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​Feeding your compost

What can you put in compost?

The following list is not comprehensive but gives you a guide as to what can and can't go in your compost. There are no hard and fast rules, and once you are confident, you may even try experimenting with some of the items on the 'no' list. However if your compost is not working correctly, you may end up creating more problems than you solve. 

The best advice is to keep it simple, and use other methods such as Bokashi for those 'hard to compost' items. 

YES

  • grass cuttings
  • leaves
  • fruit scraps
  • vegetable scraps
  • livestock manure
  • chook poo
  • Bedding from pets e.g. straw, hay, shredded paper
  • newspaper
  • egg shells
  • Onion
  • Citrus
  • Cooking oil (cold)
  • Sawdust (except if treated or painted)
  • Ash

Examples of greens and browns

Avocado pips and peels are slow but great to compost
No need to crush eggshells
Cardboard is a great pH neutraliser
Lawn clippings
garlic skin
grapes
Garlic is fine in the compost
Veggie peels
Leaves and garden clippings, especially comfrey and nettle
Peels
Onion is ok to add
pH meter representing pH neutrality
Watermelon
Food scraps
Avocado
Kiwi fruit
Peppers

Other essential items

Bugs are important to have in your compost
All insects play a role
oxygen is vital in a compost
Manage the pH
Manage the water
Worms will move in if it runs cold rather than hot

NO

  • Meat - raw
  • Meat - cooked
  • Rice 
  • Pasta
  • Weeds (Ivy, Kikuyi) unless completely dead, as they'll take over!
  • Eggs
  • Bread



Please feel free to comment below on other items you have tried, or items you are not sure about. 
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​Compost Community is a program by Chooktopia (Ninti Earth Pty Ltd) in partnership with local councils. 
Bunurong Country Langwarrin 3910 by appointment only. 

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  • Home
    • Join
  • Order
    • Glen Eira
    • Greater Dandenong
    • Knox
    • Manningham
    • Maribyrnong
    • Merri-bek >
      • Apartments
    • Monash >
      • Monash Apartments
    • Mornington Peninsula
    • Everywhere else >
      • Rest of Victoria >
        • City of Casey
        • Cardinia Shire
      • Rest of Australia
    • Compostable Caddy Liners
    • Accessories
    • Spare parts
  • Learn
    • Food Waste
    • Choosing a compost system
    • Worm farming >
      • Guide to Worm Farming
      • Fun facts
      • Surviving Heat Waves
    • Composting >
      • Introduction to Composting
      • Feeding your compost
      • Compost Maintenance
      • Harvesting and using Compost
      • Troubleshooting Compost Problems
      • Composting FAQs
    • Bokashi
    • Chooks
    • Pet poo
    • Troubleshooting
    • FAQs
  • Toolbox
    • Common questions
    • Community >
      • Compost hotspots
      • Chat
      • Sharewaste
      • Community gardens
      • Baseline data
    • Downloads >
      • Kids' activities
    • Videos
    • Blog
    • Back to Earth
  • About us
    • How it works
    • Terms and Policies >
      • Terms of use
      • Your privacy
      • Shipping
    • Our Products >
      • Our Worm Farms >
        • Subpod Care
      • Our Bokashi bins
      • Our Compost bins >
        • Tumblers
        • Compost bins
      • Our Accessories
    • Councils
    • Contact us
  • Events