What can I compost? http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/orga.../compost_1.php What can I compost?
If it can rot it will compost, but some items are best avoided. Some things, like grass mowings and soft young weeds, rot quickly. They work as 'activators' or 'hotter rotters', getting the composting started, but on their own will decay to a smelly mess.
Older and tougher plant material is slower to rot but gives body to the finished compost - and usually makes up the bulk of a compost heap. Woody items decay very slowly; they are best chopped or shredded first, where appropriate.
For best results, use a mixture of types of ingredient.
The right balance is something you learn by experience.
Hotter rotters (activators)
Comfrey leaves
Young weeds
Grass cuttings
Chicken manure
Pigeon manure
Other compostable items
Wood ash
Cardboard
Paper towels & bags
Cardboard tubes
Egg boxes
A
balanced diet
Fruit and vegetable scraps
Tea bags
Coffee grounds
Old flowers
Bedding plants
Old straw & hay
Vegetable plant remains
Strawy manures
Young hedge clippings
Soft prunings
Perennial weeds
Gerbil, hamster & rabbit bedding
Slow cookers - very slow to rot
Autumn leaves
Tough hedge clippings
Woody prunings
Sawdust
Wood shavings
Best avoided
Meat
Fish
Newspaper
Cooked food
Do NOT compost
Coal & coke ash
Cat litter
Dog faeces
Disposable nappies
Glossy magazines