Compost this

It’s the time of year to start piling falling leaves on the compost heap. Sure, grass clippings, coffee grounds and most kitchen scraps are the standard ingredients. But here are 10 other household-waste products you might not have thought about.

1. Hair. The trimmings from your bangs or beard or from cleaning your hair brush make for a fine compost addition, as long as it’s not bleached or dyed.

2. Cotton swabs. That includes Q-tips and cotton balls made of 100 percent and real cotton. But consider how they’ve been used before you toss them in the compost bin. Ditch the ones with nail polish remover or make-up.

3. Vacuum-cleaner accumulations. The collected material is mostly dust, soil, crumbs, and hair from both you and your pets, and it can all be composted.

4. Used paper towels. Of course it depends on how they were used—avoid those sopped with greasy, oily and potentially bacteria-soaked messes.

5. Toilet-paper and paper-towel rolls. They’re cardboard and fine for the bin.

6. Egg cartons. Cardboard, not Styrofoam. And wash out the egg shell residue first.

7. Fireplace ashes. Wood-fire ashes diminish acidity and add potassium to a compost pile. Add in moderation—too much alkaline will keep the compost from breaking down.

8. Nail clippings. No, really. You’ve already tossed in you hair clippings. But just like the dyed hair, don’t use clippings from polished nails. The nails provide keratin and break down readily in a compost pile.

9. Corks. Those wine-bottle stoppers are made of tree bark and decompose as such. Don’t compost cork board or tile, as they may carry residual glue.

10. Dryer lint. It’s made up of tiny fibers from your clothes, towels and blankets. Polyester fibers shouldn’t contaminate the compost pile, assuming a majority of your wardrobe is made of cotton, wool or other natural material.

Source: www.greendivamom.com