Can I compost this?

You can compost almost anything that was once alive. But some things are easier to compost than others. And some things should never, ever be composted.

Things you CAN compost

Compostables are usually divided into "browns" and "greens." Getting the right mix of these two categories keeps the process going smoothly (meaning not stinky). "Browns" have a lot of carbon and are usually dry. "Greens" have a lot of nitrogen and are usually wet. The exact mix you want depends on the composting method you're using. Check out our tutorials to learn more about how to compost. Here, we've listed items in each category below.

Yes!

Some easy to compost "browns" are:

Dried leaves
Non-glossy paper, shredded or balled
Non-glossy cardboard (tear or cut it into pieces no larger than your hand)
Small twigs
Baked goods past their prime
Egg cartons (tear them up a bit)
Expired grains
Popcorn, popped or not
Hair
Nut and their shells
Fur
Newspaper, shredded or balled
Nail clippings (eww, but true)
Paper bags
Parchment paper
Paper towels
Home-compostable produce bags
Cotton balls
Cardboard pizza boxes (possibly smelly, though)

Some other compostable "browns" are slower to break down:

Bones
Egg shells from hard-boiled eggs
Wooden chopsticks
Bamboo toothbrushes
Natural wine corks
Wooden popsicle sticks

Yes!

Some easy to compost "greens" are:

Coffee grounds and paper filters
Tea and natural-fiber tea bags
Produce trimmings, including:
- Carrot peels
- Broccoli stems
- Potato peels
- Apple cores
- Banana peels
- Radish tops
- Papaya skins
- Strawberry tops
- Watermelon rinds
- Zucchini tops
- Cucumber stems
- Eggplant tops
- Pear cores
- Citrus peels
- Tomato tops
- Cantaloupe rinds
- Lilikoi rinds
Beans, dried or cooked
Grass clippings (mix them with some browns to avoid a soggy, smelly goo)
Green plant trimmings
Wilted flowers
Shells from hard-boiled eggs (will take a while to break down)

Things you CAN'T compost

Some things can't be composted because they're either hazardous or because they'll never decompose.

Nope!

You should never, ever compost:

Cat waste, dog waste, or human waste. Just steer clear of poop in general.
Chemically treated stuff like pressure-treated wood, herbicide-treated plants, etc.
Plastic, which annoyingly includes produce stickers
Any diseased plants (or animals)
Let's also add dead animals to this list

Also no

You also can't compost:

Glossy paper
Synthetic fabric
Wrapping paper
Glass
Synthetic elastic
Wax
Metal
Receipt paper
Dryer lint
Tape
Produce stickers (so annoying!)
Most things labeled “compostable” that don’t specifically say “backyard compostable”