What Can I Put In My Compost Bin? 79 Things You Can Compost

You can compost more than you think. It’s amazing once you start digging into “what can I put in my compost bin”. You discover that there are SO many items that will decompose nicely… it’s not just fruit and vegetable scraps, although they are the most well known.

Composting IS a great way to use up food waste, but don’t forget to consider other household products, pet-related items, and things outside your house for more compost bin additions!

What follows is a list of 79 things that you can add to your compost bin. Some may surprise you! But all will add something to your mix, and return nutrients or other organic matter back to the soil, making it rich and fertile.

What Can I Put In My Compost Bin: The Kitchen

1. Fruits and Vegetables: Rotten or Scraps
2. Napkins (unbleached and/or recyclable)
3. Pizza crusts (but not the greasy cardboard pizza box)
4. Pulp leftover from juicing
5. Spoiled soy/rice/almond/coconut milk
6. Old spices – because they are made from natural products like seeds and plants, they will biodegrade over time.
7. Popcorn kernels
8. Old or burnt oatmeal
9. Stale tortilla chips or potato chips (baked decomposes faster than deep-fried)
10. Freezer burnt fruit and vegetables that you don’t want to eat anymore
11. Potato peels
12. Home-made canned food just doesn’t look right
13. Corn on the cob (the husks and cob both)
14. Stale bread
15. Egg shells
16. Leftover cooked rice or barley
17. Used coffee grinds AND the used coffee filter
18. Used tea bags and loose leaf tea
19. Pasta leftovers (noodles only is preferable – no sauce, or you’ll attract animals)
20. Nut shells of any type (other than walnut)
21. Pits from olives, cherries, peaches, etc.
22. Lobster shells that have been well rinsed
23. Pumpkins: all parts will compost equally well
24. Tofu
25. Rhubarb leaves & stems
26. Bread crusts
27. Melted iced cream (small amounts)
28. Mouldy cheese (small amounts)
29. Rotten banana peels, or old frozen bananas from your freezer that you’ll never turn into banana bread
30. Cardboard egg cartons (preferably chopped up)
31. Tooth-picks
32. Used paper plates (no wax coating)
33. Stale protein or energy bars
34. Paper cupcake or muffin liners
35. Stale unsweetened cereal

What Can I Put In My Compost Bin: Pets

1. The hay from your pet beds
2. Chicken droppings (chicken fertilizer is incredible for grass, so after sweeping out your backyard chicken coop, head to the compost bin with the droppings)
3. Bird seed
4. Fur or pet hair after a trim
5. Bird droppings & the newspaper base from the bird cage
6. Feathers
7. Rabbit droppings
8. Guinea pig droppings
9. Cow, goat, or sheep manure
10. Dry dog and cat food
11. Dry fish pellets

What Can I Put In My Compost Bin: Outdoors

1. Grass clippings
2. Human hair (from a hair brush or after a hair cut).
3. Dead flies and bees
4. Leaves from your eavestroughs
5. Wood chips
6. Sea weed or kelp (assuming you live close to a beach, that is. It has tons of nutrients in it that your garden will love).
7. Weeds
8. Wood ash (small amounts is best, but it’s a great source of potassium)
9. Tree bark
10. Christmas Trees (chopped up and chipped up)
11. Evergreen garlands

What Can I Put In My Compost Bin: Around The House

1. Shavings from pencils and colored pencils/pencil crayons
2. Dust and lint from inside your vacuum cleaner
3. Dust bunnies under your bed
4. Used up match sticks
5. Brown paper bags
6. Paper towels
7. Shredded up newspapers (they are made from recyclable paper anyways)
8. Uncoated or previously recycled paper
9. House plants that have died
10. Cut flowers that have seen better days
11. Dryer lint
12. Shredded cardboard
13. 100% latex or lambskin condoms
14. Crepe paper streamers
15. 100% cotton cotton-balls
16. PURE wool products like old socks and mitts
17. 100% leather products that have seen better days (wallets, belts, watch bands)
18. Nail clippings
19. Post-It Notes (the glue is non-toxic)
20. Cardboard tampon applicators
21. Burlap sacks
22. Potpourri (natural)

And there you have it, 79 things you can put in your compost bin! Which surprised you most? Another other strange or interesting ones I should add? Drop me a comment below if you’d like!

What Not To Compost: List of 39 Items That Are Better Trashed

How Does Composting Work Anyways?

Curious about how composting actually works? Sometimes the easiest way to understand something is watch and hear how it’s explained to children… the instructors use simple and straightforward language, and use pictures and diagrams that are super easy to follow. Here’s a great little clip that explains composting well. Check it out:

For more information on composting and how you can make the most of the things already around your home, check out this article here called “All About Composting“.

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