199 Different Things You Can Compost

Don’t throw it away — compost it!

If you’ve ever wondered what kind of things you can compost, you’re not alone.

We’ve compiled a room-by-room list of more than 200 compostable items. While we understand some of these items are best left to individual preference and might not be right for your compost pile or compost bin.

Still, we hope this list provides you with scavenger-hunt-like fun and help you think creatively about what else you might be able to compost. (In fact, if you think of other things we should add to the list, we hope you’ll tell us about them!)

Note: Keep in mind that you will want to chop up food/plant seeds so they won’t grow in your compost pile and shred large items such as cardboard, pizza boxes, and newspapers.

Without going on too long with an introduction, here’s the list, organized by area of the house.

Things to Compost From the Kitchen

Kitchen

1. Apple cores

2. Avocado pits

3. Stale coffee beans (ground up for best decomposition)

4. Broccoli stalks

5. Burned toast

6. Cellophane (real cellophone, not plastic!) bags or wrapping

7. Cereal boxes

8. Chopsticks

9. Citrus rinds

10. Coffee filters

11. Coffee grounds

12. Cooked rice

13. Corn cobs (allow extra composting time)

14. Corn husks

15. Crumbs

16. Crushed egg shells

17. Expired jelly

18. Expired yogurt

19. Fish bones (ground up)

20. Fish skin

21. Flour

22. Food-soiled paper

23. Fruit leaves (cherry, strawberry, raspberry, peach)

24. Grape wastes

25. Jell-O

26. Liquid from canned goods

27. Loose tea leaves

28. Melted ice cream

29. Moldy bread

30. Moldy cheese

31. Mussels

32. Cardboard egg cartons

33. Oatmeal

34. Old herbs

35. Old pasta

36. Olive pits

37. Onion skins

38. Paper cupcake/muffin cups

39. Paper egg cartons

40. Paper grocery bags

41. Paper napkins

42. Paper tablecloths

43. Paper towels and towel rolls

44. Pizza boxes

45. Popcorn kernels

46. Potato peels

47. Pumpkin seeds

48. Seaweed

49. Sesame seeds

50. Shrimp/lobster/crab shells

51. Soggy salad

52. Soup

53. Soy/rice/almond milk

54. Stale cereal

55. Stale crackers and chips

56. Stale grains

57. Sunflower seeds

58. Tea bags (and string)

59. Tofu

60. Used paper plates (non wax coating)

61. Vegetable and fruit peels

62. White paper bakery bags

63. Winter rye

64. Wooden toothpicks

Compost These From Your Kid’s Bedroom

65. Aquarium plants

66. Bird cage droppings

67. Brown paper lunch bags

68. Chewing gum

69. Cotton clothes

70. Cotton shirt threads

71. Fish food

72. Flat soda

73. Hamster/rabbit bedding (including soiled)

74. Homework assignments

75. Juice boxes (those not coated with plastic or containing foil)

76. Latex balloons

77. Linen bed sheets

78. Paper mache

79. Pet hair

80. Pizza crust

81. Stale candy (without wrapper)

82. Stale cookies

83. Stickers

84. Wool socks

Unexpected Things to Compost From the Living Room

85. Brewery wastes

86. Christmas tree

87. Cigar stubs

88. Contents of vacuum cleaner bag

89. Cooled fireplace ash

90. Dust bunnies

91. Natural silk curtains

92. Nut shells (not walnuts)

93. Organic tobacco waste

94. Rotting Halloween pumpkin

95. Wine and beer

96. Wine corks (allow extra composting time)

97. Wrapping paper roll

Compost These Common Sunroom Items

98. Crepe paper streamers

99. Dead flies

100. Dead houseplants

101. Dried/fresh flowers

102. Hemp baskets

103. Holiday wreaths

104. Outdated seeds

105. Rawhide dog chews

106. Stale catnip

107. Trimmed plant leaves

108. Yarn scraps

What Can You Compost From the Bathroom

109. 100% cotton sanitary napkins (including used)

110. Cardboard cotton swabs

111. Cardboard tampon applicators (including used)

112. Cotton balls (100% cotton)

113. Cotton towels

114. Dryer lint

115. Electric razor trimmings

116. Gauze

117. Labels

118. Latex and sheepskin condoms

119. Loofahs (made with organic materials)

120. Old potpourri

121. Price tags

122. Pure soap scraps

123. Tatami mat

124. Toenail clippings

125. Toilet paper roll

126. Urine (not if you are using medication)

127. Used fabric softener sheets

128. Used tissues

Office Compost

129. ATM receipts

130. Catalogs and magazines (not heavily inked)

131. Confetti from a three-hole puncher

132. Envelopes (without plastic window)

133. Leather belt

134. Leather wallet

135. Leather watch band

136. Newspaper

137. Non glossy business cards

138. Non glossy junk mail

139. Paperback books

140. Post-it notes

141. Shredded documents

142. Stale protein/nutrition bars

143. Ticket stubs

144. White glue

Compost These Backyard Items

145. Acorn shells

146. Algae

147. Bamboo

148. Bloodmeal

149. Chicken bedding

150. Chicken manure

151. Clover

152. Dead critters

153. Dog droppings (not for compost used in vegetable garden!)

154. Fallen bird’s nest

155. Feathers

156. Garden snail shells

157. Grass clippings

158. Ground cover

159. Hay bales (use them to build a compost bin with!)

160. Hayweed

161. Hoof and horn meal

162. Horse hair

163. Horse manure

164. Kentucky bluegrass

165. Leather gardening gloves

166. Moss

167. Mushrooms

168. Old compost (gets a new batch going strong!)

169. Peat

170. Pine cones (small amounts)

171. Pine needles (not too much! breaks down very slowly)

172. Pond mud

173. Potash rock

174. Silkworm cocoons

175. Snow (keeps compost nice and moist when it melts, insulates pile when frozen on top)

176. Sod (break into clumps)

177. Straw

178. Tree bark

179. Twigs/small branches

180. Vines (tomato, pea, grape, etc.)

181. Weeds (that haven’t gone to seed)

182. Wood skewers

183. Worms (make sure composter has no bottom so they can escape if compost is too hot)

You Can Even Compost These From the Garage

184. Burlap sacks

185. Cardboard boxes

186. Dustpan contents

187. Eraser rubbings

188. Latex gloves

189. Matches

190. Natural fiber rags

191. Pencil shavings

192. Power tool manuals

193. Rope and twine (made from natural fibers)

194. Ruined jeans

195. Sawdust (only a little bit at a time)

196. Sea sponges

197. Unpainted sheetrock

198. Used masking tape

199. Wood chips (paintless, not very many)

Leave a Comment