When composting, it's really important to have a good balance of green and brown compostables
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Animal manure with straw
ANIMAL MANURE WITH STRAW
Yes, you can compost it.
Manure from vegetarian animals can be composted. Water well if dry, or mix with wetter ingredients.
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Annual weeds
ANNUAL WEEDS
Yes, you can compost it.
An excellent compost ingredient, although they may survive in a compost bin. Try to pull up weeds before they go to seed.
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(Caution!) Bindweed
BINDWEED
Yes, you can compost it.
Bindweed is a persistent perennial weed which can re-grow from any plant pieces that are not fully decomposed.
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Bracken
BRACKEN
Yes, you can compost it.
A great compost ingredient. Composted bracken is ideal for growing ericaceous (acid loving) plants
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Brussels sprout stalk
BRUSSELS SPROUT STALK
Yes, you can compost it.
A good compost ingredient as can help to provide structure in the bin. It may take longer than one year to compost in a cool heap. Stems can be chopped up to help them compost more quickly.
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Carrot tops
CARROT TOPS
Yes, you can compost it.
These are fine to compost and will not attract or harbour the carrot root fly
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Citrus peel
CITRUS PEEL
Yes, you can compost it.
Citrus peel is quite safe to compost. Chopping it up will speed up the process. There are restrictions for wormeries as worms can only tolerate small amounts
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Coffee grounds
COFFEE GROUNDS
Yes, you can compost it.
These are an excellent compost ingredient. A cafetiere can be emptied directly into your compost bin. Paper coffee filters can be composted too.
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Comfrey leaves
COMFREY LEAVES
Yes, you can compost it.
Comfrey is a good compost activator and the leaves can be used to make liquid feed for plants
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Cut flowers
CUT FLOWERS
Yes, you can compost it.
These are fine to compost but chopping up the stems first will speed up the process.
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Deadly Nightshade
DEADLY NIGHTSHADE
Yes, you can compost it.
Toxins contained in Deadly Nightshade are broken down during the composting process and will not be present in the finished compost.
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Fruit peelings and pulp
FRUIT PEELINGS AND PULP
Yes, you can compost it.
The waste from fruit and vegetables is a perfect ingredient for your compost bin as long as the moisture levels are well balanced with brown materials.
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Fruit seeds
FRUIT SEEDS
Yes, you can compost it.
The only reason you wouldn’t want to put these into a compost bin is that they might survive the compost process and germinate. The chance of this is small.
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Grass mowings
GRASS MOWINGS
Yes, you can compost it.
Grass mowings are a good compost activator. If you lawn has been treated with weedkiller, don’t add the first two cuts. A common problem is too high a proportion of grass mowings in a compost bin. This makes the compost too wet and it may smell unpleasant due to the high nitrogen content. Balancing the mix with ‘browns’ such as evergreen prunings, scrunched up paper and cardboard will help.
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Hay
HAY
Yes, you can compost it.
Hay is dried grass, so is high in nitrogen and can be used as a ‘green’ material. However, as it has been dried you may need to add water if adding it to your compost bin in large quantities.
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Hedge clippings
HEDGE CLIPPINGS
Yes, you can compost it.
Young hedge clippings are a good source of compost material. Although privet is poisonous to humans, hedge clippings are safe to add to a compost bin.
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House plants
HOUSE PLANTS
Yes, you can compost it.
You can put both the plant and the growing medium into your compost bin.
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Ivy leaves
IVY LEAVES
Yes, you can compost it.
There is no problem with composting ivy leaves; ensure you avoid placing stems into the compost as these could root
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Nettles
NETTLES
Yes, you can compost it.
Young nettles are a good compost activator. If you can, avoid putting the roots into your bin as they could spread.
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Old bedding plants
OLD BEDDING PLANTS
Yes, you can compost it.
Old bedding plants make an excellent compost addition. They may be quite tough at the end of the season, more ‘brown’ than ‘green’.
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(Caution!) Perennial weeds
PERENNIAL WEEDS
Yes, you can compost it.
The roots and leaves of perennial weeds contain lots of valuable plant food, so it makes sense to recycle them. As many are able to re-grow from small pieces of root, stem or bulb, they are usually not put into the general compost bin, untreated, in case they do not rot fully.
