Print
PDF

Composting at home - What can I put in my compost bin?

Successful home composting is a lot like cooking. The four main basic ingredients are:


 

1.  Green materials for nitrogen – such as grass cuttings, young weeds, fruit and vegetable scraps

 

2.  Brown materials for carbon – such as dry leaves, egg boxes and kitchen paper

3. Air

4.  Water 


 

Put these in your compost bin

Put these in:


Greens

Grass cuttings, weeds, fruit/vegetable scraps, flowers/plant cuttings, hedge clippings

Browns
Tea bags, coffee grounds and filters, egg shells, dried grass/weeds, straw/hay, wood ash, cardboard (scrunched), cardboard tubes, egg boxes, pet bedding, leaves, sawdust and wood shavings (small quantities)


 

Leave these out of your compost bin

Leave these out:

Meat and fish, fats and oils, dairy products, coal/coke ash, cat litter, pet faeces, glossy paper and newspapers (recycle them!), infected plants, pine needles


 

 

For a successful composting experience, aim for approximately 50% Green material and 50% Brown material.

 

For more details about compostable materials, visit The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust information on composting.

Report by WRAP - Problems caused by biodegradable plastics
(opens external link)