In recent years, composting has gained popularity as people strive towards leading a more sustainable lifestyle. This eco-friendly practice helps minimise household waste and produce an alternative to garden fertilisers.
However, composting is more complex than throwing any organic matter into a pile. There are things you should never put into a compost heap, as they can damage the plants, the compost itself, and even the environment. Let’s see which things belong outside the composter.
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What Not to Add to Your Compost Heap
It’s common sense to think that anything that’s not plastic or metal and can decompose belongs in the compost bin. You can’t be more wrong. Here are things you should never try to compost
Meat, Bones, Dairy Products, and Eggs
One of the most important things to remember when composting is excluding animal-based products from the heap. Meat, bones, dairy products, and eggs can create many problems. Firstly, these items emit foul odours that attract pests like rodents, flies, and other wild animals, even if you have a closed composting bin. Moreover, they can introduce harmful bacteria to the compost pile, compromising its quality and potentially causing health issues.
Fats, Oils, and Grease
While fats, oils, and grease may seem like organic materials, they should not be included in compost heaps. These substances can coat the rest of the compost materials, forming a layer that inhibits proper air and water circulation. As a result, the composting process slows down, and the pile becomes compacted. Fats, oils, and grease can also generate unpleasant odours, attracting pests and creating an unhygienic composting environment.
Pet Excrement
While it might be tempting to include your pet’s waste in the compost heap, it’s better to refrain from doing so. Animal faeces can contain harmful pathogens that can pose risks to human health. Composting may not effectively eliminate these pathogens, allowing them to persist in the final compost. For example, dog faeces can carry roundworms, while cat excrement and litter can contain organisms responsible for toxoplasmosis, a disease hazardous for pregnant women and their unborn children. It’s best to dispose of pet waste separately to avoid any potential health hazards.
Diseased Plants and Treated Materials
Adding diseased plants to a compost heap is a recipe for disaster. Certain plant diseases can survive the composting process, and when the compost is eventually used as soil, these diseases can infect other plants. To prevent diseases from spreading, it is crucial to dispose of diseased plants properly. This can be achieved by burning them or putting them in the trash. Similarly, avoid adding plants that have been treated with pesticides or preservatives. The residual chemicals can unintentionally harm the beneficial microorganisms responsible for composting. This caution is especially significant for compost bins, as they often fail to reach the temperatures required to kill insects and disease pathogens.
What To Do With Organic Matter You Can’t Compost?
Now you’re stuck with these things you can’t throw in the composter and forget about. You might be wondering how to throw them away. The good news is that you can still safely dispose of organic matter that’s not compostable. Here’s how:
Managing Meat, Bones, Dairy Products, and Eggs
Remember that meat, bones, dairy products, and eggs can take a long time to break down in a compost heap. Their slow decomposition process can create an imbalance in the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, essential for efficient composting. This type of waste should be disposed of separately to avoid attracting pests and introducing harmful bacteria through municipal organic waste collection programs or a composting system designed to handle animal-based waste.
Alternative Options for Food Scraps
Consider alternative options to reduce food waste without including it in your compost heap. Food scraps can be used to create homemade vegetable broths or stocks, used in vermicomposting systems with worms, or added to designated Bokashi composting bins to ferment organic waste. These methods provide practical ways to recycle food scraps without the risks associated with adding animal-based products to traditional compost heaps.
Addressing Concerns About Fats, Oils, and Grease
Collect and dispose of grease, oils, and fats separately for proper handling. In many areas, there are programs that accept used cooking oils for recycling into biodiesel or other useful products. Alternatively, you can solidify the fats by mixing them with absorbent materials like sawdust or newspaper and then dispose of them in your regular trash. This helps prevent potential clogs in plumbing systems and eliminates the risk of attracting pests to your compost heap.
Safe Disposal of Pet Waste
When it comes to pet waste, it’s important to consider the health risks associated with pathogens found in their faeces. Instead of composting pet waste, i’s better to bag and dispose of it in the trash. Look for biodegradable pet waste bags that break down more quickly in landfills. If you have a large amount of pet waste, some municipalities offer special collection services for pet waste that can ensure safe and sanitary disposal.
Organic Alternatives for Diseased Plants
If you find plants in your garden that show signs of disease, it’s best to remove and dispose of them properly. This way, you’ll prevent the spread of pathogens. Consider utilising organic disease management techniques instead of adding them to the compost heap. For example, you can practice crop rotation, use disease-resistant plant varieties, and maintain good sanitation practices in your garden to minimise the risk of disease transmission. By adopting these methods, you can reduce the need for chemical treatments and create a healthier growing environment.
Importance of Monitoring and Maintaining Compost Piles
Monitoring and maintaining your compost pile is crucial to achieving the best composting conditions. Experienced gardeners follow two simple rules to keep their composting process running and without any troubles:
- Moisture management – Monitoring the moisture levels in your compost pile is crucial. Aim for a damp, but not soggy, environment. Professional gardeners recommend regularly checking the moisture content by squeezing a handful of compost. Add water with a watering can or hose if it feels too dry. Conversely, if it feels overly wet, incorporate dry materials like straw or shredded newspaper to help balance the moisture. Maintaining proper moisture levels promotes decomposition and prevents the compost from becoming too compact or odorous.
- Regular turning – Turning or aerating the compost pile is essential to provide oxygen to the microorganisms responsible for breaking down organic matter. Professional gardeners suggest turning the pile every few weeks using a pitchfork or compost-turning tool. This process helps distribute heat, nutrients, and moisture throughout the pile, ensuring even decomposition. It also helps break up clumps and prevents the formation of anaerobic pockets, which can lead to unpleasant odours. Regular turning accelerates composting and produces a more consistent, nutrient-rich end product.
Takeaways
Composting is an excellent way to reduce waste and create nutrient-rich soil for gardening. However, it’s vital to be mindful of what should not be added to compost heaps. Items like meat, bones, dairy products, eggs, fats, oils, grease, pet excrement, diseased plants, and treated materials can create undesirable outcomes, from attracting pests to spreading diseases and compromising compost quality. If you avoid these items, regularly monitor moisture levels and turn your compost pile, you can create an environment that promotes efficient decomposition, minimises odour and pest issues, and produces nutrient-dense compost for your garden.