64 Things You Can Compost from the Kitchen

With our modern lifestyles and consumption habits, we end up producing so much waste, most of which is destined for landfill sites. However, it is now becoming increasingly apparent that these kinds of habits are unsustainable and unless we change, we will end up doing irrevocable damage to our planet.

The good news is, there is a much more ecological option, and one that most experienced gardeners already will be aware of – composting. Almost all of our organic waste can be composted, and this leads to many benefits. By composting, you help protect the environment by keeping your waste out of landfill while at the same time providing yourself with a steady stream of potent – and free – fertilizer for your land.

With all this in mind, the only question that remains is why wouldn’t you want to compost?

Different types of composting

There are several different types of composting, but all will give you the same result – namely, free and powerful fertilizer to spread on your garden. However, which one you choose can depend on your situation. If you live in a suburban or rural area, you may have a yard where you can keep a traditional compost pile outside.

On the other hand, urban dwellers might need to look for other solutions – although possibilities certainly exist for those who don’t have any available outdoor space. In this case, you might prefer to choose an indoor compost bin or a worm composter instead.

If you are planning a new kitchen, you may incorporate an indoor composter into the design right from the beginning. Reputable companies can give you the best advice on how to incorporate composters into your kitchen when creating your customized kitchen plan.

Composting – the basics

Many items can be composted, including many you might not immediately think of. A healthy compost pile requires two basic elements, “green” matter and “brown” matter. Green matter is anything that comes from plants, for example, vegetable scraps, potato peels etc. while brown matter is made up of other organic materials such as paper, card, wood chips and so on.

A basic compost pile should be made up of about 50% of each, although for more specialist compost recipes, this may be varied.

Things from the kitchen that can be composted

Here is a list of items from the kitchen that may be composted. Although it is not supposed to be exhaustive, it covers most of the items of kitchen waste found in the average household.

1. Tea leaves
2. Coffee grounds
3. Coffee filters (if 100% natural)
4. Eggs shells, crushed (these are alkaline and help counteract anything acidic you add)
5. Fish bones – crushed, but be sure there is no flesh left on or it will smell bad
6. Seaweed, kelp and nori
7. Cooked pasta – make sure you bury it deep in the pile or it will attract scavengers
8. Cooked rice – bury it in the pile, the same as pasta (uncooked rice may attract rats)
9. Tofu
10. Inedible leaves and stalks from fruit or vegetables – ideal material for composting
11. Tempeh
12. Flour
13. Nuts and nut shells (not walnuts or their shells – they are toxic to other plants)
14. Avocado pits (chopped to speed up the process)
15. Olive pits
16. Onions and garlic – but used in moderation and don’t put into worm composters at all
17. Vegetables – vegetable leftovers will make up a large part of your pile
18. Juice from canned products
19. Shellfish shells (including crab, shrimp, lobster etc. – but bury them to avoid odors)
20. Stale grains
21. Fruit and vegetable peels
22. Stale cereal
23. Potato peels – another classic ingredient to add to your compost pile
24. Old seeds (pumpkin, sunflower etc. – chopped to prevent them sprouting)
25. Old oatmeal
26. Stale energy bars, cereal bars etc.
27. Stale bread (buried to avoid attracting scavengers)
28. Burnt toast (again, buried)
29. Stale pita (buried)
30. Stale tortillas (buried)
31. Citrus peel – in moderation but not in worm composters
32. Stale tortilla chips, stale potato chips
33. Old or moldy pasta sauce or similar
34. Stale crackers
35. Teabags and coffee bags (only if 100% natural – no synthetics)
36. Stale cookies
37. Stale pretzels
38. Stale candy (chopped or crushed to speed up the process)
39. Popcorn – popped, unpopped or burnt, all are ok
40. Corn cobs (will take some time to compost, so chop them up to accelerate the process)
41. Crumbs (from tables, the bottom of food packets or any that fall on the floor)
42. Old cheese (not too much – buried to so you don’t attract scavengers)
43. Yogurt (not too much – buried)
44. Soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk
45. Old jam or preserves
46. Stale beer
47. Stale wine
48. Old herbs and spices
49. Pizza crusts
50. Napkins
51. Paper towels
52. Paper towel rolls (chopped up to speed up decomposition)
53. Paper table cloths (torn up to speed things up)
54. Paper plates (but not ones with waxy or plastic covering)
55. Paper bags (torn up)
56. Cupcake or muffin cups (not if waxed)
57. Cardboard egg cartons (chopped up)
58. Pizza boxes, chopped up (not if waxed)
59. Other cardboard boxes (but not if waxed or printed with colored ink)
60. Toothpicks
61. Chopsticks
62. Wood or bamboo skewers
63. Wine corks (chopped)
64. Fruit – most fruit is fine but go easy on citrus, see below for more details

A couple of things to avoid

There are also a few things you should avoid composting. Don’t be tempted to add meat or fish – while they will technically break down like anything else, they can create a very unpleasant odor as they rot and are also a magnet for scavengers and pests.

Go easy on citrus peel. You can add a few scraps from time to time but not too much. Otherwise, your pile will become too acidic for microorganisms and worms to live in, and the composting process will cease to function. The same goes for garlic and onions.

If you have a worm composter, you should avoid citrus, garlic and onions entirely since your worms will hate it and may even die.

An ecological and beneficial solution to household waste

If you care at all about the environment and helping to save our planet, composting is an idea that should appeal to you. As we mentioned before, it is not only a much greener way to dispose of household waste but is also a great way to provide a constant source of powerful fertilizer, which in turn will help everything in your garden grow and thrive.

Author Bio: Peter Weeks is a gardening buff. To him, gardening is life, not just a job. It’s something that he truly loves doing. It’s a way of life, a passion that he has no intention of ever giving up.