What Goes in Compost Bin Without Causing a Stink?

Not sure what goes in compost bin? Want to build a compost pile, but not sure what you can and can't put in it so that it doesn't become a stinky mess that the neighbors complain about? Its really pretty simple and once you get the hang of it, you wont think twice about putting materials aside for your compost bin.

No Meat

The biggest and really main no-no of what to add to a compost pile is no animal matter. No meat, no fats from cooking, no dog or cat poop. These are what attract animals; raccoons, rats, stray dogs and cats, etc to paw through your pile looking for food. Animal matter also stinks as it rots and really doesn't add anything to your compost pile.

Kitchen Waste

As stated above, no animal matter but lots of other kitchen waste can be great additions to your compost pile. Egg shells, coffee grounds, vegetable peelings, fruit rinds, corn husks. All of these can be added to your compost pile. I keep a kitchen composter, a ceramic bucket with a tight fitting lid, next to my trash can. Anything that can go into the compost pile goes in there. When it gets full I dump it into the compost bin. When I cut up a melon, I do cut the rind into smaller pieces as it will decay faster.

Yard Waste

If you just have a pile of kitchen waste, its going to stink and its not going to be very good compost. It would also take a very long time to make very much of it! If all you have to work with is kitchen waste, you may want to look at a worm composter as it would be a better tool for you.

Yard waste such as weeds, fallen leaves, grass clippings are the backbone of your compost pile. They are what will break down and create the bulk of your compost. Mixing the kitchen waste in with the clippings from your yard will create a rich compost that wont stink as it breaks down. If it does stink, you need more brown waste or its too wet.

Deciding what goes in compost bin is easy once you have an understanding of what you're trying to achieve and separating out your kitchen waste will become second nature once you've been doing it for a while.

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