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170 THINGS TO COMPOST

WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU CAN COMPOST? HOTBIN’S COMPLETE LIST OF THINGS TO COMPOST GUIDE IS FOR YOU!

We compost every day and know what can go in at a practical level. Based on what type of compost bin you have and how hot it gets, we tell you how long it will take. Our list is technically accurate and hopefully more valuable (and most of it is tried and tested too!). There are over 170 items. It was a blast creating it and we hope it is valuable!Click on the graphic to see the full list

WHO WILL FIND THIS COMPOST LIST USEFUL?

  • Recyclers who want to make a real positive difference by composting more waste
  • Gardeners who want a large amount of quality compost
  • HOTBIN Customers who know they can add more than the ‘Traditional List’ to their HOTBIN and want to give it a go!

PLEASE GIVE THE LIST SOME RESPECT

This list is not for anyone seeking to ‘copy and paste’ to make their own list longer to attract traffic. This list is © copyright of HOTBIN Composting & AC Innovations Ltd, 2010-2013. It took significant time to author, research the facts and correct the ‘dross’ lists on the web. It is not OK to copy.  As a bare minimum, be courteous enough to reference us as the source and use a reference hyperlink back to us at www.hotbincompostingblog.com

ADDING VALUE

Producing another list has no value. We think we have added value by understanding what people need to do, why they need to do it and advising if it practically works and ultimately is worth the effort. We have adding context and value by adding categorising and indexing the table as follows:

Categorised waste by source

  • Food, garden, manure, home/other. Sub sorted alphabetically.

Indexed by science i.e. Is it biodegradable or not?

  • Biodegradable means it breaks down back through the carbon cycle to water, carbon dioxide and the trace elements (NKP, Ca, etc). But there is no standard that defines how long. Few list the critical conditions when they quote how many years it takes. The scientific fact of biodegradation and how long it takes are different. Time can vary by a factor of 100 relative to the conditions (notably temperature) – 1 year can become 50 and so on. It can also become never if a critical part of the system is not present.

Indexed by compost method – Is it compostable in a hot or cold system?

  • Your composting method and equipment does make a massive difference! (Most all readers will only have the equipment to cold compost. Here at HOTBIN we make a hot composting system which changes everything).

Comments added

  • Is it practical and worthwhile? Can it be done with relative ease? What volume of waste, collection, time, risks, rewards. What do people making compost want – lots of good compost. That requires lots of starting material. A tonne of manure will make around 250Kg of compost. It would take you a lifetime to create the same compost by collecting the cotton from Q-tips (see end of list!)

Compost things that makes a real difference

  • Compost all garden waste (plants, grass, branches, weeds)
  • Compost ALL food waste

NB – A typical household throws away 250Kg of food waste – that is second only to green garden waste. But it has to be easy!

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One comment

  1. Composting is the best way to use waste material.I completely agree with your list.Thanks for sharing.Keep up.

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