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Home » COMPOSTING » WHAT’S COMPOSTABLE/WHAT’S NOT A-Z

WHAT’S COMPOSTABLE/WHAT’S NOT A-Z

August 3, 2013 Leave a Comment

The Long and the Short

YES

  • Food scraps (veggies, fruit, all meat, dairy, bones)
  • Coffee grounds, filters, and teabags
  • Soiled paper -pizza boxes, tissues, paper towels, paper cups and plates

NO

  • Plastic (styrofoam, bags, plastic-lined items, containers, etc)
  • Glass
  • Metal, foil-lined items
Print off a fridge magnet size cheat sheet here.
Below is a more comprehensive list, if your item isn’t listed, check the NSFAWQ (Not So Frequently Asked weird questions) here.

YES

  • Ashes from fireplace or grill (cold, and contained)
  • Baked goods
  • BPI certified compostable bags (not plastic-based, must have compost council logo)
  • BPI certified compostable products (click here for more details)
  • Bones
  • Boxes from refrigerated & frozen food
  • Bread
  • Butter & margarine
  • Cake
  • Candy
  • Cellulose sponges
  • Certified compostable knives and forks, look for “ASTM D-6400”
  • Certified compostable plates, cups, etc look for “ASTM D-6400”
  • Cereal
  • Cheese
  • Christmas/Holiday wreaths and swags
  • Coffee filters
  • Coffee grounds
  • Condiment packets, paper – e.g. sugar, sugar substitutes, salt, etc
  • Cookies
  • Cooking oils
  • Cork
  • Corn – cobs and husks
  • Cottage cheese
  • Cotton balls
  • 100% cotton or wool clothing that cannot be repaired or donated
  • Cotton swabs
  • Dairy products
  • Dough (although if we’re talking money you can send it to me care of the LHP&L address)
  • Dryer lint
  • Dust bunnies
  • Egg cartons
  • Eggshells
  • Fish & fish parts
  • Fondue
  • French fries
  • Frozen foods
  • Fruit
  • Fruit peelings
  • Fur – pet grooming, not coats
  • Garlic
  • Gift bags (remove sticky tape)
  • Gift wrap (remove sticky tape)
  • Grain products
  • Gravy & sauces
  • Hair -human and pet
  • Herbs & spices
  • Horseradish
  • Houseplant & flower trimmings
  • Ice cream
  • Indoor plants
  • Jams and jellies
  • Ketchup
  • Masking tape (paper type, not sticky tape)
  • Mayonnaise
  • Meat & meat products
  • Melon – including rinds
  • Microwave food packaging
  • Microwave popcorn bags
  • Mustard
  • Nail clippings
  • Newspaper – if used as a liner for a food waste container or to wrap wet food scraps, otherwise recycle
  • Noodles
  • Nuts & nutshells
  • Oatmeal
  • Oysters
  • Pancakes
  • Paper bags (flour and sugar)
  • Paper take-out containers (remove metal handles)
  • Paper plates & cups (not plastic lined, certified compostable)
  • Paper soiled with food
  • Paper towels & napkins
  • Pasta
  • Pastries and pies
  • Peanut butter
  • Pencils
  • Pencil shavings
  • Pickles
  • Pineapples and tops
  • Pitas
  • Pizza
  • Pizza boxes
  • PLA Natureworks items
  • Popcorn
  • Popsicle sticks (wooden only)
  • Potato chips
  • Potatoes
  • Potted indoor plants
  • Pretzels
  • Pumpkins
  • Q-tips with cardboard middles
  • Relishes
  • Rice
  • Salad dressing
  • Salads
  • Sandwiches
  • Sauces
  • Sauerkraut
  • Sawdust
  • Seafood
  • Shellfish, including shells
  • Shrimp, including shells
  • Snack foods
  • Soup – strain liquids down the drain first.
  • Sour cream
  • Spices
  • Spoiled foods
  • Squash
  • Stuffing
  • Sugar
  • Syrup
  • Tea
  • Teabags
  • Tissues & cotton balls
  • Tissue paper
  • Toast, tortillas, bread
  • Tomatoes
  • Toothpicks
  • Tuna
  • Vegetables
  • Waxed paper (incl. butter wraps, pastry bags, fast food wraps)
  • Wreaths, swags and holiday greenery
  • Yogurt (Significant volumes can be rinsed down the drain with dishwater)

NO

  • Animal waste
  • Baby wipes
  • Band-Aids
  • Bandages
  • Berry containers (plastic)
  • Candles
  • Candy wrappers, chocolate bar wrappers
  • Cat litter
  • Ceramics
  • Christmas Trees (typically highly chemically treated)
  • Cigarette butts
  • Cigars
  • Cleaning products
  • Condiment Packets, plastic – e.g. ketchup, mustard
  • Condoms
  • Construction materials – cement, concrete
  • Construction materials (wood scraps)
  • Cosmetics
  • Crayons
  • Dead animals
  • Demolition waste
  • Dental floss (it’s made from Teflon or nylon)
  • Detergents
  • Diapers
  • Dog food sacks – look like paper but are plastic-lined
  • Dryer sheets
  • Feces (human and pet)
  • Fertilizers
  • Foil and foil-type bags e.g. chocolate-chip bags, candy wrappers
  • Gardening waste
  • Gauze
  • Glass
  • Grass clippings
  • Gravel
  • Gum
  • Hygiene products
  • Incontinence products
  • Juice boxes & other foil-lined containers
  • Kitty litter
  • Latex
  • Leaves
  • Liquids (large quantities of non-hazardous, pour down the drain)
  • Markers
  • Milk & juice cartons (waxed cardboard, and foil-lined) – these should be RECYCLED
  • Oils – motor
  • Personal feminine hygiene products (e.g. tampons, pads)
  • Personal hygiene products (e.g. make-up, shampoo)
  • Pesticides
  • Pet waste
  • Pet waste handling products
  • Photos
  • Plastic Bags (re-use and recycle)
  • Plastic of any kind including plastic wrap, packaging, knives, and forks
  • Plastic plates and cutlery
  • Plastic bottles, metal, or glass (recycle in usual manner)
  • Postcards (recycle with boxboard)
  • Q-tips with plastic middles
  • Rocks
  • Rubber
  • Sandwich bags
  • Soaps
  • Soil
  • Star Tribune “oxy degradable” bags – they’re plastic
  • Sticky tape
  • Styrofoam
  • Swiffer dusters, dust mops
  • Synthetic clothing
  • Tampons
  • Wax
  • Yard waste

For more information,
visit www.lhpowerandlight.org

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