List of Compostables

So, you're ready to start collecting household scraps for composting? Great choice, if I do say so myself.

You'll be amazed at how much food you divert from landfills and how nourishing the resulting compost is for the soil you use to grow, well, almost anything.

Once your indoor bin is full of food scraps, scraps from your indoor plants, and even some outdoor yard waste (which I personally throw directly in my outdoor bin), you'll need another bin to hold all the scraps to start breaking down. This other, bigger bin is best kept outside and closed so that critters cannot get in. Raccoons can open many bin openings, so be sure to secure them tight! I have kept my outdoor bin in the garage (pro: no raccoons/con: no sunlight to help break it down). I have also kept it outside the garage, which is easier to access.

In the Hudson Compost Collective, here is what we do and do NOT accept in our weekly scrap collection buckets. This is a non-exhaustive list, but a great place to start. And remember: the better you chop, tear, and make your scraps smaller, the faster and easier they break down into compost. I'm looking at you, watermelon rinds!

Any questions? Just ask!

Yes List - "Green" materials

• Fresh and expired/moldy vegetables, including seeds and skins

• Fresh and expired/moldy fruit, including pits, skins, peels, and cores

• Coffee and tea grounds

• Unbleached used and unused coffee filters

• Paper towels and napkins soiled with food materials

• Rinsed, empty eggshells

• Stale grains and bread+

Yes List - "Brown" materials

• Shredded paper and newspaper that isn't glossy and doesn't have colored ink - yes, even junk mail (no envelopes with clear plastic windows)

• Toothpicks

• Toilet paper and paper towel rolls

• Weeds, dry leaves, all grasses, straw, hay

• Wood chips and small twigs/branches

• Crushed up paper egg cartons

• Cardboard (torn up/broken down)

No List - "Green" materials

• Meats/Bones

• Cheeses

• Stickers on fruits and vegetables

• Tea bags (unless they are made of organic material - most are made of plastic nowadays)

• Raw/Cooked eggs

• Processed and oily foods

• Human/Pet waste

No List - "Brown" materials

• Diseased plants or anything with seeds (the weeds will sprout in our gardens!)

• Treated and stained wood

• Coal/Charcoal

• Cardboard with colored ink/tape/glue

+Be sure to add grains/breads in small quantities because they can attract critters and pests.

What did I miss? What from the list surprises you the most? 🌱