Things I wouldn't have thought of composting...

[MaryMary]

I have oddly shaped cupboards. In three corners of the kitchen, they are built to fit the corner; so they go from one wall to the other. Things that don't get used very often wind up getting shoved back into the corner, never to be seen again. (And the top shelf! The horror of the top shelf!!)

Recently I got my footstool, and used it to climb up on the counter. About five times a year, I find myself standing on a kitchen counter.

I found a bag of coconut that expired a year ago!! Ok, that goes in the compost pile!!

I also found several boxes of expired Jello. Can I compost Jello powder? I do not know, so I go to google. Google knows everything.


I found lists of things to compost that I hadn't thought of before!! Pencil shavings. Peanut shells. Latex balloons. The feathers from that old pillow you're throwing out. The down from an old down-filled coat. (Unless you're donating that coat to the needy. .) Stale crackers, pretzels, or potato chips. (I always wondered about the salt in them.) The fur in the brush after you brush your pet. The crumbs off your counter, the pile of dirt from the dust pan...

The dirt from your vacuum. This I already did, because I don't use any of those carpet freshening powders. (I don't know if those can be composted. .) I tried to find out for the purpose of this thread.

Instead, I found DIY carpet freshening powder made from baking soda and essential oils. For pet owners, I found another "recipe" that suggested using essential oils with half baking soda and half (food-grade) diatomaceous earth, because it will help keep fleas out of your carpet! Yay!!

But wait... DE kills insects by cutting them open, right? Do you think it would cut the carpet fibers - and make the carpet wear out faster??


End of story - I composted the Jello! 163 Things You Can Compost

 

[zigs]

Nice one Mary

 

[marlingardener]

MaryMary, twice a year I rake all the molted feathers from the hen's coops and put them on the compost pile. I've been told that they are a good source of nitrogen. I also compost pecan shells.
The potato chips, crackers, and food of that ilk go to the hens for treats. Throwing treats in the coop helps get them inside for the night. And no, I am not above a bit of bribery. You ought to see what I give the cats!

 

[DeborahJane]

Thanks MaryMary. I've learnt about the vacuum rubbish and now stale goodies that emerge from the back of my pantry every so often. Hate waste so good to know. I probably won't do tbe crumb thing unless I've got a bag going at the time. I used to have a compost container under the sink. It somehow got forgotten and when found I spilt it.....disssssgusting

 

[roadrunner]

What if you have latex that is made from synthetic materials? Are those synthetic materials compostable?

How do you know if latex is made from natural or synthetic materials?

 

[MaryMary]

@roadrunner, I think "Latex balloons" needs to be removed from the list! I tried to find an answer for you. I found a website asking people not to release balloons to mark occasions anymore - animals try to eat them, and then it kills them. Four years is a long time to sit in your compost!!

Another claim is that so-called “biodegradable” latex balloons take the same amount of time to decompose as an oak leaf does. This is very misleading; oak leaves are very durable and can take four years to decompose! https://balloonsblow.org/latex-balloons-still-kill/

 

[Purrfluff]

I heard an interview with a guy who was a veteran composter and he was able to compost his old cotton underwear. It took a while to break down but it did. Who would have thought....

 

[MaryMary]

I heard an interview with a guy who was a veteran composter and he was able to compost his old cotton underwear. It took a while to break down but it did. Who would have thought....

100% cotton or wool will eventually compost!


Ask @zigs about his socks!!

 

[marlingardener]

I put cotton ties in the compost--they are strips of old cotton tee shirts that I cut up to secure tomato plants to the supports. I also make sure any string that I use in the garden is natural fiber so I can just toss it in the compost.
I sincerely hope the composted underwear is washed before it is added to the heap.

 

[MaryMary]

I've been doing more reading, and I am slowly coming to the conclusion that almost anything you can eat - you can compost. Add stale candy to the list. (Old gummy bears or jellybeans. Hard candies you know have been sitting too long, etc.)

I've read about composting cut off edges of moldy cheese or small amounts of old milk. (Wouldn't that make it smell rancid? .) We eat cheese before it gets moldy, and old milk I usually give to the cats. (I know it's not really good for them, but they love it so, and it is being shared by the five of them...) What do you think about vegetables cooked with butter? I usually try to make sure we eat any leftovers, but sometimes we don't get to them before they are past their window. If it's just a small amount of butter, would you throw it in the pile?

I sincerely hope the composted underwear is washed before it is added to the heap.

I once lived in the same apartment complex as my best friend from high school. There were no washer/dryer hook-ups in our apartments, so once a week we would go to the laundromat together. One time, I saw her neatly folding a pitifully old, raggedy, torn up pair of underwear, and of course, I had to yank her chain about it.

She had herself stuck in a loop about the underwear! She wouldn't throw them out dirty, but once she washed them, she felt bad about wasting the water and electricity, just to turn around and throw them out. So she'd decide to wear them one more time, and then throw them out. But she wouldn't throw them out dirty, so she washed them one more time...

She had wanted to throw them out for a year, and just couldn't bring herself to do it!!

 

[Becky]

She had herself stuck in a loop about the underwear! She wouldn't throw them out dirty, but once she washed them, she felt bad about wasting the water and electricity, just to turn around and throw them out. So she'd decide to wear them one more time, and then throw them out. But she wouldn't throw them out dirty, so she washed them one more time...

She had wanted to throw them out for a year, and just couldn't bring herself to do it!!

Haha sounds like something I'd do!

 

[usmankhanb4u]

newspaper ?

 

[marlingardener]

Newspaper? Oh, yes! I tear it into strips so it will break down faster. The newspaper is great for the compost pile--just don't use any of the "slick" advertisements that are sometimes added to the Sunday paper. The ink on black and white newspaper is now soy ink, and non-toxic.

 

[roadrunner]

I compost 100% of anything edible. If I worry about something that I don't want to get into the garden, I bury it under a tree/bush in an area I don't grow food stuff.

Example: Those meat absorbent pads that come in meat/poultry packages to absorb meat juices. I break open the plastic pad and wash out the paper pulp and bury under the leaves of one of my heavily mulched areas. I do this because I hate having stinky trash.

 

[Purrfluff]

I'm going to start tossing my old cotton swabs in there. I go through quite a lot of them on a daily basis. I figure since they are made of paper and cotton they ought to decompose eventually.