What can you compost?
When most people think about composting they think about fruits, veggies, coffee grounds, and yard waste. It may surprise you how much beyond those common items can also be turned into compost. It very much depends on the type of composting method you are using. Let’s go over some common composting methods, and the type of items that can be added to them.
Backyard Home Pile
When creating your own compost at home, it’s super important to understand the key ingredients to get the black gold you are trying to achieve. The main ingredients are carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and water.
You can get your nitrogen from your fruits & veggies scraps along with egg shells, coffee grounds, and grass clippings. You should stay away from including items like meats, bones & dairy since they require sustained hot temperatures to break down safely and to avoid pests and rodents.
You can get your carbon from leaves, shredded paper, and untreated saw dust. Just be sure not to use cedar or walnut, as they wood types of naturally resistant to rotting.
Oxygen is incorporated into the process when you are turning and flipping the pile.
Water is naturally added when adding your food scraps but if your pile is particularly try be sure to add a little bit of water to make it moist.
Commercial Composting
This composting method generally has the largest list of items that can be accepted. Since the compostables here are broken down in an industrial setting, there are controls in place to ensure proper temperature and maintence to break down materials quickly and safely.
You typically can get access to a commercial composting facility via a composting collection service or local drop-off collection site. Check out directory to see if there are any options in your area.
You can compost ALL types of food. This includes meats, bones, & dairy. You will want to check with the particular composting facility if they have any restrictions. For example, some will reject raw meat.
In addition, most of these facilities are able to accept items that are commercially compostable. This includes your cups & utensils that say they are compostable (NOT biodegradable— learn more!) along with some other items you probably didn’t even know like fiber clamshells & napkins.
In Summary
Some studies show that up to 60% of your waste can be diverted from landfills and composted instead. As more food service establishments and packaging companies switch from petroleum-based packaging to compostable packaging you should expect that number to jump. We encourage you to look up different options in your area to see what will work best for your lifestyle.
