeal

Peanut shells

Cardboard egg cartons

Stale pumpkin, sunflower or sesame seeds

Avocado pits

Wine corks

Moldy cheese

Melted ice cream

Old jelly, jam, or preserves

Stale beer and wine

Toothpicks

Bamboo skewers (break them into pieces)

Paper cupcake or muffin cups

    1. Used facial tissues
    2. Hair from your hairbrush
    3. Trimmings from an electric razor
    4. Toilet paper rolls (shredded)
    5. Old loofahs (cut up, natural only)
    6. Nail clippings
    7. 100% latex or lambskin condoms
    8. 100% cotton cotton balls
    9. Cotton swabs made from 100% cotton and 100% cardboard sticks
    10. 100% cotton hygiene products
    11. Cardboard hygiene applicators
    12. Blood
    13. Urine
    14. Dryer lint 
    15. Old cotton clothing and jeans (ripped or cut into small pieces)
    16. Cotton fabric scraps (shredded)
    17. Old wool clothing (ripped or cut into small pieces)
    18. Old cotton towels and sheets (shred
    19. Bills and other plain paper documents (shredded)
    20. Envelopes (shredded, minus the plastic window)
    21. Contents of your dustpan (pick out any inorganic stuff, like pennies and Legos)
    22. Crumbs from under your couch cushions (again, pick out any inorganic stuff)
    23. Newspapers (shredded or torn into smaller pieces)
    24. Junk mail (shredded, remove coated paper and plastic windows)
    25. Subscription cards from magazines (shredded)
    26. Burlap sacks (cut or torn into small pieces)
    27. Old rope and twine (chopped, natural, unwaxed only)
    28. Leaves trimmed from houseplants
    29. Dead houseplants and their soil
    30. Flowers from floral arrangements
    31. Natural potpourri
    32. Used matches
    33. Ashes from untreated wood burned in the fireplace, grill, or outdoor fire pits (in very small amounts)

    35.  Cat or Dog Fur

    36. roppings and bedding from your rabbit, gerbil, hamster, etc.

    37. Newspaper/droppings from the bottom of the bird or snake cage

    38. Feathers
    39. Horse, cow or goat manure
    40. Alfalfa hay or pellets (usually fed to rabbits, gerbils, etc.)
    41. Dry dog or cat food, fish pellet

     

     

    cooked past

  2.  ooked rice
  3. “Dust bunnies” from wood and tile floors 
  4. Wrapping paper rolls (cut into smaller pieces)
  5. Paper table cloths (shredded or torn into smaller pieces)
  6. Crepe paper streamers (shredded)
  7. Latex balloons
  8. Those hay bales you used as part of your outdoor fall decor