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Poisonous plants
POISONOUS PLANTS
Yes, you can compost it.
Plants that are poisonous to eat will not poison a compost bin or plants that are fed with that compost.
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Rhubarb leaves
RHUBARB LEAVES
Yes, you can compost it.
Although poisonous to eat, rhubarb leaves will not poison a compost heap or plants fed with that compost.
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Seaweed
SEAWEED
Yes, you can compost it.
This is a good compost ingredient. Only use seaweed that has been washed up on the beach; do not pick it deliberately. Avoid the dried seaweed above the tideline as this can be very salty.
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Soft prunings and plant debris
SOFT PRUNINGS AND PLANT DEBRIS
Yes, you can compost it.
A good source of compost material.
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Tea leaves and bags
TEA LEAVES AND BAGS
Yes, you can compost it.
If you use a caddy for storing kitchen waste, don’t pour the tea with the tea bags straight into it as it will become very sloppy. The teapot can be emptied straight into the compost bin but be careful not to overdo it as it will make your compost too moist. You may find there is a thin 'skeleton' of the bags still visible when you want to use the compost. These can be sieved out and discarded or dug in with the compost.
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Urine
URINE
Yes, you can compost it.
This is a wonderful activator to kick start the composting process and just as effective as the ones you can buy from the garden centres. You can add it to your compost bin diluted to one part urine to 20 parts water. Be careful not to overdo it as it will make your compost too moist.
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Vegetable peelings and pulp
VEGETABLE PEELINGS AND PULP
Yes, you can compost it.
The waste from fruit and vegetables is a perfect ingredient for your compost bin as long as the moisture levels are well balanced with brown materials.
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(Caution!)Autumn leaves
AUTUMN LEAVES
Yes, you can compost it.
Small quantities are useful for balancing a heap with too many ‘greens’ in it. Large quantities are best recycled separately into leafmould.
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Cardboard
CARDBOARD
Yes, you can compost it.
Scrunch up before adding to the bin as this will help keep air circulating in the bin. It is not recommended to add flat sheets as this will prevent air movement and make the compost smell. Cardboard is a good counterbalance to kitchen waste and grass mowings.
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(Caution!)Christmas tree
CHRISTMAS TREE
Yes, you can compost it.
A Christmas tree needs to be shredded before composting or will take a very long time. Contact your local authority to find out about Christmas tree collections.
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Corn starch liners
CORN STARCH LINERS
Yes, you can compost it.
These are identifiable by the distinctive logo (image) indicating that they have been certified as compostable.
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(Caution!)Cotton towels
COTTON TOWELS
Yes, you can compost it.
Cotton is a natural material which can be composted. Cut towels into small pieces and mix with an equal amount of green materials.
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Cotton wool
COTTON WOOL
Yes, you can compost it.
Cotton wool makes a useful addition to the composting process.
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Cupressus hedge cuttings
CUPRESSUS HEDGE CUTTINGS
Yes, you can compost it.
Like any woody prunings, shredding is advisable prior to shredding. Mix with an equal mix of green materials to speed up the process.
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Egg boxes
EGG BOXES
Yes, you can compost it.
Only cardboard egg boxes are compostable. They are a good compost ingredient because their shape helps to keep air in the bin. They are a good counterbalance to kitchen waste and grass mowings.
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Egg shells
EGG SHELLS
Yes, you can compost it.
Egg shells are good for adding minerals to your compost and are often still visible in well rotted compost. Egg shells do not decompose in the bin but are broken down into tiny pieces. Crushing them first will help.
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(Caution!)Evergreen prunings
EVERGREEN PRUNINGS
Yes, you can compost it.
Evergreen prunings can be added to a mixed compost bin. You will get better results if you shred bulky bits first. Add this material in small quantities at a time and ensure it is mixed with ‘green’ materials.
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Hair
HAIR
Yes, you can compost it.
Very slow to compost but adds useful plant nutrients.
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Natural corks
NATURAL CORKS
Yes, you can compost it.
Although they will take an incredibly long time to break down, natural cork is a valuable addition to the composting process.
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Nuts
NUTS
Yes, you can compost it.
Anything that was once alive can be composted although it will take a long time for nuts to rot down.
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Paper bags
PAPER BAGS
Yes, you can compost it.
To keep the air circulating in your bin, scrunch up your paper bags before adding them.
