Composting is effective in reducing waste and improving your garden soil, but be mindful that not all food scraps are suitable. Certain everyday items can upset the balance of your compost pile, draw pests, or introduce harmful substances. In this article, we’ll explore which everyday food items you should avoid composting to ensure a healthy, thriving compost system for your garden.
Dairy Products
Avoid composting dairy products as they produce strong, unpleasant odors that can overpower your compost and attract pests like flies, rodents, and raccoons. Dairy products can disrupt composting, create an imbalance, and slow down decomposition. Keep all dairy products like milk, yoghurt and cheese out of your compost for a more efficient composting system that keeps pests at bay.
Meat
Composting meat can lead to significant issues. It attracts pests such as raccoons, rats, and flies, leading to foul odors and harmful bacteria. The fats and oils in meat create a slimy, anaerobic environment, hindering the composting process. It’s best to avoid adding meat scraps to maintain a healthy and pest-free compost pile.
Onions And Garlic
Composting onions and garlic can hinder the composting process. Their natural compounds can inhibit the growth of beneficial bacteria and fungi, leading to slow decomposition and unpleasant odors. This inhibition can cause an overpowering smell, deterring helpful critters like worms. Onions’ low pH makes them acidic, further complicating the composting process.
Citrus Peels
Citrus peels can harm the composting process due to their antimicrobial and acidic properties. The d-limonene in citrus peels slows down decomposition, while their acidic pH disrupts the delicate balance of the compost pile. The strong citrus scent deters beneficial organisms like earthworms, which are essential for aerating the compost.
Bones
Bones are hard, dense materials that take a long time to break down, making them unsuitable for most home compost bins. As they decompose, bones can attract pests like skunks and rodents and emit unpleasant odors. While some smaller or softer bones might compost, drawing animals to your compost pile is not worth the risk. Boiling or cooking raw bones before adding them to the compost can soften them and reduce the risk of bacterial contamination. If you still want to recycle bones, grind them into bone meal and avoid putting them in your compost bin.
Eggshells
Eggshells can be a hassle to compost. They take a long to break down, especially if not crushed into a fine powder. Eggshells also attract pests like rodents and insects. Skip adding eggshells to your compost pile to avoid these issues and potential contamination from salmonella.
Processed Food
Processed foods contain preservatives, artificial flavors, and colors that disrupt natural decomposition. These additives can harm the microorganisms essential for composting, and the high sugar and oil content attracts pests, leading to a sticky, sluggish compost pile. To keep your compost healthy, stick to fresh produce scraps. If you compost processed foods, add them in moderation, mix them well, and focus more on whole foods to maintain a balanced compost.
Cooked Food
Cooked food, with its oils, fats, and seasonings, is not ideal for composting. These foods attract pests like flies and rodents, and their diverse composition can disrupt the decomposition process. Additionally, meat in cooked food can lead to anaerobic decomposition, causing unpleasant odors and acidity. Avoid adding cooked food and stick to raw plant-based materials.
Oil, Fat, And Greesy Food
Organic waste needs the right amount of moisture to decompose properly, but oils interfere with this process by preventing water from doing its job. Oils don’t break down easily and can attract critters due to their pungent smell. To avoid turning your compost pile into a feast for pests, make it a habit to keep grease, fat, and oil out of your compost bin.
Tea Bags And Coffee Pods
While coffee grounds and loose tea leaves make excellent additions to any compost pile due to their nutrient-rich nature, we must avoid composting coffee pods and tea bags containing synthetic materials. These synthetic fibers don’t decompose and hinder the composting process. Add only natural and biodegradable foods like used tea leaves and coffee grounds to keep your compost pile healthy.
Bread And Pasta
You should avoid adding bread and pasta to the compost. These starchy foods break down quickly and produce excessive moisture in the compost pile. This damp environment attracts pests and molds, disrupting the composting process. Steer clear of these foods For a thriving compost pile.
Walnuts
Walnuts contain a compound called juglone, which is toxic to many plants and remains active in compost for a long time. This toxin can harm plants grown in soil containing walnut residue. While it might be tempting to compost walnut shells, it’s best to avoid doing so. Walnut trees release juglone, which can particularly harm vegetables like tomatoes. To prevent any risk to your garden, discard walnut-related waste rather than composting it.
Fresh Baked Products
You should never add fresh-baked products like cakes, cookies, and cooked grains to your compost pile. These items are rich in sugar and fats and can attract insects and animals due to their strong odors. They also serve as breeding grounds for bacteria, which slows the decomposition process. Instead, you can compost hard-baked bread, which breaks down more efficiently and does not attract pests. Avoiding these fresh-baked products will help maintain a healthy compost system.
Nut Butter
Nut butters, like peanut or almond butter, contain fats and oils, which makes them unsuitable for composting. These greasy substances slow down the pace of decomposition, attract pests, and create a messy, unpleasant compost pile. For a thriving compost pile, it’s wise to steer clear of nut butters.