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101 Things You Can Compost and The Things You Shouldn’t Compost

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July 22 by Cassie 4 Comments

101 Things You Can Compost

Composting is a wonderful practice that makes for amazing, homegrown, rich soil for gardening purposes. We want to share 101 things you can compost to reduce waste and make something beautiful!

It is easy to create compost and saves you loads of money when it is gardening time. Not to mention the fact that is it less wasteful and spend less on garbage pickup. Once you see this list, you will be surprised about the number of items you can compost. 

If you want to learn about why you should compost, we would recommend grabbing some books on composting from the library or on Amazon. 

101 Things You Can Compost

  1. Paper products like napkins, tissues, toilet paper, paper towels and paper plates. Used is fine for most instances depending on what it is used for, so use discretion. (except toilet paper – just flush that! LOL) 
  2. Freezer-burned foods like fruits, vegetables and breads
  3. Burlap 
  4. Coffee grinds and paper coffee filters
  5. Pet hair
  6. Paper like Post-it notes, computer paper, old mail, cardstock, lined notebook paper, newspapers, etc. 
  7. Wood chips
  8. Hay 
  9. Popcorn (unpopped too)
  10. Beans (dried and cooked)
  11. Old and expired spices
  12. Pine needles
  13. Leaves
  14. Yard clippings
  15. Seaweed and kelp
  16. Farm animal manure (like cow, rabbit, sheep, chicken, etc.)
  17. Herbs, including old/dried up
  18. Grass clippings
  19. Vegetable peelings and waste from any vegetable (Potato peelings, celery ends, lettuce ends, stems, etc.)
  20. Weeds
  21. Stale bread
  22. Wood ashes
  23. Sawdust from untreated wood
  24. Tea bags and grounds
  25. Egg shells
  26. Dead and unharvested remain plants and clippings from previous gardening (except diseased)
  27. Alfalfa
  28. Citrus fruit rinds and peels
  29. Banana peel
  30. Other fruit wastes 
  31. Apple peels and cores (although homemade apple cider vinegar would be better use of these)
  32. Houseplant trimmings
  33. Grape vines
  34. Garden soil
  35. Corncobs (takes a long time to decompose)
  36. Jell-o (gelatin)
  37. Spanish moss
  38. Fish meal
  39. Aquarium plants
  40. Wheat straw
  41. Peat moss
  42. Tree bark
  43. Flower petals
  44. Pumpkin/sunflower seeds and other stale/old roasted seeds 
  45. Dead flower arrangements
  46. Stale potato chips
  47. Nut shells
  48. Cattail reeds
  49. Clover
  50. Straw
  51. Shredded cardboard
  52. Outdated yogurt
  53. Shrimp shells
  54. Crab shells
  55. Lobster shells
  56. Leather wallets, watchbands and belts (cut out the plastic and metal parts)
  57. Onion skins
  58. Watermelon and other melon rinds
  59. Date pits
  60. Olive pits
  61. Peanut shells
  62. Oatmeal (cooked, raw, stale, old, etc.)
  63. Lint from clothes dryer
  64. Bread and pizza crusts
  65. Wooden toothpicks
  66. Small wood pieces, dust and clippings (from untreated wood)
  67. Nuts and nut shells (EXCEPT walnuts)
  68. Flour of all kinds (wheat, white, corn)
  69. Moss from last year’s hanging baskets
  70. Stale breakfast cereal
  71. Pickles
  72. Pencil shavings
  73. Wool socks
  74. Artichoke leaves
  75. Old salad (without dressing)
  76. Brown paper bags
  77. Burned toast
  78. Feathers
  79. Animal fur
  80. Coconut hull fiber
  81. Dead insects
  82. Horse hair
  83. Fish bones
  84. Produce trimmings
  85. Thin cardboard like from cereal boxes, boxed foods, etc. (shred it)
  86. Stale/old crackers and pretzels
  87. Non foam egg cartons
  88. Bamboo skewers
  89. Natural old loofahs and bath sponges 
  90. Old cotton and wool clothing cut in small strips/pieces
  91. Stale pretzels
  92. Wine corks
  93. Dead houseplants and their soil (except diseased)
  94.  Natural potpourri
  95. Ashes from the fireplace, barbecue grill, or outdoor fire pit
  96. Wrapping paper rolls
  97. Paper table cloths
  98. Crepe paper streamers
  99. Jack o’ Lanterns and hay bales from fall decor
  100. Natural and real Christmas and holiday decor like  wreaths, Christmas tree (majorly chopped up!) and evergreen garlands.
  101. Our personal favorite….homework and bills! 

After reading this list, you can find that there are so many things you probably throw away each day that would make for great items in your compost. Stop throwing them away and make something useful. 🙂

We have a corner sectioned off by logs in our backyard where we throw our compost items. We will “mix” it up and let it rot into something great for the garden! 

Along with the 101 things you should compost, we also wanted to share with you things you shouldn’t compost as they are dangerous and can create a breeding ground for bad bacteria instead. 

Mother Nature Network has put out a list of the 30 things you shouldn’t compost. At first, some of the items on our list might look like they conflict, but read the “do and don’t” lists carefully to identify the differences. 

The 30 Things You Shouldn’t Compost HERE

See more gardening ideas HERE

101 Things To Compost

Filed Under: DIY Projects, Gardening, Gardening, Outdoors

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lex

    I am so glad someone has this list because I am always wondering what I can actually put out for compose!

    Reply
    • Cassie

      I love lists! LOL I hope you find this helpful and make some amazing compost in the process. 🙂

      Reply
  2. AdamJohnson23

    These rules speak for your understanding of propagation, I have tried it and feel that your methods are very helpful and can propagate for better plants:https://www.couponxoo.com/400-robux-gift-card-code

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth

    Composting is a safe and versatile way to recycle waste. In addition to organics, biodegradable plastic compostable packaging is now being created, which also reduces the amount of waste.

    Reply

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