One of the fundamentals of having a good compost pile is creating a balanced mixture between “brown” and “green” organic matter.  Brown materials are items such as dead leaves, straw, dried grass, while green materials involve items such as green (undead) yard waste and most kitchen scraps.

Besides creating a balanced compost pile, you also need to know what can and cannot be composted properly.  Here are lists of items you can put in a composting pile or bin, items you should not put in a compost pile, and those that you should use with caution in a compost bin or pile.

What Can be Put into a Composting Bin or Compost Heap

Most yard waste (grass clippings, leaves), vegetables, and fruits, coffee grounds, tea bags, corn cobs, and egg shells.  You can also put in cardboard or paper, sawdust and hay and even clothing made from organic materials like cotton or wool.

What You Should NOT Put in your Composting Bin or Pile

Avoid adding dairy items, meat and eggs.  Animal and human feces.  Weeds with loads of seeds in them (especially if you will be using the compost later on in your garden), or noxious in nature.  Also do not use compost heaps to dispose of used oil or overly oily food products.

What Items to Use Sparingly or with Caution

Citrus fruits, wood ashes, evergreen needles.

If you have the right balance of materials in your compost heap (brown and green) and the proper materials to compost (see the lists above) you will be well on your way to creating beautiful, rich compost for your garden.

For more information about how to make compost quickly and efficiently using methods such as using a tumbler composting bins, please return to The Composting Bin homepage.

Would you like to learn how to make the World’s Best Compost? If so, you should learn about colloidal humus, and how to make this amazing compost at home.

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