Composting
What can I compost?
Anything that was once living will compost, but some items are best avoided. Meat, dairy and cooked food can attract vermin and should not be home-composted unless you have a sealed hot composting system.
Some things, like grass mowings and soft young weeds, rot quickly. They work as 'activators', getting the composting started, but on their own will decay to a smelly mess.
Older and tougher plant material is slower to rot but gives body to the finished compost - and usually makes up the bulk of a compost heap. Woody items decay very slowly; they are best chopped or shredded first, where appropriate.
For best results, use a mixture of ingredients. The right balance is something you learn by experience, but a rough guide is to use equal amounts by volume of greens and browns (see below).
Items you can add to your compost bin
| 'Greens' (nitrogen-rich ingredients) | 'Browns' (carbon-rich ingredients) |
|---|---|
| Grass cuttings | Cardboard eg cereal packets, toilet roll tubes and egg boxes |
| Young weeds | Waste paper and junk mail |
| Nettles (not roots) | Paper towels & bags |
| Comfrey leaves | Bedding (hay, straw, shredded paper, wood shavings) from vegetarian pets eg rabbits and guinea pigs |
| Urine (ideally diluted 20:1) | Tough hedge clippings |
| Uncooked fruit and vegetable peelings | Woody prunings |
| Tea leaves and coffee grounds | Old bedding plants |
| Soft green prunings | Straw |
| Animal manure from herbivores eg cows and horses | |
| Poultry manure |
Other compostable items
- Wood ash, in moderation
- Hair, nail clippings
- Egg shells
- Natural fibres, e.g. wool and cotton
Do NOT compost
- Meat, fish, dairy products or cooked food
- Coal & coke ash
- Cat litter
- Dog faeces
- Disposable nappies
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