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Category: Compact Composting | Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:10 am

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It is very easy and relatively simple to compost right in your home with no smell and using minimal space. In these economically difficult times, everything is valuable--especially our kitchen waste. We want to maximize our usage while minimizing waste; AND it does not have to cost an arm and a leg to do it.

What to compost and what not to compost:

--What SHOULD NOT Be Composted
-Meat, Fish or Meat-By-Products
-Meat fat or lard
-Cooking Oil (Any kind-even vegetable oil)

When composting these item--USE WORMS to hurry the process. These items will make your compost smell and attract unwanted vermin like beetles, roaches, rats, mice,etc.:
-Any dairy product (milk, cheese,yogurt, cream,etc.)
-Uncooked Rice
-Pasta
-Baked Beans
-Bread Products
-Cake

Second--What Can Be Composted QUICKLY WITHOUT SMELL AND WORMS
-All Fresh Vegetables (including potato peelings, onion skins, produce trimmings,etc)
-All Fresh Fruits (Including banana peels,orange peels, apple or pear cores, etc.)
-Freezer-burned fruit or vegetables
-Freezer-burned vegetables
-Nut shells (except pistacio)
-Popcorn (Uncooked)
-Coffee grounds
-Cooked rice
-Egg shells
-Tea bags and grounds
-Aquarium plants
-Leaves
-Plant Waste (from previous or dead foliage arrangements)
-Pine needles
-Houseplant trimmings
-Seaweed and kelp
-Wood
-Weeds (from the sidewalk)
-Envelopes
-Grocery receipts
-Kleenex tissues
-Paper napkins
-Paper towels
-Shredded cardboard
-Shredded newspapers
-Cardboard cereal boxes (shredded)
-Felt scraps
-Leather Scraps
-Lint (from clothes dryer)
-Pencil shavings
-Q-tips or cotton swabs (not the plastic!!)
-Sawdust


Last edited: Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:28 am

This blog entry has been viewed 1464 times

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cheerz2you wrote on Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:41 pm:

Thanks for the great information! I used to have a functioning Compost Tumbler, but I wore it out! We cannot afford a new 'garden toy' right now, so I will be creating a new pile that I can work with this year.

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cuatro-gatos wrote on Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:11 pm:

Hello - good info on composting. We have had a compost bin for aprox 10 yrs. It's located on a small patio off the kitchen so it's convient to get to. However, it's the old fashion type, we have to use a pitch fork to stir it up & it has a small access door at one end at ground level. Most of the valuable compost is at the bottom of the opposite end, and because of the "ick" factor, I have not gone dumpster diving for all that black gold. I dream of one day sifting out all the stuff that has not broken down and bagging up all the good stuff. What about hair and dog fur - how long would that take to break down?
Keep up the good work!

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earthfriend wrote on Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:34 pm:

Thanks!! I really appreciate this. Sounds like you have really good compost going on. Hair and fur are protein based which need a strong acidic or basic environment to degrade. Even then it could take 2-3 weeks before you notice the degredation process beginning. Hair and fur are best for the worm composter.

In many cases, when you look at the excretions of coniverous wild animals, there are pieces of bone, fur, or feathers because their stomach acid did not have enough time to break down the protein. Then of course, there are the fossils that are anywhere from 9000-25000 years old which hair was found still attached.

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