COMPOST LIST

We’ve put together a helpful list below, organized by different areas of your home, to show you what counts as green compost and what counts as brown. You do not need to include all of these items if you do not wish, these are just to spark some ideas and inform you of what can be composted instead of thrown away :)

KITCHEN

  1. Fruit and vegetable scraps (G) 

  2. Old or new coffee grounds (G) 

  3. Cooked pasta (G) 

  4. Cooked rice (G) 

  5. Spoiled pasta sauce or tomato paste (G) *please keep in the can* DO NOT EMPTY

  6. Old herbs and spices (G) 

  7. Stale candy (G) *crushed or chopped up*

  8. Stale protein or energy bars (G) 

  9. Stale pumpkin, sunflower or sesame seeds (G) *chopped up* 

  10. Avocado pits (G) *chopped up*

  11.  Old jelly, jam, or preservatives (G) 

  12. Stale beer and wine (G) *keep in bottle/can*

  13. Egg shells (B) *crushed*

  14. Coffee filters (B) 

  15. Used paper napkins and paper towels (B) 

  16. Stale tortilla chips or potato chips (B)

  17. The crumbs you sweep off of the counters and floors (B) 

  18. Stale bread, pitas, or tortillas (B)

  19. Stale tortilla chips or potato chips (B)

  20. Crumbs from the bottom of snack food packaging (B)

  21. Paper towel rolls (B) *shredded*

  22. Stale crackers (B)

  23. Stale cereal (B)

  24. Nut shells (B) *NO WALNUT SHELLS*

  25. Unpopped, burnt popcorn kernels (B)

  26. Stale pretzels (B)

  27. Pizza crusts (B)

  28. Old oatmeal (B)

  29. Peanut shells (B)

  30. Cardboard egg cartons (B) *chopped up*

  31. Wine corks (B) *chopped up*

  32. Toothpicks (B)

  33. Bamboo skewers (B) *break up*

  34. Paper cupcake or muffin cups (B)

Pet-Related

  1. Fur from the dog or cat brush (B)

  2. Feathers (B)

  3. Alfalfa hay or pellets (usually fed to rabbits, gerbils, etc.) (B)

  4. Dry dog or cat food, fish pellets (B)

  5. Newspaper/droppings from the bottom of the bird or snake cage (G)

BATHROOM 

  1. Used facial tissues (B)

  2. Hair from your hairbrush (B)

  3. Trimmings from an electric razor (B)

  4. Toilet paper rolls (shredded) (B)

  5. Nail clippings (B)

  6. 100% cotton cotton balls (B)

  7. Cotton swabs made from 100% cotton and cardboard (not plastic) sticks (B)

From the Office

  1. Bills and other plain paper documents (shredded) (B)

  2. Envelopes (shredded, minus the plastic window) (B)

  3. Pencil shavings (B)

  4. Sticky notes (shredded) (B)

  5. Old business cards (shredded, as long as they’re not glossy or embossed) (B)

    Around the House

    1. “Dust bunnies” from wood and tile floors (B)

    2. Contents of your dustpan (pick out any inorganic stuff, like pennies and Legos) (B)

    3. Crumbs from under your couch cushions (again, pick out any inorganic stuff) (B)

    4. Newspapers (shredded or torn into smaller pieces) (B)

    5. Junk mail (shredded, remove coated paper and plastic windows) (B)

    6. Subscription cards from magazines (shredded) (B)

    7. Burlap sacks (cut or torn into small pieces) (B)

    8. Old rope and twine (chopped, natural, unwaxed only) (B)

    9. Dead houseplants and their soil (B)

    10. Natural potpourri (B)

    11. Used matches (B)

    12. Ashes from untreated wood burned in the fireplace, grill, or outdoor fire pits (in very small amounts) (B)

    13. Dead autumn leaves (B)

    14. Sawdust (from plain wood that has NOT been pressure-treated, stained or painted) (B)

    15. Flowers from floral arrangements (G)

    16. Leaves trimmed from houseplants (G)

    17. Grass clippings (G)