Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Who Knew?!

So we ended up getting ANOTHER composter! Remember this one that Tyler made for me last year? Well it just didn't get hot enough in there so we decided to salvage the wood and purchase our third composter. Yes, you heard me, third. The first one was from Overstock and ended up being a waste of money.

So on to numero tres.
Via

I found one like this guy at Costco and it has been amazing so far! Mine is green so it blends in a bit better than this black beast. So far it's our favorite of the 3 and I think it will hold up for a good many years.

Now on to the point of this whole story. There are sooo many things that you can compost. I had no idea that a ton of the stuff I was throwing away could be turned into great garden soil. Hello??? I could be saving a ton of money on soil AND helping the environment!

Here are just a few thanks to planetgreen.com:

From the Kitchen

  1. Coffee grounds and filters
  2. Tea bags
  3. Used paper napkins
  4. Pizza boxes, ripped into smaller pieces
  5. Paper bags, either ripped or balled up
  6. The crumbs you sweep off of the counters and floors
  7. Plain cooked pasta
  8. Plain cooked rice
  9. Stale bread
  10. Paper towel rolls
  11. Stale saltine crackers
  12. Stale cereal
  13. Used paper plates (as long as they don't have a waxy coating)
  14. Cellophane bags (be sure it's really Cellophane and not just clear plastic—there's a difference.)
  15. Nut shells (except for walnut shells, which can be toxic to plants)
  16. Old herbs and spices
  17. Stale pretzels
  18. Pizza crusts
  19. Cereal boxes (tear them into smaller pieces first)
  20. Wine corks
  21. Moldy cheese
  22. Melted ice cream
  23. Old jelly, jam, or preserves
  24. Stale beer and wine
  25. Paper egg cartons
  26. Toothpicks
  27. Bamboo skewers
  28. Paper cupcake or muffin cups

From the Bathroom

  1. Used facial tissues
  2. Hair from your hairbrush
  3. Toilet paper rolls
  4. Old loofahs
  5. Nail clippings
  6. Urine
  7. 100% Cotton cotton balls
  8. Cotton swabs made from 100% cotton and cardboard (not plastic) sticks

Personal Items

It might be a good idea to bury these items in your pile. Just sayin'.
  1. Cardboard tampon applicators
  2. Latex condoms

From the Laundry Room

  1. Dryer lint
  2. Old/stained cotton clothing—rip or cut it into smaller pieces
  3. Old wool clothing—rip or cut it into smaller pieces

From the Office

  1. Bills and other documents you've shredded
  2. Envelopes (minus the plastic window)
  3. Pencil shavings
  4. Sticky notes
  5. Business cards (as long as they're not glossy)
  6. Receipts

Around the House

  1. Contents of your vacuum cleaner bag or canister
  2. Newspapers (shredded or torn into smaller pieces)
  3. Subscription cards from magazines
  4. Leaves trimmed from houseplants
  5. Dead houseplants and their soil
  6. Flowers from floral arrangements
  7. Natural potpourri
  8. Used matches
  9. Ashes from the fireplace, barbecue grill, or outdoor fire pit

Party and Holiday Supplies

  1. Wrapping paper rolls
  2. Paper table cloths
  3. Crepe paper streamers
  4. Latex balloons
  5. Raffia
  6. Excelsior
  7. Jack o' Lanterns
  8. Those hay bales you used as part of your outdoor fall decor
  9. Natural holiday wreaths
  10. Your Christmas tree. Chop it up with some pruners first (or use a wood chipper, if you have one...)
  11. Evergreen garlands

Pet-Related

  1. Fur from the dog or cat brush
  2. Droppings and bedding from your rabbit/gerbil/hamsters, etc.
  3. Newspaper/droppings from the bottom of the bird cage
  4. Feathers
  5. Alfalfa hay or pellets (usually fed to rabbits)
  6. Rawhide dog chews
  7. Fish food
  8. Dry dog or cat food

In other news, the baby is the size of an olive, the turnips in my garden look AMAZING, my carrots do not, and I have a whopping ONE broccoli plant that looks decent!

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