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Privet
PRIVET
Yes, you can compost it.
Even though privet contains poisonous compounds, the toxins are broken down during the composting process.
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Straw
STRAW
Yes, you can compost it.
Old and weathered straw is best as it has already started to decay. If adding in large quantities, water well if the straw is dry or mix with wetter ingredients.
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Sweetcorn cobs
SWEETCORN COBS
Yes, you can compost it.
These may take a long time to compost so may have to go through the process several times. Breaking them up will speed up the process.
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Thorny prunings
THORNY PRUNINGS
Yes, you can compost it.
If you add these to your compost bin, take care when using the compost as the thorns may still be evident.
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Tomato plants
TOMATO PLANTS
Yes, you can compost it.
You can compost healthy plants. Diseased plants should not be included.
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Used kitchen paper
USED KITCHEN PAPER
Yes, you can compost it.
A good source of carbon. Scrunch up if possible. Also, the cardboard centres of kitchen and toilet rolls are excellent compost ingredients because they help keep air in the bin.
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Vacuum cleaner contents
VACUUM CLEANER CONTENTS
Yes, you can compost it.
If the contents of your vacuum cleaner consist of household dust, it is safe to add to your compost bin. The dust may have a drying effect on your bin so ensure you combine with green materials to counteract this.
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Wood ash
WOOD ASH
Yes, you can compost it.
Wood ash scattered into the compost bin will provide a good source of minerals for growing plants. You can also add ash from barbecues if you use lumpwood charcoal. However briquettes contain chemicals to help them burn which are not good for the compost.
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Bones
BONES
No, you can't compost it.
Bones attract vermin and should not be composted.
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Bread
BREAD
No, you can't compost it.
Do not compost as can attract vermin and pests. There are alternative methods of recycling your food waste.
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Cans
CANS
No, you can't compost it.
Not of living origin so will not compost. They will be accepted by your local recycling centres.
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Cat litter
CAT LITTER
No, you can't compost it.
Toxocara and toxoplasma are dangerous diseases that can be found in used cat litter and can be passed on to humans. Some brands of litter say that they can be composted, and technically they can, but for health and safety reasons, this is not recommended.
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Cigarette ends
CIGARETTE ENDS
No, you can't compost it.
Not of living origin so will not compost.
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Cling film
CLING FILM
No, you can't compost it.
Not of living origin so will not compost.
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Coal ash
COAL ASH
No, you can't compost it.
This is not suitable for composting as it may contain impurities.
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Crisp packets
CRISP PACKETS
No, you can't compost it.
Not of living origin so will not compost.
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Dairy products
DAIRY PRODUCTS
No, you can't compost it.
Do not compost milk or any other dairy products as they can attract vermin. There are alternative methods of recycling your food waste.
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Disposable nappies
DISPOSABLE NAPPIES
No, you can't compost it.
Even if nappies are biodegradeable they could be a health risk in a compost bin so should not be put in.
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Dog faeces
DOG FAECES
No, you can't compost it.
Do not compost dog faeces. Toxocara is a dangerous disease that can be found in dog faeces and passed on to humans.
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Dog food
DOG FOOD
No, you can't compost it.
Do not compost as can attract vermin and pests. There are alternative methods of recycling your food waste.
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Drink cartons
DRINK CARTONS
No, you can't compost it.
The lining is not of living origin so will not compost.
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Meat and fish scraps
MEAT AND FISH SCRAPS
No, you can't compost it.
Meat and fish scraps could attract unwanted visitors to your bin and should not be composted at home. There are alternative methods of recycling your food waste. Further information on food waste digesters is available on this website.
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Olive oil
OLIVE OIL
No, you can't compost it.
In a small domestic bin, the oil will considerably impede the composting process because it will displace air and water. It could also attract vermin and pests.
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Plastic bags
PLASTIC BAGS
No, you can't compost it.
Not of living origin, so will not compost.
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Plastic bottles
PLASTIC BOTTLES
No, you can't compost it.
Not of living origin so will not compost. They will be accepted by your local recycling centres.
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Soiled tissues
SOILED TISSUES
No, you can't compost it.
Although it is beneficial to add paper to the compost mix, soiled tissues should be avoided as composting will not reliably destroy germs and pathogens.
