It was just over a year ago that I wrote All About Compost, in honor of our very first Monday Monthly Mission. Now it’s spring and garden season once again, and I’m returning to shed some new light on the subject. Because kitchen scraps are just the tip of the iceberg – you can also compost:

Soy/rice/almond/etc milk Coffee grounds Fireplace ash Nut shells (not walnut) Toenail clippings Pet hair Human hair (home haircut or saved from the barber shop) Dryer lint Dust bunnies Innards of a vacuum bag (empty the bag into the compost) Burlap sacks Pumpkin/sunflower/sesame seeds (chop them to ensure they won’t grow) Toothpicks Cotton or wool clothes, cut into strips Stale tortilla chips/potato chips Stale crackers Domestic bird and bunny droppings Old potpourri Sawdust Fish food Dog food Crumbs Flowers Seaweed/nori/kelp Peanut shells Bran (wheat or oat, etc) Condoms! (latex only) Paper towels Paper napkins Paper plates (non wax- or plastic-coated) Trimmings from an electric razor Tea bags/looseleaf tea Crepe paper streamers Q-tips (not the plastic ones) Old breakfast cereal Dead houseplants (or their dropped leaves) Newspaper Avocado pits (chop them up first) Frozen fruits and vegetables Tofu/tempeh Expired jam or jelly Feathers Kleenex (including ‘used’) The dead bugs on the windowsill Pickles Balloons (latex only) Egg shells Coffee filters Popcorn kernels (the ones at the bottom of the bucket) Oatmeal Aquatic plants (from aquariums) Matches Old loofas (real, not synthetic) Tampon applicators (cardboard, not plastic) Pencil shavings Holiday wreaths Bamboo Skewers Old herbs and spices Pizza boxes (shredded) Cooked rice Cooked Pasta Wine corks Paper muffin/cupcake cups Cotton balls Booze! (beer and wine)