Home composting isn't just for farmers anymore! The practice is becoming increasingly popular among ...

1. 80+ items you can compost
Home composting isn't just for farmers anymore! The practice is becoming increasingly popular
among urban environmentalists who are eager to cut their landfill contributions: from apartment
dwellers growing gardens on top of NYC roofing, to folks who participate in their local municipal
compost program, to homeowners looking to turn their backyards into a teeny tiny sustainable city
farms. Composting is a key component of the eco-friendly puzzle, because it takes waste that's
destined for landfills and turns it into usable, nutrient-rich soil, which is perfect for gardening. Most
people focus on kitchen scraps, but that's just the very tip of the composting iceberg. Did you know
you could also include the following?
Dryer lint
"Dust bunnies"
The insides of a vacuum bag (just empty the bag into the compost bin)
The contents of your dustpan (just use discretion)
Coffee grounds
Coffee filters
Tea bags/loose leaf tea
Soy/rice/almond/etc milk
Nut shells (but not walnut, which may be toxic to plants)
Pumpkin/sunflower/sesame seeds (chop them to ensure they won't grow)
11. Avocado pits (chop them up so they won't sprout)
12. Pickles
13. Stale tortilla chips/potato chips
14. Stale crackers
15. Crumbs (bread or other baked goods)
16. Old breakfast cereal
17. Bran (wheat or oat, etc)
18. Seaweed/nori/kelp
19. Tofu/tempeh

2. 20. Frozen fruits and vegetables
21. Expired jam or jelly
22. Egg shells
23. Old, moldy "soy dairy" and other dairy substitutes
24. Stale Halloween candy and old nutrition/protein bars
25. Popcorn kernels (post-popping, the ones that didn't make it)
26. Old herbs and spices
27. Cooked rice
28. Cooked Pasta
29. Oatmeal
30. Peanut shells
31. Booze (beer and wine)
32. Wine corks
33. Egg cartons (not Styrofoam)
34. Toothpicks
35. Q-tips (not the plastic ones)
36. Bamboo Skewers
37. Matches
38. Sawdust
39. Pencil shavings
40. Fireplace ash (fully extinguished and cooled)
41. Burlap sacks
42. Cotton or wool clothes, cut into strips
43. Paper towels
44. Paper napkins

3. 45. Paper table cloths
46. Paper plates (non wax- or plastic-coated)
47. Crepe paper streamers
48. Holiday wreaths
49. Balloons (latex only)
50. Raffia fibers (wrapping or decoration)
51. Excelsior (wood wool)
52. Old potpourri
53. Dried flowers
54. Fresh flowers
55. Dead houseplants (or their dropped leaves)
56. Human hair (from a home haircut or saved from the barber shop)
57. Toenail clippings
58. Trimmings from an electric razor
59. Pet hair
60. Domestic bird and bunny droppings
61. Feathers
62. Fish food
63. Aquatic plants (from aquariums)
64. Dog food
65. Rawhide dog chews
66. Ratty old rope
67. The dead flies on the windowsill
68. Pizza boxes and cereal boxes (shredded first)
69. Toilet paper and paper towel rolls (shredded first)
70. Paper muffin/cupcake cups

4. 71. Cellophane bags (real cellophane, not regular clear plastic)
72. Kleenex (including used)
73. Condoms (latex only)
74. Old loofas (real, not synthetic)
75. Cotton balls
76. Tampon applicators (cardboard, not plastic) and tampons (including used)
77. Newspaper
78. Junk mail
79. Old business cards (not the glossy ones)
80. Old masking tape
81. White glue/plain paste.
Happy composting, everyone. Please tell us what YOU compost!
Sayward Rebhal writes for Networx. Get home garden ideas like this on Networx.
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