A Few Unlikely Items To Add to Your Compost Heap

Composting has become a bigger and bigger trend over the years with more and more people transforming their own waste material into useful fertilizer for yards and gardens. And while composting has become more popular, not everyone knows the full extent of what can truly be composted.

To be sure, there are some staples of the compost heap. Banana peels, which can’t wait ten minutes to start going brown, are a natural choice. The grass clippings from our latest mowing are always an addition. And those tea bags and coffee grounds that help get us through the mornings can help our compost heap’s nitrogen content, too. But a few other unlikely items can also help you develop more of that gorgeous, rich black matter when you add them to your compost heap .

Disposable Dinnerware

We’re not talking about white plastic forks, knives, spoons, and plates, which could sit in your compost heap for a century and not change a bit. Rather, we have disposable and compostable options for flatware and dinnerware that, after the cookout has come and gone, can head to the heap for speedy decomposition. All-natural, plant-based materials such as sugarcane, birchwood, and palm leaf break down easily with the aid of our heap’s helpful detritivores. Making the switch to compostable party products is a terrific way to help the environment. We can reduce how much plastic is in our landfills while increasing the beauty of our plants.

Hair Clippings

Quit emptying that electric shaver into the sink and running the clippings down the drain. All you’ll do is clog it. Instead, we can all stay out of stubble trouble by sending our shavings to our compost heap. It won’t take long for chemistry and colonies to break them down. It may seem unusual to think of weeks’ worth of five o’clock shadow feeding your hydrangeas, but your plants and plumbing will thank you.

Shells of All Sorts

Why walk on eggshells when you can compost them? The next time you whip up an omelet or a strata, take those eggshells, crush them up, and compost them. The same goes for peanut shells, which can also benefit compost heaps because of their high carbon content. Did you know that lobsters were once so plentiful off the coast of Nova Scotia that farmers ground them up for fertilizer? That’s not the case now, but a lobster shell can be one of the more unusual items to add to your compost heap if you decide to do a little luxury dining at home.