What to Compost

What's good to compost and what's not?

Good materials

• Grass Cuttings - high in nitrogen and a good activator. Avoid thick layers as they tend to compact and turn to slime.
• Weeds - high in nitrogen and can be used as an activator, especially nettles.
• *Vegetable and fruit peelings*
• Old plants and flowers
• *Kitchen Waste* ( tea bags, egg shells ) - any food scraps should be mixed in thoroughly to prevent attracting pests.
• Prunings - any woody prunings should be chopped. If possible crush all stems with a spade.
• Leaves - take a long time to decompose. It might be better to compost leaves separately in mould piles.
• Hay and straw - useful for drying soggy heaps.
• Potato tops and other stuff from the vegetable patch.
• Bedding from vegetarian pets like rabbits, guinea pigs and gerbils.
• Straw Farmyard Horse Manure
• Chicken and Pigeon Manure - use sparingly as this is particularly nitrogen rich.
• Pure Wool ( from jumpers ) - never use synthetic fibres.
• Seaweed
• Sawdust - dries out a heap.

Materials to Avoid

• Meat and Fish Scraps - can attract pests.
• Glass, plastic and metal
• Nappies
• Coal Ash
• Infected Plants
• Dog and Cat Stuff
• Cleaning Fluids and other household / garden chemicals*

If your compost heap includes waste food scraps, it could encourage rodent pests. To avoid this, use a purpose made container rather than a loose heap.

To work with best efficiency, the container should have no base so that the compost heap sits directly on the soil. Make the compost heap rat proof by sitting the container on two layers of strong wire mesh such as chicken wire.*