06/15/2026
🌱 COMPOSTING IS EASY when you know what belongs in the bin and what should stay out. The goal is simple: feed the pile with natural plant-based scraps, balance wet “greens” with dry “browns,” and avoid anything that can attract pests, smell bad, or slow the process down.
🥕 FRUIT AND VEGETABLE SCRAPS are some of the best compost ingredients. Apple cores, banana peels, carrot tops, potato peels, cucumber ends, and other raw plant scraps break down well and add life back into the soil.
🥚 CRUSHED EGGSHELLS can go in the compost, but crush them first so they break down faster. They are not a magic fertilizer overnight, but they are a useful natural material to return to the garden.
☕ COFFEE GROUNDS, FILTERS, AND STAPLE-FREE TEA BAGS are usually good for compost. Just make sure the tea bags do not contain plastic and remove any staples, labels, or synthetic parts before adding them.
🍂 DRY LEAVES, GRASS CLIPPINGS, SHREDDED PAPER, AND PLAIN CARDBOARD help balance the pile. Wet kitchen scraps need dry materials too, otherwise the compost can become slimy, heavy, and smelly.
🍞 BREAD, GRAINS, CITRUS PEELS, AND ONION SCRAPS are best added only in small amounts. Too much bread can attract pests, and too much citrus or onion can slow things down, so mix them well with dry leaves or cardboard.
🌿 HERB TRIMMINGS, SPICES, UNTREATED SAWDUST, WOOD CHIPS, HAIR, FUR, AND NATURAL FIBERS can also go in, but only if they are clean and chemical-free. Avoid anything treated with paint, plastic, perfume, or strong chemicals.
🚫 MEAT, FISH, BONES, DAIRY, OILY FOOD, AND GREASY LEFTOVERS are better kept out of home compost bins. They can smell bad, attract flies and rodents, and make the pile harder to manage.
🐾 PET WASTE should not go into regular garden compost, especially if the compost will be used around vegetables or herbs. It can carry harmful bacteria or parasites, so it is safer to keep it separate.
🌱 DISEASED PLANTS should also stay out of the compost. If the pile does not get hot enough, the disease can survive and return to your garden later.
📄 GLOSSY PAPER, COATED CARDBOARD, PLASTIC BITS, AND PRODUCE STICKERS do not belong in compost. Always remove stickers from fruit and vegetable skins before tossing the scraps in the bin.
✅ SIMPLE RULE: If it came from plants and is clean, natural, and untreated, it usually belongs in compost. If it is greasy, animal-based, plastic-coated, diseased, or full of chemicals, keep it out.
