What kinds of things are compostable? I am starting to compost.?

Question

I'm wanting to start composting but I don't know what is compostable. I know produce and plant materials are, but what else? I've heard different things from different people about what you can compost. Some people say that you can't compost animal products, others say only produce, and some say that anything edible is composted. Are seeds and weeds and banana peels able to be composted? What about things like pasta, cheese, egg shells, sticks, and leftovers? I whatch planet green on TV (wich used to be descovery home) but even they say different things about composting. I don't want to waste what I don't have to.

Please, only answer if you really know alot about composting and have done it before.

Answer 1

If you don't want problems with vermin, don't put in any proteins - no meat, no eggs, no cheese, no bones. No grease or fat - but you can put in crushed egg shells. The smaller the pieces you put in, the faster your compost will "cook". I don't put weed seeds into my compost because sometimes it doesn't get hot enough to kill 'em. I do put just about everything else - leaves, grass clippings, fruit peels and seeds, vegetable peels and seeds, and also newspaper scraps that I wrapped the peelings in, plus shredded up little twigs. Keep big sticks, large nuts and seed pods out - they will not decompose fast enough.

Answer 2

Any plant material can be composted. Items like egg shells can be composted too though really what you're doing is breaking them up so it's more along the lines of a mineral addition. Banana peels can be composted but aren't as quick to decompose as leafy green material. Woody things like sticks and branches can be composted but as you might expect take much longer. Breaking down the material helps greatly. The drier the material the longer the process takes.

Animal matter, meat and dung from meat eating animals, will compost but it attracts pests, scavengers, and grows bacteria harmful to us while creating a stench so it's best avoided if possible. Dung from plant eating animals is OK. Horse, chicken, cow, etc manure can just be mixed in.

Answer 3

I have a  black  composter and I only turn the mixture ever week  - not every day.

I put in all the veggie peels, like cucumber peels, carrot, potato,turnip, orange peels, stale lettuce, onion skins, banana peels, crushed egg shells, tea but I cut open the tea bags, left over coffee grains,grass clipping from my lawn mower.

No meat and no dairy except egg shells.  No pasta or rice.

Mine never smells bad.

Answer 4

Anything thing that was once living.  Try not to compost meat or dairy, because that will attract vermin!  Some stuff like yard clippings and grass mowings are a good activator for starting.  Also, soft young weeds are good.  You can compost old or tough plant material but it will take longer to rot.  You would want to chop or shred those first.  Also you can compost coffee grounds, tea bags, animal manures from herbivores such as cows and horses, and raw veggie peelings from your kitchen.  Those were "greens" you could compost.  The 'browns" would be cardboard, cereal packets, junk mail, confidential waste, glossy magazines, even though its better to give them to your local dentist for the environment's sake.  Newspapers, (also better to recycle),  bedding from vegetarian pets, wood prunings and shavings, old plant bedding, fallen leaves, and sawdust.  By the way, browns are going to take longer to rot.  Well that's all I've got!

Answer 5

This Google search can tell you more than I can: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=wha...

A few things I know

No fats or oils. Compost is already flammable and can self-ignite so you do not want any fuel for the fire. We limit the food products we compost, keeping in mind smells and attracting animals (Yards are small where we live and we’re not trying to make enemies of our neighbors!). No meat or bread because it’s just going to rot and not in a good way. The only vegetables we really add are salad greens if they go bad before we use them (not leftovers from our salad bowls!).  

You can’t do too much food because you need a balance of materials. Our compost is made mostly of fallen leaves, weeds from our flowerbeds, etc. Check the websites from the Google link for more info.

Answer 6

Hi --

You can compost just about everything except meats, fish and tomatoes and tomato plants.

Be careful about putting in weed seeds and anything that’s diseased.

A compost pile needs to be at least 3 x 3 x 3 feet.  The bigger the better.

Start with a layer of brown (dead leaves, etc.), then a layer of green (grass clippings, etc.).  Build your pile that way.

The first time you are building it, water it well.  You DO NOT need to any compost starter mix.  Throw in a couple of handfuls of dirt.

A good pile should get to about 120 degrees F in the center when it is working well.  That should be hot enough to kill any weed seeds…but you never know.

Some people say that you need to turn the pile.  The answer is, “YES, if you are in a hurry – say you want compost in about 6 weeks.”

I say, “NO!”  I leave my pile until next year.  That’s why I have two.  One is building up and the other is being used.  I have more than enough compost.

You are correct – if done properly it does not smell.  Too much water and it will smell and mold.  If that is your problem, cover with a tarp…but remove the tarp after the rain.

http://www.epa.gov/compost/

Answer 7

I have a worm bed I started after I got oscar fish (they splurp them down like pasta) and the way I've kept this bed going is just like composting except I started with more dirt than the usual compost box or bed. I have found that even though worms will eat animal parts,  I didn't like the smell as they worked at it , nothing starchy, pasta, bread,  whole potatoes worked well either, though it disappears with time, it mucks things up in the meanwhile, cereals like oakmeal or cheereos might be ok but I don't add those either, coffee grounds and egg shells seem to be fine,  weeds and such from the yard compost wonderful but if the goal is to then use this around new plantings or to fertilize you don't want to use this stuff loaded with weed seeds, right? So what I put in my bed is anything that is or was green, fruit, oh my gosh do my wormys love fruit, which will draw fruit flys untill it gets worked in but their harmless. If that sounds ichy, skip the fruit and stick to lawn clipings, anything left over from making salads and the like,  raked leaves, etc. It amazes me how the stuff, the large amounts at times I add to this bed and it just melts in over and over, so neat!

Answer 8

Anything that was once alive will decompose in a compost pile or compost bin. Stay away from dairy, fish, meat and grease – although these things WILL decompose – not only will they produce an odor, they will also attract unwanted animals – like neighborhood dogs, raccoons and whatever else you have in your are that would like a good piece of meat.

Answer 9

Yes you need worms it is much faster and odorless. The vermicast is your product.