200 things you can compost in and around the home

200 things you can compost in and around the home

One of the major contributors to climate change is our irresponsible waste management. Every year tons and tons of waste fill up landfills, releasing toxic gases that are detrimental to our well-being and that of the environment. When food waste, for example, goes to the landfill, it decomposes anaerobically, that is, with low oxygen levels, creating methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that efficiently absorbs heat in the earth’s atmosphere. Composting revitalizes the soil and helps the environment by reducing methane emissions from landfills. And what’s more? there are over 200 things in and around the home that you can compost, thereby playing your part in helping the environment.

Compost isn’t limited to tossing grass clippings or autumn leaves. Cereal boxes, sesame seeds, stale pretzels, used masking tape, pits from mangos and avocados and even white glue – yes, white glue – are some of the things that can go into your compost pile.

So, what are you waiting for? Take advantage of this room by room compilation of compostable things and make a difference.

Contents

Garage

  1. Dustpan contents
  2. Natural fiber rugs
  3. Pencil shavings
  4. Power tool manuals
  5. Ruined jeans
  6. Sawdust (in moderation)
  7. Used masking tape
  8. Latex gloves
  9. Matches
  10. Twine and rope made from natural fibers
  11. Cardboard boxes
  12. Burlap sacks
  13. Unpainted sheetrock
  14. Wood chips (in moderation)
  15. Sea sponges

Bedroom

  1. Aquarium plants
  2. Cotton clothes
  3. Paper mache
  4. Stale cookies
  5. Flat soda
  6. Paper lunch bags
  7. Chewing gums
  8. Linen bed sheets
  9. Pizza crust
  10. Wool socks
  11. Linen bed sheet

Kitchen

  1. Teabags can go into your compost. However, they must be made of materials like cotton or hemp. If they are made of rayon or synthetic materials, open it and compost the tea leaves alone.
  2. Corn husks
  3. Sesame seeds
  4. Eggshells: because eggshells can be attractive to scavengers like raccoons and rats, it must be properly washed before it goes into your open compost pile. Unwashed eggshells can be used only if you have a closed compost bin
  5. Spoiled tomato paste or pasta sauce
  6. Old oatmeal
  7. Fruits and vegetable scraps (banana peels, avocado peels, etc.)
  8. Stale pretzels
  9. Chocolate chip cookies
  10. All nutshells except walnut
  11. Used paper napkins
  12. Moldy cheese is compostable but must be used in moderation
  13. Pits from mangos, avocados, and pitches
  14. Melted ice cream
  15. Stale wine and beer
  16. Spoiled tofu and tempeh
  17. Muffin cups/ Paper cupcakes
  18. Peanut shells
  19. Sunflower seeds
  20. Stale pizza
  21. Soggy salad
  22. Popcorn kernels
  23. Used paper bags (are compostable but ensure they are shredded before it goes into your compost)
  24. Coffee grounds
  25. Spoiled almond/coconut/rice/soy milk
  26. Loose leaf tea.
  27. Cooked rice
  28. Paper tablecloth
  29. Onions skins ( in moderation)
  30. Soup
  31. Citrus rinds
  32. Cooked pasta
  33. Stale crackers
  34. Stale candy (must be chopped or crushed)
  35. Avocado pits (they must be chopped off to avoid sprouting)
  36. Winter rye
  37. Tofu
  38. Potato peels
  39. Crab/Shrimp/Lobster shells
  40. Stale tortillas, pitas or bread.
  41. Cardboard boxes from pasta can go into your compost but they must be shredded properly.
  42. Old herbs and spices
  43. Stale pretzels
  44. Stale energy bars
  45. Tempeh
  46. Cardboard boxes from cereal(must be shredded)
  47. Wine corks (they must be chopped up so it decomposes faster)
  48. Toothpicks

