| Can I Compost? |
Yes/No |
Comments |
| Hair, human or animal |
Yes |
GREEN/NITROGEN but may be slow to degrade |
| Grass clippings |
Yes |
GREEN/NITROGEN may compact add with bulky items |
| Manure from herbivores (vegetarian)(e.g., horse or
cow manure, rabbit droppings) |
Yes |
GREEN/NITROGEN, but do not use if animal is sick |
| Rotten fruit & vegetables |
Yes |
GREEN/NITROGEN may compact due to wetness, add with
dry bulky brown/carbon items |
| Coffee grinds, including filter |
Yes |
GREEN/NITROGEN |
| Tea bags |
Yes |
GREEN/NITROGEN |
| Citrus, e.g. oranges, grapefruit, lemons,
tangerines |
Yes |
GREEN/NITROGEN must cut in ½ or ¼ before
composting. Mix with browns & add 6 inch layer of browns on top. |
| Leaves |
Yes |
BROWN/CARBON |
| Wood chips and pieces |
Yes |
BROWN/CARBON - a good source of bulky items. |
| Straw |
Yes |
BROWN/CARBON - a good source of bulky items. |
| Sawdust (from un-treated wood) |
Yes |
BROWN/CARBON very high in carbon. |
| Newspaper |
Yes |
BROWN/CARBON must shred it before composting |
| Landscape trimmings (cut to sizes less than
2") |
Yes |
BROWN/CARBON also a good source of bulky items. |
| Wet paper |
Yes |
BROWN/CARBON Break up into small pieces, or make a
wet slurry and turn it (mix) into the compost |
| Paperboard, e.g. cereal boxes, paper plates, and
napkins. |
Yes |
BROWN/CARBON Break up into small pieces, or make a
wet slurry and turn it (mix) into the compost |
| Egg shells |
Yes |
Adds calcium |
| Banana Leaves |
No/Maybe |
Very tough to break down, must cut into small pieces
to compost |
| Palm Fronds |
No/Maybe |
Very tough to break down, must cut into small pieces
to compost, try drying first, then chipping. |
| Dog Waste |
No/Maybe |
Composting dog waste must be done with
caution. |
| Animal by-products such as meat, chicken, lard,
bones, cheese or milk products |
NO |
This type of kitchen waste can attract vermin. |
| Pet waste (not dog or bird), non-vegetarian animals |
NO |
Might contain diseases that could be transmitted to
humans. |
| Mayonnaise, salad dressing or peanut butter |
NO |
Hard to degrade |
| Inorganic trash such as plastic, foil or metals. |
NO |
Will not break down in the compost process, instead
recycle these materials |
| Chemicals such as pesticides, gasoline, diesel or
oil. |
NO |
Potentially toxic to human health and the
environment |
| Human waste |
NO |
Might contain diseases that could be transmitted to
humans. |
