Materials for Home Composting
To make good compost you will need to have a mixture of green and brown materials. Green materials contain a high percentage of nitrogen and breakdown quickly, brown materials contain a high percentage of carbon and breakdown slowly. For the best results these should ideally be combined in a 50:50 ratio.
Here is a list of materials that you can put into your composter. To ensure good compost turn the mixture regularly and keep a good balance of green and brown material.
| Green Materials | Brown Materials | Materials to Avoid |
| Annual Weeds Bracken Leaves Cabbage Citrus Peel Comfrey Leaves Cut Flowers Grass Cuttings Green Pruning Lettuce/Salad Trimmings Manure Old Bedding Plants Potato Tops Rhubarb Leaves Seaweed Straw Tea Bags/ Leaves Vegetable/Fruit Peelings Weeds without Seeds | Cardboard Coffee Grounds Egg Boxes Egg Shells Feathers Hair Hay Kitchen Paper Newspaper Paper Bags Pet Bedding from Herbivorous Pets Shredded Garden Waste Shredded Paper Spent Perennial Stems Wood Ash Carpet Dust Wood Shavings Charcoal (cold) | Butter, oil and Dressings Butter, oil and Dressings Bread Cigarette Ends Cooked Food Leftovers Crisp Packets Coal Ashes Dairy Products Diseased or Insect-Infected Plants Fatty/Oily Foods, including Cheese Human Faeces Meat, Bones and fish scraps Pet Waste (cat and dog) Perennial Roots Plant or Grass Clippings treated with Chemicals Rose Prunings/Thorny Materials Weeds with Mature Seeds |
For a fully comprehensive guide to composting and how to get started go to www.recyclenow.com/compost If you do not have internet access please contact us on 01243 642106.