Are you thinking about trying to create a home composting system?
If you are then you really do need to understand what you can assign to that compost pile and what not to compost. Materials in Compost bins While most homes produce a lot of refuse that is indeed recyclable there are a number of materials that you should never add to any type of compost pile. Knowing the difference between compostable and non-compostable products will make your recycling efforts healthier, happier and more rewarding.
Let’s begin with human and animal waste products.
There are some sites that will give a cautious thumb’s up to dog waste, as long as you compost these types of materials very carefully. Ideally you will pass on the use of any human or dog waste because these types of waste products could very well contain diseases and parasites. If you add these types of contaminants to a compost pile it could infect all of the humus that is being created.
Nothing worse than destroying your garden through the very efforts that were intended to help your plants grow and thrive.
Besides, there is something that is just a little creepy about voluntarily adding human, dog or cat waste products to the hummus that will be used to grow veggies for your dinner table. Cooking oil should never be relegated to the compost pile. For starters it is just bad for the environment, and this household staple also goes rancid very quickly and creates a noxious odor. Just follow the rules and recycle or discard used cooking oil as directed.
Peanut butter, salad dressings or mayonnaise all seem to be likely prospects for the compost bin. Unfortunately these are all very difficult substances to degrade naturally. It is best not to add these to your compostable materials. You should also know that these common products will attract numerous flies, wasps, and other insects (that are not helpful) to your yard.
It should be a ‘no-brainer’ to realize that gasoline, household pesticides, cleaning agents or disinfectants are not candidates for your compostable material list. These are items that top the What Not to Compost list. Never add used kitty litter to your pile of compost.
This is still an unusable animal waste product, no matter what type of litter you are using. That plastic wrap or aluminum foil from your kitchen should never be added to the compost bucket. These materials are not going to degrade in a regular compost bin. Recycle these in the correct manner.
Dairy products, meats and bones should not be added to your home compost bin. These materials are going to attract rats, cats, dogs, raccoons and other animals long before any real decomposing takes effect. Treated wood products, newspapers with colored inks and invasive weeds are additional items that you should keep away from your compost bins.
These should be disposed of properly as they will only damage your composting efforts. The weeds can set root in the compost bin and they may even reseed into the humus or cast seeds out into your yard.
Colored inks used in many paper products and the chemicals used to treat wood are known to be harmful to people and the environment.