125+ Household Items You Can Compost P

What is compostable? The answer: A LOT OF THINGS! Things you probably haven’t even thought of before.

I love composting, and it’s one of the best ways you can reduce your household waste. According the EPA a household can reduce their trash from 30-60% just by composting! Seriously, it’s one of three easy ways you can reduce your household waste by 80%.

Lots of people think their organic waste like food scraps will decompose in a landfill, but it won’t! Landfills are designed for storage not decomposition. Landfills aren’t aerated, so your organic matter is perfectly preserved living in limbo releasing methane, a greenhouse gas 30 times more powerful than carbon dioxide – YIKES.

Composting is taking food scraps, plants, and other organic matter and returning it to the earth to create a nutrient rich soil. And, it’s awesome for the planet. If you just started learning about composting be sure to check out some of my other blog posts.

blog posts on how to compost:

Now, that you know why composting is great for the environment, and you’ve picked out the perfect composting system, let’s talk about what is compostable.

There are two basic types of materials to add to your bin: Greens (nitrogen-rich) and browns (carbon-rich). You want to try and aim for a 50/50 split in your compost bin, and don’t worry about getting it exact, you’ll learn as you go.

To keep things nice and simple, I’ve constructed a list of items you can compost around the house. You can reference it whenever you start to wonder “can I compost this”?

can I compost these things anywhere?

Before we get into our big list of compostable items, it’s worth talking a little about the difference between home compostable and industrial composting. Because that’s a thing.

home compostable:

Home compostable refers to when you can simply place the item in a home compost bin with fruits and vegetables. It will break down in a tumbler, worm bin, or DIY bin you have setup at home.

You’ll often see something labeled as ‘Certified Compostable for both commercial facilities and backyard composting’ so you know that it will breakdown in your backyard bin.

commercially compostable:

Industrial and commercial composting facilities have special equipment designed to break down more difficult items like meat, dairy, fish scraps, baked goods, oils, and bioplastics. These facilities are heated which breaks things down very quickly.

These items don’t normally go in a home compost heap because they will take a really long time to break down and can attract outdoor pests.

what is compostable?

Remember that a lot of what can be composted is relative to where you’re composting it.

In the following list, I notated a few items you should save for an industrial facility or bokashi bin with an asterisk, but remember it’s always best to double check!

If you’re dropping your compost off at a farmers market or community garden, please note that they may have specific guidelines on what they do and don’t accept.

If you’re using a company or business always double check to make sure you’re adhering to their specific guidelines.

125+ household items you can compost:

The first stop is the kitchen. You’re going to have a lot of organic waste in the kitchen. Think food scraps, paper, even pizza boxes! As you’re putting many of these items in your compost bin, don’t forget to put them in small pieces.

While you absolutely can compost a pizza box, it’s not going to breakdown well whole. Rip it into small shreds before placing it in your bin for the best results.

what is compostable in the kitchen?

coffee grounds
coffee filters
loose leaf tea
some tea bags (a lot are plastic so make sure they’re certified compostable – check out these eco-friendly tea brands)
paper grocery bags
paper bags for flour and sugar
onion and garlic peels (save these to make vegetable stock before composting!)
kale stems
carrot peelings
corn husks
corn cobs
pepper seeds and stems
brussel sprout stalks
brocoli stems
citrus rinds (don’t put too many of these in your bin if you’re vermicomposting. worms don’t like them.)

strawberry tops
apple cores
banana peels
avocado pits
avocado shells (I’m not going to list out every fruit and vegetable, but you can throw any raw fruit and veg in your bin without a problem)
stale energy bars
cooked plain pasta
stale bread, pitas or tortillas
cooked plain rice
dried herbs and spices without flavor
melon rinds
spoiled nut milks like soy, almond or coconut milk
stale chips
used paper napkin
used paper towels (as long as you haven’t used any heavy chemical cleaners)
paper towel cores
stale crackers
stale cereal
burnt popcorn or unpopped kernels
stale pretzels
pizza crusts

nut shells (except walnut shells, which are toxic to plants)
old oatmeal
old jams or jellies
paper cupcake or muffin liners
stale candy (be careful of adding too much sugar as it will invite pests)
used paper plates (as long as there’s no waxy coating)
spoiled tomato paste or pasta sauce
seaweed, kelp or nori
cardboard egg cartons
parchment paper (as long as it’s not waxy, just paper)
wine corks
toothpicks
stale beer or wine (leftover wine can also be used to make homemade red wine vinegar)

bamboo skewers
seeds
cardboard boxes from pasta, cereal, etc. (just remove the plastic window)
unwaxed cardboard pizza boxes
spoiled tofu or tempeh
egg shells
dairy*
bones*
meat*
fish*
cooked foods* (you can put some cooked foods in your backyard bin, but try and limit the amount.)

what is compostable in the bathroom?

The bathroom may be the smallest room in the house but man-oh-man can it be wasteful! I’ve found one of the best ways for me to reduce my waste in the bathroom is to implement a one-in-one-out rule. So, I can’t actually bring in a new product until I run out of an old product.

Check out my blog post 15 Swaps for a Sustainable Bathroom for more tips!

hair from hairbrush
toilet paper cores
the paper wrapping that comes around your toilet paper
nail clippings
compostable floss
natural loofahs
menstrual blood
100% cotton, cotton balls
plastic-free cotton swabs (only cotton and cardboard)
100% organic cotton sanitary pads
100% organic cotton tampons (including used)
cardboard tampon applicators
used facial tissues
trimmings from razor blades
bamboo toothbrush (not the bristles, unless plant-based)
soap scraps (only from natural soaps)
100% lambskin condoms (not vegan, doesn’t protect against STIs. Natural latex condoms will eventually breakdown but it will take a LONG time.)
compostable pregnancy test

what else is compostable around the home:

Here are a few compostable items from around the home that don’t necessarily belong to any specific room.

If you’re looking for more tips on how to make your home or apartment more eco-friendly check out my guide 8 Tips for Making Your Apartment more Eco Friendly and 10 Tips for Creating a More Sustainable House.

newsprint
animal hair
vacuum dust (if your carpet isn’t synthetic (most is!))
dryer lint (if your clothes are made from natural fibers! Avoid polyester)
natural fibers in small pieces
leaves
grass clippings
hair
hay or straw
herbivore manure (rabbits etc.)
bedding from hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits
flowers
shredded paper
sawdust
chopped up twigs and branches
cardboard boxes (not with glossy coating)
shredded, non-glossy junk mail
yard waste
old ripped up cotton clothing or jeans
shredded old cotton towels and sheets
bills and other plain paper documents

pencil shavings
old business cards (not with glossy coating)
envelopes (minus plastic window)
subscription cards from magazines
dead houseplants and their soil
natural potpourri
used matches
ashes
old rope and twine (natural and unwaxed only)
cut up burlap sacks
crumbs from under couches (pick out any inorganic stuff)
dust bunnies from wood and tile floors
dry dog or cat food (not too much or it might attract pests)
feathers
soap nuts
shredded sticky notes
fish pellets
alfalfa hay or pellets
wrapping paper rolls

Alright! 125+ household items that you can compost. That’s 125+ items you can help keep out of the landfill. I’m sure I missed one or two things so please let me know what you’d add to the list in the comment section down below.

The post What is Compostable? 125+ Household Items You Can Compost appeared first on Going Zero Waste.