DIY Composter + 21 Things You Can Compost

This week, we accomplished a DIY I've been thinking about for a few months -- we made a "tumble" compost bin. It's not a true tumbler -- it's a trash can with a tight-fitting lid and a ton of drill holes. With the tight lid, I can drop it on its side and roll it around the yard, hence "tumbling" the compost. I'll let you know how that works out for us. Cost of a real tumble composter is $100+. My DIY version was free, since I used an old trash can we had in the garage.

Now that we're composting without worms, it's time for a recap on what can be composted.

1. The usual suspects -- old veggies and fruits, plus the skins/rinds of veggies and fruits that normally get discarded, such as potato skins, banana peels, the tops of strawberries, that browned salad, etc.
2. Dead houseplants and the leaves they drop all over the floor
3. Brown matter from the yard -- no, not the dog poop, the dead leaves, grass clippings, hedge trimmings, dead flowers, etc.
4. Dryer lint

5. Hair and pet fur
~ a little gross, but hair adds nitrogen and other beneficial nutrients to compost.
6. Fireplace ashes
~ ashes (including ashes from wood and from charcoal made from wood) help to retain moisture in the compost. They also contain potassium.
7. Jell-O (gelatin)


8. Cotton, wool and silk clothing/fabric
~ worn-out clothing made of natural fibers will decompose faster if you shred them before composting.
9. Full paper vacuum cleaner bags and their contents.
10. Nail clippings, both human and animal ~ again, a bit gross but compostable. Make sure they're polish-free.
11. Rope, string
and twine made out of natural fibers (cotton, hemp, jute and manila ropes)
12. Leather goods and clothing
~ natural leather products will decompose (very slowly) in the compost pile.
13. Leftover beer, wine and corks


14. Pet food leftovers
~ dry dog, cat, fish food and even too-chewed rawhide dog chews are OK for the compost pile (bury it in the pile to deter rodents and other unwanted pests.

15. Spoiled milk and dairy products
~ meat products are generally a compost pile no-no, but spoiled dairy products like moldy cheese, sour milk and yogurt are OK.
16. White glue and masking tape ~ check for toxic ingredients, but most white glues (like Elmer's brand) and paper masking tape can be composted. Post-It-Notes can be too.
17. Teabags, coffee grounds and paper coffee filters
18. Seaweed/kelp
~ if you live on an ocean or other waterway and your shoreline is being invaded by washed up seaweed or kelp, add it to the compost pile -- it's often used in organic fertilizers.
19. Eggshells
~ they add calcium to the soil.
20. Stale bread and other grain products
~ grain-based foods, including pasta, rice, cereal, crackers, pizza crusts, etc., can be composted (again, bury them in the pile to deter unwanted pests.
21. Organic holiday decorations
~ your Halloween jack-o-lantern, wreaths and pine boughs from Christmas, latex balloons from birthday parties, and that long-dead bouquet from Valentine's Day.