80+ Items You Can Compost

By Sayward Rebhal, Networx

Home composting isn’t just for farmers anymore! The practice is becoming increasingly popular among urban environmentalists who are eager to cut their landfill contributions: from apartment dwellers growing gardens on top of NYC roofing, to folks who participate in their local municipal compost program, to homeowners looking to turn their backyards into a teeny tiny sustainable city farms. Composting is a key component of the eco-friendly puzzle, because it takes waste that’s destined for landfills and turns it into usable, nutrient-rich soil, which is perfect for gardening. Most people focus on kitchen scraps, but that’s just the very tip of the composting iceberg. Did you know you could also include the following?

1. Dryer lint

2. “Dust bunnies”

3. The insides of a vacuum bag (just empty the bag into the compost bin)

4. The contents of your dustpan (just use discretion)

5. Coffee grounds

6. Coffee filters

7. Tea bags/loose leaf tea

8. Soy/rice/almond/etc milk

9. Nut shells (but not walnut, which may be toxic to plants)

10. Pumpkin/sunflower/sesame seeds (chop them to ensure they won’t grow)

11. Avocado pits (chop them up so they won’t sprout)

12. Pickles

13. Stale tortilla chips/potato chips

14. Stale crackers

15. Crumbs (bread or other baked goods)

16. Old breakfast cereal

17. Bran (wheat or oat, etc)

18. Seaweed/nori/kelp

19. Tofu/tempeh

20. Frozen fruits and vegetables

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Laurel F.

5:42AM PDT on May 1, 2013

FANTASTIC list! We compost, but I didn't know about some of these items that may go in. Gertrude (our composter) will be very happy to receive more items!

May 1
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Melissa B.

6:44PM PST on Feb 26, 2013

thanks, making my first compost bin this spring. so excited! i usually throw food waste into the woods behind my house, does anyone know if this can be harmful? or just a lazy way to compost?