Can I Compost It?
| Material | OK to Compost? |
Nitrogen |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algae or Seaweed | Y | N | Good nutrient source. Rinse off if salty |
| Ashes: coal, charcoal, bbq | N | Contains sulphur oxides and other chemicals | |
| Ashes: untreated, unpainted wood | careful | Can make pile too alkaline, use only small amounts | |
| Cardboard | Y | C | Shred before adding. If you have a lot consider recycling it |
| Cat litter / Dog Droppings | N | May contain disease organisms; health risk | |
| Coffee Grounds & Filter | Y | N | Can be acidic |
| Compost Activator | Y | N | Not usually necessary |
| Cornstalks / Corn Cobs | Y | C | Best if mixed well with nitrogen rich material |
| Diseased Plants | careful | N | Compost pile may not get hot enough to kill disease organisms |
| Dish Water | N | Likely to contain grease, sodium and perfumes | |
| Dryer Lint | Y | C | May want to avoid perfumes and chemicals in laundry detergent |
| Eggshells | Y | Rinse and crush well, provides calcium | |
| Fish Scraps | N | Attracts animals and stinks | |
| Grass Clippings | Y | C | Don’t use if treated with herbicides and pesticides; may be best left on lawn to “grasscycle”; fluff it as you add it |
| Grease, cooked foods scraps | N | Low in nutrients; attracts animals; slows composting process | |
| Grains & Bread | N | Slow to decompose | |
| Hair | Y | N | Spread it out so no clumps |
| Leaves, dry | Y | C | Keep in balance with pile |
| Lime | N | Can stop composting process | |
| Kitchen Scraps / Peelings etc. | Y | N | Plant Material Only |
| Manure: Vegetarian Animals | Y | N | Mix well with carbon materials; compost thoroughly |
| Meat, Fat, Oil | N | Attracts animals, health risk | |
| Milk, Cheese, Yogurt | N | Best if left out | |
| Mushroom Compost | Y | Low in nutrients, but good soil builder | |
| Newspaper | Y | C | Shred and wet first, no glossy pages; may be better to recycle |
| Pine Needles & Cones | Y | C | Acidic, decompose slowly, mix well with nitrogen material |
| Plant Trimmings | Y | N | Avoid poisonous and diseased plants |
| Sawdust / Wood Shavings - untreated | careful | Use sparingly, mix well with nitrogen material | |
| Sunflower Hulls | Y | C | |
| Straw / Hay | Y | C | Pile should be hot enough to kill weed seeds |
| Weeds | careful | Avoid aggressive weeds; dry out in sun before adding to pile |
