Can you compost...?

Question

...seeds, dead leaves, fruit, bread, weeds, sticks, eggs, paper, roots, grass, old potatoes, peach and cherry pits, moldy food, juice, carrots, corn, rocks, banana peels and apple cores, cheese, noodles, dead fish, pond scum and moss, dog food, wood, live plants, etc.

What is everything that is able to be composted?

I don't want to waste anything that I don't have to.

I,ve been watching planet green (discovery home) but I have heard it different ways. I don't exactly know still what is and isn't compostable.

Please look at this link for the rest of my question...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aq7xAJfXVgU13drh0zJ6ay3sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20080725124649AAXqJwt

Answer 1

I don't know why you are asking this question, when you already have very good answers already on your other question,

you can compost anything organic, by adding animal dung from plant eating animal you will increase the composting process.

Answer 2

I've heard everything but meats and fats.  I even heard dryer softener sheets - but mine never decomposed.  (I use Method brand - which are supposed to be biodegradable.)  I've even heard if you put dog hair in your compost it will keep vermin out.  So no meat, fat, or oils.  But pretty much everything else is a go.

Answer 3

I live on a permaculture farm.  You can compost anything (that rots) if you have enough time and space.

However in some areas it may be illegal compost certain things, like dog food, or dead fish for example.  You would be quiet likely to draw animals to check out your compost pile.

On our farm, all the livestock we raise is butchered right on the farm, by our customers.  We are able to burry no so pleasant things into our compost pile, because we have the room, the time, the ability to do so without affecting water or air quality for ourselves, or others, and because we feel it is perfectly natural to return as much of the animal back to the soil as possible.

So after rabbits are butchered, we have head, hide, feet, and intestines.  Organs are fed to the working farm dogs.  The dogs would actually eat all the other parts as well.  However we cannot have our farm looking like something out of a horror movie with scattered bits of hide laying about.

If you are able to protect your compost pile from neighbor dogs, cats, raccoons, crows, and rats, then toss what you'd like on it, as long as the stink is not too bad for your neighbors.  When we put animal parts on our compost pile, we use the bulldozer and dump soil, manure, and used animal bedding over it.  No stench, and not parts carried off.

Your neighbors will not be pleased if their house cat comes over and helps themselves to a fish head, and eats the sninky mess on their sofa, or if a crow is flying off with half rotted garbage, and dropping it on their roof.

A good framework, and chickenwire will keep all the critters out, except large dogs, or perhaps a very determined raccoon.

I will also say that chickens adore compost heaps.  If you have chickens and they have access to the compost heap, they will keep down flies, and keep the compost churned, as well as add their own manure to it (and provide you with fresh eggs).  Chickens are natural omnivores, and will eat any meat, or dog food you toss out.

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years

Answer 4

I'm pretty sure you can. My sister composts every kind of food including seeds and fruit and banana peels and stuff. And it seems like everything else on that list pretty much comes straight from the earth so there should be absolutely no problem composting them. Its all biodegradable, so yeah.

Answer 5

Anything that does not contains fatsof any kind can be composted.  If you are not using your compost for growing food, you can even put things like cat litter or dog poo.  BUT if you intend to consume anything grown in that compost, leave out all carnivore and omnivore wastes because the bacteria in the waste can be transfered to the plant.  

Don't forget coffee grounds and  tea bags.  

Make sure your compost pile is protected from scavengers by either covering it with a tarp or using a sealed barrel.  If it is left open, it will not only draw bugs, but also rats, raccoons, dogs, opposssums, and other assorted critters.  

You can also speed up your composting with earthworms.  I try to add a box or two of fishing worms to my pile at least once a year.  They will break it down faster and the casting are wonderful as a fertilizer.