Composting: Benefits & Basics - Snappy Green

by Wendy Brandt Martinenas

With spring almost here, it?s almost time to enjoy our yards and if you?re thinking of composting, now is a good time to get educated and get whatever you need in place.? Compost is organic matter that is used to fertilize soil.? It?s great for your garden, your wallet and the environment.? Think of compost as health food, helping your garden grow richer and stronger in a natural way without harsh chemicals.? You can use it for potted plants and mulch too.

I always thought that compost was comprised of food scraps and garden clippings only. ?However, below is a list of 81 things you can compost, including surprises like dryer lint, wine corks, pencil shavings, crepe paper streamers, white glue, plain paste and junk mail. Who knew?? So between composting and single stream recycling, we can eliminate a good chunk of waste we send to our landfills.

Starting to compost requires an initial monetary investment for a kitchen scrap container, a bin and depending on what you want: supplies such as chicken wire, an aerator, a pile turner or a ph tester to name a few. ?Once you realize your return on investment, from purchasing less to eventually no fertilizer, composting is essentially free. ??If you are redoing your Kitchen, check out these compost friendly designs.

81 things you can compost from mothernaturenetwork.com

• Dryer lint
• ?Dust bunnies?
• The insides of a vacuum bag (just empty the bag into the compost bin)
• The contents of your dustpan (just use discretion)
• Coffee grounds
• Coffee filters
• Tea bags/loose leaf tea
• Soy/rice/almond/etc milk
• Nut shells (but not walnut, which may be toxic to plants)
• Pumpkin/sunflower/sesame seeds (chop them to ensure they won?t grow)
• Avocado pits (chop them up so they won?t sprout)
• Pickles
• Stale tortilla chips/potato chips
• Stale crackers
• Crumbs (bread or other baked goods)
• Old breakfast cereal
• Bran (wheat or oat, etc)
• Seaweed/nori/kelp
• Tofu/tempeh
• Frozen fruits and vegetables
• Expired jam or jelly
• Egg shells
• Old, moldy ?soy dairy? and other dairy substitutes
• Stale?Halloween candy and old nutrition/protein bars
• Popcorn kernels (post-popping, the ones that didn?t make it)
• Old?herbs and spices
• Cooked rice
• Cooked Pasta
• Oatmeal
• Peanut shells
• Booze (beer and wine)
• Wine corks
• Egg cartons (not Styrofoam)
• Toothpicks
• Q-tips (not the plastic ones)
• Bamboo skewers
• Matches
• Sawdust
• Pencil shavings
• Fireplace ash (fully extinguished and cooled)
• Burlap sacks
• Cotton or wool clothes, cut into strips
• Paper towels
• Paper napkins
• Paper table cloths
• Paper plates (non wax- or plastic-coated)
• Crepe paper streamers
• Holiday wreaths
• Balloons (latex only)
• Raffia fibers (wrapping or decoration)
• Excelsior (wood wool)
• Old potpourri
• Dried flowers
• Fresh flowers
• Dead houseplants (or their dropped leaves)
• Human hair (from a home haircut or saved from the barber shop)
• Toenail clippings
• Trimmings from an electric razor
• Pet hair
• Domestic bird and bunny droppings
• Feathers
• Fish food
• Aquatic plants (from aquariums)
• Dog food
• Rawhide dog chews
• Ratty old rope
• The dead flies on the windowsill
• Pizza boxes and cereal boxes (shredded first)
• Toilet paper and paper towel rolls (shredded first)
• Paper muffin/cupcake cups
• Cellophane bags (real cellophane, not regular clear plastic)
• Kleenex (including used)
• Condoms (latex only)
• Old loofas (real, not synthetic)
• Cotton balls
• Tampon applicators (cardboard, not plastic) and tampons (including used)
• Newspaper
• Junk mail
• Old business cards (not the glossy ones)
• Old masking tape
• White glue/plain paste.

wendy@ctgreenrealestate.com ? ?William Raveis Real Estate

?

?

Source: http://ctgreenrealestate.com/composting-benefits-and-basics/

prime rib recipe norad santa tracker vince carter sweet potato casserole safeway standing rib roast its a wonderful life