Den

  1. Cigar stub
  2. Cooled fireplace ash
  3. Christmas tree
  4. Content of vacuum cleaner bag
  5. Organic tobacco waste
  6. Stale beer
  7. Dust bunnies
  8. Brewery waste
  9. Wrapping paper roll
  10. Natural silk curtains
  11. Rotting Halloween pumpkin
  12. Christmas trees
  13. Dust bunnies
  14. Wrapping paper roll(not coated)

Bathroom

  1. Gauze
  2. Non-sticky labels
  3. Dryer lint
  4. Toenail clippings
  5. Hair, human or otherwise
  6. Toilet paper roll
  7. Used tissues
  8. Loofahs that are made with organic materials
  9. Cardboard tampon applicators
  10. Cotton towels
  11. Cotton sanitary pads (must be 100% cotton)
  12. Cotton balls
  13. Latex condoms
  14. Tatami mat
  15. Used fabric softener sheets
  16. Used tissues
  17. Wine corks (they must be chopped up so it decomposes faster)
  18. Toothpicks

Study/ Home Office

  1. Leather wallets
  2. ATM receipts
  3. Leather watch bands
  4. Non-glossy business cards
  5. Non-glossy junk mail
  6. Post-it notes
  7. Tickets stub
  8. Stale nutrition/protein bars
  9. Confetti from a three-hole puncher
  10. Envelopes (remove plastic window)
  11. White glue
  12. Paperback books
  13. Newspaper: Black and white newspaper are perfectly safe to compost. Some colored newspapers/magazines, on the other hand, are coated in a thin layer of wax and may not compost well. Be sure to shred it to speed up its composting process.

Garden/Backyard

  1. Dead houseplants
  2. Hemp baskets
  3. Holiday wreaths
  4. Bamboo
  5. Chicken manure
  6. Ground cover
  7. Acorn shells
  8. Moss
  9. Gardening gloves made of recyclable materials
  10. Horse manure
  11. Hayweed
  12. Old compost
  13. Potash rock
  14. Straw
  15. Old cotton sheets and towel
  16. Tree bark
  17. Silkworms cocoons
  18. Fresh/dried flowers
  19. Dead houseplants
  20. Hemp baskets
  21. Used tissues
  22. Stale catnip
  23. Sod (must be broken into clumps)
  24. Twigs/small branches
  25. Crepe paper steamers
  26. Worms
  27. Dead flies
  28. Vines (pea, tomato, grape, etc.)
  29. Dead houseplants
  30. Wood skewers
  31. Fresh/dried flowers
  32. Leather gardening gloves
  33. Algae
  34. Dead critters
  35. Fallen bird’s nest
  36. Garden snail shells
  37. Feathers
  38. Yarn scraps
  39. Hay bales
  40. Ground cover
  41. Grass clippings
  42. Hayweed
  43. Trimmed plant leaves
  44. Wine corks, which must be chopped up so it decomposes faster
  45. Toothpick

 

Others items around the house

Apart from the items mentioned above, there are other things within the house that are certainly compostable. They include:

  1. Sawdust that has not been painted, treated or stained
  2. Dead autumn leaves
  3. Pond mud
  4. Stickers and labels
  5. Latex balloons
  6. Non-coated juice boxes
  7. Jell-O
  8. Reptile cage lining
  9. Burned oatmeal
  10. Maggots
  11. Flour
  12. Kids’ homework
  13. Pencil shavings
  14. Food-soiled paper
  15. Chopsticks
  16. Tobacco
  17. Fish-bait pellets
  18. Cattail reeds
  19. Clover
  20. Snow
  21. Artichoke hearts
  22. Woolen socks
  23. Dead flies and bees
  24. Wedding bouquet
  25. Granite dust
  26. Guinea-pig droppings
  27. Urine
  28. Grocery receipt
  29. Horsehair
  30. Rhubarb stems
  31. Dried jellyfish
  32. Envelopes from greeting cards
  33. Corn cubs
  34. Birdcage droppings
  35. Papier mâché
  36. Subscription cards from magazines, which must be shredded so it breaks down easily.

 

And there you have it a list of 200 things you can compost around the home! Let get COMPOSTING!