10 Everyday Items You Should Be Composting

We throw away a lot of stuff every day. Have you ever wondered whether some of the things filling up your bin might be better off in the garden?

This is our list of 10 things you should already be composting.

1. Natural Wine Corks
Natural cork biodegrades, so when you’ve finished a bottle (or three), chuck the corks into your compost!

2. Hair
Both human and animal hair is a rich source of nitrogen and can be added to a compost pile or bin, but it can take up to 3 months for hair to break down in a Subpod.

3. Paper and Cardboard
Plain paper and cardboard composts like a treat, and it’s an excellent source of carbon your worms.

4. Cotton Balls
Make sure these are pure cotton – if there’s any plastic in the cotton it can leech into your garden.

5. Teabags and Coffee Filters
Some tea bags contain micro-plastics, which won't break down in compost and is unhealthy for us to ingest. To play it safe, you can tear open the tea bags and just compost the soaked leaves.

6. Loofahs and Natural Sponges.
If your loofah is starting to show wear and tear, go ahead and buy (or grow) yourself a new one – and throw the old one to your compost while you’re at it!

7. Popsicle Sticks and Toothpicks
Wood is fine for compost, and small pieces like these will decompose within a year.

8. Fireplace Ashes
Ash is a great nutrient source for your plants - but worms are sensitive to too much ash, so go slow. Make sure your ash fully cools before adding it to your system so you don’t end up with worm roast.

9. Masking tape
The paper type (without silicone) is fine to compost, as are some white glues including Elmer’s brand. Papier-mache and wheat paste are usually compostable as well! Who new composting could be so crafty?

10. Floor sweepings and vacuum bag contents.
All those crumbs, dander, and particles of dirt you track in can go right back out the door and into the compost!

These are just 10 examples of everyday items that are compostable, but there are hundreds of other examples. If you use a disposable item often, try seeing if there's a compostable alternative (you might find out it's already fine to chuck into the compost bin!)

Ready to start composting?

Check out our easy to use systems!