Weird Stuff You Can Compost

Some of y'all are composting out there, and that's great! I've written entire posts on composting in this blog, and it's a great thing for gardeners and environmentalists to do. 

Here's a long list of some weird, unexpected things that you can actually compost in your bin, pile or container. Just keep a few guidelines in mind. You want to make sure that these items are not soiled with animal fats, greases or oils. These things can attract "varmints."

The other thing to remember is that more surface area on an item means it will compost faster, so some of these things will require shredding, tearing up, etc. After that, just stir it into the center of your existing compost pile.

Hair — Whether it's from a human being or your pet pug-a-doodle, hair is rich in nitrogen.

Whole pumpkins — Every Halloween, my jack-o-lanterns go into the compost rather than a landfill. But you can toss entire pumpkins, squashes, melons and other large fruit into your bins. Just keep in mind that they might take a while to cook. One time I got lazy stirring my pile and a pumpkin vine sprouted out of it.

Natural fiber clothing — If it says 100% cotton, you can compost it. T-shirts, rags, denim... all of it will compost.

Beer and wine — Not that I ever have many leftovers here, but old, skunky beer or wine that's been opened too long are nitrogen-rich "starters" for your compost.

Pencil shavings

Moldy bread — Sliced or otherwise, chuck it in. Cover with compost to avoid attracting pests.

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(Above: Pumpkins, as jack-o-lanterns or whole, make great compost)

Dirty water from a tropical fishtank — Excess nitrogen from fish waste can be fatal to aquarium fish. But garden plants love them. Use this water as a liquid fertilizer for your plants, or pour it onto your compost.

Stale cereals — Forgot to seal up your Cheerios? Throw them on the pile.

Business cards — You were never gonna call that guy back anyway. Toss it on the pile.

Receipts — Provided you're sure the purchase is final.

Wine corks

Toothpicks — Wood is slow to decompose, but these small wood shavings are the perfect size.

Shells from seeds and nuts — Peanuts, pecans, sunflower seeds... use them all. Just make sure there isn't a lot of salt, as this is bad for plants.

(Above: A healthy compost pile, given the right weather, will appear to smoke.)

Anything made of latex — No questions asked!

Natural bath loofahs — The luffa begins its life as a tropical vegetable. And that means it composts.

Cotton balls — Make sure you haven't used them with anything you wouldn't want in your garden.

"Confetti" from a three-hole puncher

Ashes from wood fires — In limited quantities. Use too much and you can disturb your pH.

Paper shopping bags — One good reason to choose paper over plastic.

Dust from the vacuum cleaner — It's true there are some synthetic materials in here probably, from your carpet, but it's so small it won't make a difference.

Algae and seaweed

Used bedding from pet cages, or livestock enclosures

(Above: Aside from the usual composting fare, there's some weird stuff you might not have known you can include in your pile)

Cigar stubs — Extinguished, naturally. Nicotine is a natural bug repellent.

Toilet paper and paper towel tubes — When you're done pretending to be a samurai, that is.

Junk mail — Shred it up and put it to good use.

Cereal boxes — These things take up a lot of space in the trash can. Tear 'em up and use them as compost.

Used tissues and napkins — Again, provided you didn't use them to dab anything toxic up.

Magazines and newspapers — It's not an editorial comment. It's just compost.

Dryer lint — As with vacuum dirt, this will contain a little bit of synthetic material, but it shouldn't matter.

Tea bags

Feathers

Coffee filters — Grounds and all

Wilted flowers — From the garden or from the florist.

Cellophane — Make sure it's real cellophane, which is made of plant cellulose, and not clear plastic

Shellfish shells — Shrimp, crab, crawdads... put 'em on the pile. Good source of micronutrients like calcium and iodine

(Above: Some things you just can't compost though, like plastic sporks.)

Sawdust — Non chemical treated

Used sheets of fabric softener

Post-It Notes — Once the appointment is over.

Used masking or painter's tape

Finally, here's some stuff you CAN'T compost: Anything plastic, aluminum foil, steel wool, anything glass, anything exposed to non-latex paint, cooking oils, coated or glossy paper, dairy products, anything lined with plastic or foil, meat products, walnut shells, ashes from charcoal briquettes, manure from meat-eaters, prescription drugs