Good compost depends on a variety of ingredients to make the right mix. These ingredients are in plentiful supply - did you know that a third of all waste in the average kitchen bin can be composted? You will also find many types of materials in your school which can be composted in a basic compost bin (or compost heap) - but not everything is suitable so check out the list below before you get going.
Yes Please!
"Greens"
- Tea bags
- Grass cuttings
- Vegetable peelings, fruit scraps and rhuburb leaves
- Old flowers and nettles
- Coffee grounds & filter paper
- Spend bedding plants
- Young annual weeds
"Browns"
- Crushed egg shells
- Egg & cereal boxes
- Corrugated carboard & newspaper (scrunched up)
- Toilet and kitchen roll tubes
- Garden prunings
- Dry leaves, twigs & hedge clippings
- Straw & hay
- Bedding from vegetarian pets
- Sawdust and wood chippings
- Wool, Cotton threads, natural fibre clothes and string
- Feathers
- Vacuum bag contents
- Tissues, paper towels and napkins
- Shredded confidential documents
- Corn cobs and stalks
No Thanks!
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- Cooked food e.g. meat, pasta, mashed potato
- Sandwiches
- Raw meat and fish, including bones
- Dairy products e.g. yoghurt
- Diseased plants
- Weeds with seends
- Metals
- Plastic items
- Glass items
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(You can compost some of the items from the ‘No Thanks’ list if you have a special system designed to deal with food waste – see the 'Composting Systems' page to find out more)
Now you know what to put in – click here for some top tips on how to get started and get the most from your compost bin.