If you’ve ever wondered what kind of things you can compost, you’re not alone.
We’ve compiled a room-by-room list of more than 200 compostable items. While we understand some of these items are best left to individual preference and might not be right for your compost pile or compost bin.
Still, we hope this list provides you with scavenger-hunt-like fun and help you think creatively about what else you might be able to compost. (In fact, if you think of other things we should add to the list, we hope you’ll tell us about them!)
Note: Keep in mind that you will want to chop up food/plant seeds so they won’t grow in your compost pile and shred large items such as cardboard, pizza boxes, and newspapers.
Without going on too long with an introduction, here’s the list, organized by area of the house.
1. Apple cores
2. Avocado pits
3. Stale coffee beans (ground up for best decomposition)
4. Broccoli stalks
5. Burned toast
6. Cellophane (real cellophone, not plastic!) bags or wrapping
7. Cereal boxes
8. Chopsticks
9. Citrus rinds
10. Coffee filters
11. Coffee grounds
12. Cooked rice
13. Corn cobs (allow extra composting time)
14. Corn husks
16. Crushed egg shells
17. Expired jelly
18. Expired yogurt
19. Fish bones (ground up)
20. Fish skin
22. Food-soiled paper
23. Fruit leaves (cherry, strawberry, raspberry, peach)
24. Grape wastes
26. Liquid from canned goods
27. Loose tea leaves
28. Melted ice cream
29. Moldy bread
30. Moldy cheese
32. Cardboard egg cartons
34. Old herbs
35. Old pasta
36. Olive pits
37. Onion skins
38. Paper cupcake/muffin cups
39. Paper egg cartons
40. Paper grocery bags
41. Paper napkins
42. Paper tablecloths
43. Paper towels and towel rolls
44. Pizza boxes
45. Popcorn kernels
46. Potato peels
47. Pumpkin seeds
49. Sesame seeds
50. Shrimp/lobster/crab shells
51. Soggy salad
53. Soy/rice/almond milk
54. Stale cereal
55. Stale crackers and chips
56. Stale grains
57. Sunflower seeds
58. Tea bags (and string)
60. Used paper plates (non wax coating)
61. Vegetable and fruit peels
62. White paper bakery bags
63. Winter rye
64. Wooden toothpicks
Kid’s Bedroom
65. Aquarium plants
66. Bird cage droppings
67. Brown paper lunch bags
68. Chewing gum
69. Cotton clothes
70. Cotton shirt threads
71. Fish food
72. Flat soda
73. Hamster/rabbit bedding (including soiled)
74. Homework assignments
75. Juice boxes (those not coated with plastic or containing foil)
76. Latex balloons
77. Linen bed sheets
78. Paper mache
80. Pizza crust
81. Stale candy (without wrapper)
82. Stale cookies
83. Stickers
84. Wool socks
85. Brewery wastes
86. Christmas tree
87. Cigar stubs
88. Contents of vacuum cleaner bag
89. Cooled fireplace ash
90. Dust bunnies
91. Natural silk curtains
92. Nut shells (not walnuts)
93. Organic tobacco waste
94. Rotting Halloween pumpkin
95. Wine and beer
96. Wine corks (allow extra composting time)
97. Wrapping paper roll
98. Crepe paper streamers
99. Dead flies
100. Dead houseplants
101. Dried/fresh flowers
102. Hemp baskets
103. Holiday wreaths
104. Outdated seeds
105. Rawhide dog chews
106. Stale catnip
107. Trimmed plant leaves
108. Yarn scraps
109. 100% cotton sanitary napkins (including used)
110. Cardboard cotton swabs
111. Cardboard tampon applicators (including used)
112. Cotton balls (100% cotton)
113. Cotton towels
114. Dryer lint
115. Electric razor trimmings
118. Latex and sheepskin condoms
119. Loofahs (made with organic materials)
120. Old potpourri
121. Price tags
122. Pure soap scraps
123. Tatami mat
124. Toenail clippings
125. Toilet paper roll
126. Urine (not if you are using medication)
127. Used fabric softener sheets
128. Used tissues
129. ATM receipts
130. Catalogs and magazines (not heavily inked)
131. Confetti from a three-hole puncher
132. Envelopes (without plastic window)
133. Leather belt
134. Leather wallet
135. Leather watch band
136. Newspaper
137. Non glossy business cards
138. Non glossy junk mail
139. Paperback books
140. Post-it notes
141. Shredded documents
142. Stale protein/nutrition bars
143. Ticket stubs
144. White glue
145. Acorn shells
183. Worms (make sure composter has no bottom so they can escape if compost is too hot)
184. Burlap sacks
185. Cardboard boxes
186. Dustpan contents
187. Eraser rubbings
188. Latex gloves
189. Matches
190. Natural fiber rags
191. Pencil shavings
192. Power tool manuals
193. Rope and twine (made from natural fibers)
194. Ruined jeans
195. Sawdust (only a little bit at a time)
196. Sea sponges
197. Unpainted sheetrock
198. Used masking tape
199. Wood chips (paintless, not very many)