81 things you can compost

Our list moves well beyond raw veggies. You're likely to find a surprise or two, I know many of my fellow composting friends will argue a few items in the list below but if it can be composted I am all for it!

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? Just be sure that anything you compost is not made from plastic (in the case of the rope) and free of toxic chemicals (sawdush, ashes).

Dryer lint
“Dust bunnies”
The insides of a vacuum bag (just empty the bag into the compost bin)
The contents of your dustpan (just use discretion)
Coffee grounds
Coffee filters
Tea bags/loose leaf tea
Soy/rice/almond/etc milk
Nut shells (but not walnut, which may be toxic to plants)
Pumpkin/sunflower/sesame seeds (chop them to ensure they won’t grow)
Avocado pits (chop them up so they won’t sprout)
Pickles
Stale tortilla chips/potato chips
Stale crackers
Crumbs (bread or other baked goods)
Old breakfast cereal
Bran (wheat or oat, etc)
Seaweed/nori/kelp
Tofu/tempeh
Frozen fruits and vegetables
Expired jam or jelly
Egg shells
Old, moldy "soy dairy" and other dairy substitutes
Stale Halloween candy and old nutrition/protein bars
Popcorn kernels (post-popping, the ones that didn’t make it)
Old herbs and spices
Cooked rice
Cooked pasta
Oatmeal
Peanut shells
Booze (beer and wine)
Wine corks
Egg cartons (not Styrofoam)
Toothpicks
Q-tips (not the plastic ones)
Bamboo skewers
Matches
Sawdust
Pencil shavings
Fireplace ash (fully extinguished and cooled)
Burlap sacks
Cotton or wool clothes, cut into strips
Paper towels
Paper napkins
Paper table cloths
Paper plates (non wax- or plastic-coated)
Crepe paper streamers
Holiday wreaths
Balloons (latex only)
Raffia fibers (wrapping or decoration)
Excelsior (wood wool)
Old potpourri
Dried flowers
Fresh flowers
Dead houseplants (or their dropped leaves)
Human hair (from a home haircut or saved from the barber shop)
Toenail clippings
Trimmings from an electric razor
Pet hair
Domestic bird and bunny droppings
Feathers
Fish food
Aquatic plants (from aquariums)
Dog food
Rawhide dog chews
Ratty old rope
The dead flies on the windowsill
Pizza boxes and cereal boxes (shredded first)
Toilet paper and paper towel rolls (shredded first)
Paper muffin/cupcake cups
Cellophane bags (real cellophane, not regular clear plastic)
Kleenex (including used)
Condoms (latex only)
Old loofas (real, not synthetic)
Cotton balls
Tampon applicators (cardboard, not plastic) and tampons (including used)
Newspaper
Junk mail
Old business cards (not the glossy ones)
Old masking tape
White glue/plain paste

Happy composting, everyone. Please tell us what you compost!

Reprinted from Mothernews Network