twriter
Jul 15th, 2008

5 Unusual compost friendly items

I am a huge fan of composting. The bin on our kitchen counter is filled up almost before dinnertime with waste from the kitchen — and other areas around the house.

There are many household items that you might throw away that can actually be put in the compost bin. Here are just five of my favorites:

  1. Paper towels and tissues. As long as there isn’t animal grease or cleaners on them, they’re safe.
  2. Human hair. Being pregnant and long haired, I find a lot of hair in my hair brush, shower drain, bathroom sink drain, etc…
  3. Dryer lint.
  4. Animal fur. The cats shed about as much as I do, so why not throw their fur into the compost too?
  5. Fabric. Old t-shirts that are beyond wearing, dish rags, etc., can all be put in the compost bin.

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3 Responses to “5 Unusual compost friendly items”

  1. # Dustinon 15 Jul 2008 at 8:48 am edit this

    Wow…I wouldve figured papertowels and that, but dryer lint? Whoo hoo, we always have tons of that we hafta throw away! Thanks for the heads up

  2. # twriteron 17 Jul 2008 at 6:48 pm edit this

    You’re welcome! I know anything I can avoid throwing in the trash makes me happy!

    -Teresa

  3. # Garlic Mike in Texason 04 Aug 2008 at 10:30 am edit this

    1. Paper towels, tissues and newspaper too. But probably not the color prints and glossy stuff in the newspaper, unless you know the ink is soy-based and not lead-based. Paper can be shredded and used as a mulch, brown paper bags, shredded are really good for this.

    Grease is okay to compost as is anything that was once living. However, you must have a sufficiently large compost pile/bin that is enclosed to keep the mice, rats and other varmints out. Use the aluminum siding from an old swimming pool or a roll of fiberglass as the siding for your compost bin. Make sure to make small holes for air in the siding.

    2. Human hair is good, and any kind of hair that you know is disease and pest free.

    3. If your lint is from cotton cloth, it is okay to compost. If your cloth that has been washed is from synthetic material, don’t compost… it will not disintegrate.

    4. Bird feathers too! And did you ever wonder what to do with the bird crap and paper when you clean the bottom of your birdcage? Throw it into the compost, it is high in nitrogen.

    5. NOT all Fabric… Only cotton or natural fibers! Synthetics will not decompose and you’ll have to pick them out later anyway, so don’t put them in.

    A great website that mentions these things is www.dirtdoctor.com

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