Welcome compost
enthusiasts! We have compiled the below list to aid you in your composting.
Whether you are composting at home, or you are a member of our neighborhood
composting program, it is good to be aware of the items that can and cannot be
added to the pile.
Do not compost
1. Meats
2. Oils (Very small amounts from cooking are
acceptable)
3. Metals
4. Plastics
5. Feces
6. Chemicals
Do Compost
Generally, we are
looking for organic matter that will not smell or attract wild animals. The
following is not an exhaustive list, but it will give you a good idea of what
you can compost.
From the Kitchen
1. Fruit and vegetable scraps
2. Egg shells (crushed)
3. Coffee grounds
4. Coffee filters
5. Tea bags (Make sure they are made of natural
materials like hemp or cotton, and not rayon or other synthetics. If in doubt,
just open it and compost the tea leaves alone.)
6. Loose leaf tea
7. Spoiled soy/rice/almond/coconut milk
8. Used paper napkins and paper towels
9. Unwaxed cardboard pizza boxes (ripped or cut
into small pieces)
10. Paper bags (shredded)
11. The crumbs you sweep off of the counters and
floors
12. Cooked pasta
13. Cooked rice
14. Stale bread, pitas, tortillas, crackers, and
cereal
15. Stale tortilla chips or potato chips
16. Spoiled pasta sauce or tomato paste
17. Crumbs from the bottom of snack food packaging
18. Paper towel rolls (shredded)
19. Cardboard boxes from cereal, pasta, etc. (Remove
any plastic windows and shred)
20. Used paper plates (as long as they don’t have a
waxy coating)
21. Nut shells (except for walnut shells, which are
toxic to plants)
22. Tofu and tempeh
23. Seaweed, kelp or nori
24. Unpopped, burnt popcorn kernels
25. Old herbs and spices
26. Pizza crusts
27. Old oatmeal
28. Peanut shells
29. Stale pumpkins
30. Wine corks (chop up so they decompose faster)
31. Old jelly, jam, or preserves
32. Stale beer and wine
From the Bathroom
45. Trimmings from an electric razor
46. Toilet paper rolls (shredded)
47. 100% cotton cotton balls
48. Cotton swabs made from 100% cotton and cardboard
(not plastic) sticks
From the Laundry Room
58. Dryer lint
59. Cotton fabric scraps (shredded)
60. Very old cotton towels and sheets (shredded)
From the Office
63. Paper! (Shredded - Old mail, receipts, business
cards)
64. Bills and other plain paper documents (shredded)
65. Envelopes (shredded, minus the plastic window)
66. Pencil shavings
67. Sticky notes (shredded)
68. Old business cards (shredded, as long as they’re
not glossy)
Around the House
68. Newspapers (shredded or torn into smaller
pieces)
69. Junk mail (shredded, remove coated paper and
plastic windows)
70. Subscription cards from magazines (shredded)
71. Burlap sacks (cut or torn into small pieces)
72. Old rope and twine (chopped, natural, unwaxed
only)
73. Leaves trimmed from houseplants
74. Dead houseplants and their soil
75. Flowers from floral arrangements
76. Natural potpourri
77. Used matches
78. Grass clippings
79. Dead autumn leaves
80. Sawdust (from plain wood that has NOT been pressure-treated,
stained or painted)
Party and Holiday
Supplies
85. Wrapping paper rolls (cut into smaller pieces)
86. Paper table cloths (shredded or torn into
smaller pieces)
87. Jack O’lanterns (smashed)
88. The hay bales used as part of your outdoor fall
decor
89. Natural holiday wreaths (chop up with pruners
first)
90. Christmas trees (chop up with pruners first, or
use a wood chipper, if you have one…)
91. Evergreen garlands (chop up with pruners first)
Pet-Related
94. Fur from the dog or cat brush
95. Droppings and bedding from your rabbit, gerbil,
hamster, etc. (Vegetarian pets)
96. Feathers
97. Alfalfa hay or pellets (usually fed to rabbits,
gerbils, etc.)
98. Dry dog or cat food, fish pellets
